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MIRACLE AT A MARRIAGE (A Study from John 2:1-11)

Have you ever heard the expression, “The best is yet to come?” Well, if you have, you know that this is a promise that often turns out to be a big disappointment.

But in the town of Cana of Galilee, Jesus shows us that in the Christian life the “best really is yet to come”. When Jesus performs His first miracle, we see that things do get better the longer we walk with Him. The story and the miracle take place at a marriage. The Book of John, chapter 2, verses 1 through 11 tells about it this way:

Jesus’ mother was a guest at a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother spoke to Him about the problem. “They have no more wind,” she told Him.

“How does that concern you and me?” Jesus asked. “My time has not yet come.”

But His mother told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Six stone water pots were standing there; they were used for Jewish ceremonial purposes and held twenty to thirty gallons each. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled to the very top, He said, “Dip some out and take it to the master of the party.” So they followed His instructions.

When the master of the party tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “Usually a host serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone is full and does not care, he brings out the less expensive wines. But you have kept the best until now!”

This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was Jesus’ first miracle. And His disciples believed in Him. - John 2:1-11

There are many people living today that believe there is a God, but that He is a small God limited by the laws of the world He created. In other words, they think God is not all-powerful (omnipotent) and not in charge. They think the things that happen to us happen because we live in a natural world that is run by natural laws that God can not change. They do not believe that people can walk on water; diseases can be healed; the dead can be raised back to life; and water can be turned into wine. People think that the world we see is the only world there is and that it can never be interfered with - not even by God. Oh, my goodness, are these people ever wrong!

In the Bible we see from the miracles of Jesus that God can step in and overrule the natural world; He can counteract what we think are the “laws of nature”. God made the rules of nature, so He can change them any time He wants to. Now, you have noticed that there are not miracles on every page of the Bible. Miracles come only when God wants them to come. And they come for God’s purposes.

The physical miracles God did on earth are wonderful. But there is still an even greater miracle that God does every day. That miracle occurs when a human heart is transformed by a work of God’s grace...God gives sinful people the free gift of eternal life even when they do not deserve it...and He does it whenever a person sincerely asks Him to.

In John 14:12, Jesus tells the disciples that when He returned to heaven they would do even greater miracles than He did.

I used to wonder what this meant. Then one day I realized that all of the miracles Jesus did were temporary in nature. Resurrected people eventually died again. Sick people probably got sick again.

When we share the Gospel message and the person accepts Christ, this is when we see a miracle ever greater than the ones Jesus did. This is because when the human heart is transformed and a person is born again by God’s grace, it is a permanent miracle; one which lasts for ever and ever...for eternity.

There are people who try to explain away the miracles of the Bible, saying they are not truly miracles. The miracle of Jesus turning water into wine is a hard for these people to explain away. I believe this miracle shows that God can and does break into the natural world at times, according to His will, and He changes things. This is not hard for me to believe because this is the same God that created the world to begin with.

In the Book of John, the word “sign” is used 17 times to refer to Jesus’ miracles. In John 20:30-31 we are told that the reason Jesus did miracles was to show us that He is truly is God and that we will have eternal life by believing in Him. These miracles also show that God is all-powerful and is active in the world. This first miracle of Jesus - turning water into wine - is powerful evidence for that fact.
 
THE MIRACLE SETTING

John 2:1-2

THE WEDDING

Cana is a small town in Galilee...in present day Israel. We do not know whose wedding it was, but my guess is that it was someone close to the family of Jesus; since both Jesus and Mary, His mother, are attending. Verse 3 shows that Mary took some responsibility at the wedding.

The Jewish wedding at that time followed what was called “a betrothal period”. This period was like an engagement period, only more serious and with legal significance. In a way, it was like the parents of the bride and bridegroom had married the couple already, without the couple even being there. To break a betrothal required a divorce proceeding. When the betrothal period was complete, the bridegroom and his friends made their way to the bride’s home, often at night in the form of a torchlight parade. The bride was not supposed to know when the bridegroom was coming. Nevertheless, she was to be ready at a moment’s notice. At the bride’s home there would be speeches and expressions of good will, and the conclusion of the marriage ceremony. Then the bridegroom would take the bride to his home where the wedding feast would begin. The wedding celebration would often last for a week or more - it was a time of great celebration and joy for all who attended.

There is meaningful significance for us in the fact that Jesus Christ attended a wedding celebration - a party!

CHRIST IS INTERESTED IN OUR HAPPINESS

There are times when Christianity is a very sober and reflective experience. But it is also a celebration. The first miracle Jesus performed took place in a setting of rejoicing, not a setting or mourning; a wedding, not a funeral; a feast, not a fast. Paul said in Romans 14:17 that the kingdom of God is “...living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Many Christians are living the goodness part, and even the peace part. But they are completely missing the joy part of the kingdom of God. Instead of enjoying the spiritual life, they seem to just endure it in a gloomy, sad sort of way.

The Bible tells us that anyone who knows God should have joy in their life. (Psalm 16:11; 32:11; John 15:11; Galatians 5:22). It seems significant that Jesus chose to perform His first miracle at a party, a joyful wedding celebration. Jesus loved to be with people at dinners and other celebrations. He expressed joy at these occasions...and we should follow His example to do the same.

JESUS IS INTERESTED IN OUR HOMES.

Let us note where Jesus’ first miracle took place. It was not in a fancy temple, but in a humble home. A new home, a new family, was being started by this wedding, and Jesus acknowledged its importance by attending. That Jesus was invited to a humble home in Cana should remind us that we should invite Him into our home. The Christian home is to be a place where Christ is welcomed and honored by both husband and wife, as well as by the children and other family members. That is what the Scripture means when it says Christians should not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Young people should be reminded that Christ wants to join them in their home as they begin their married lives. Before young couples are married, they should be counseled about establishing a Christian union and home. They need to know that marriage is hard enough when both are Christians and that having a home with Christ at the center is impossible when one of the partners is not a believer.

Christ’s presence in Cana also shows us the importance of the marriage ceremony. There are millions of couples living together who have never committed themselves to each other in a marriage ceremony. God expects there to be a public covenant-making ceremony when it comes to marriage. Living together without a marriage ceremony is to live in fornication and your Church takes a strong stand against this. You should not continue in this way.

THE MIRACLE SIGN
John 2:3-10

THE PROBLEM AND THE MIRACLE
John 2:3b.

The miracle centers around Mary’s words to Jesus: “They have no wine.” All the miracles of Jesus were based on some problem. Jesus did not work miracles just to “show off”, or just to impress people. Jesus was not a traveling magic show. Jesus performed miracles:

1. To encourage us; and
2. To show us that God is sufficient to meet our needs and problems; even if they require a miracle.

The problem at the wedding appears to be that the amount of wine needed was underestimated. This would have been a very big embarrassment for the bridegroom’s family. It would have cut the celebration short if the problem was not solved quickly. Under Jewish law, a bridegroom’s family could be sued in a court of law for such an oversight! Jesus performs this miracle so that:

1. The celebration could continue with joy;
2. A humble Jewish family would not be embarrassed or hurt in a legal dispute;
3. And, of course, so that you and I would learn from it.

THE PERSONALITIES AND THE MIRACLE
John 2:4-5

It may seem that Jesus’ response to His mother was disrespectful when He said:

Woman, how does that concern you and me?
My time has not yet come.

But within the Jewish culture of that time, it was common to address women as “woman”.

Jesus was just saying to His mother that He would handle the matter in His own way. Mary’s response proves that she did not consider His answer a rebuke at all. She simply tells the servants to let Him handle it His own way. She says to the servants,

“Do whatever He tells you to do”.

Today these words of Mary are still good advice for anyone willing to be the servant of Christ. Right now Jesus is looking for people who will do whatever He says. Could that person be you?

THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MIRACLE
John 2:6-9

There were 6 water pots, used for holding water during purification rites in the Jewish religion. These were not tall, large pots, but rather shorter pots that held 20 or 30 gallons of water each, which is still quite a lot of water. 6 times 30 are 180 gallons! Family members would pour water from these pots over their hands before the meal and again between the various courses of the meal. This required large amounts of water. Based on the amount of water each pot held, Jesus would have made enough wine for 2,400 glasses of wine. Jesus made a lot of wine at the wedding in Cana!

Wine was a common beverage that was served with meals in the time of Jesus. All the social evils of using alcohol in our present day society are different than the way it was used in this story.

Now notice here how the miracle occurred - as the water was drawn out of the purification vessels, it became wine (verses 8-9). Jesus would not have contaminated the purification vessels by filling them with wine. The miracle occurred as the water was drawn out and poured into a smaller pitcher and then taken to the master of the feast.

THE PRAISE OF THE MIRACLE
John 2:10

The strongest indication of the fact that Jesus really did create wine is the master of the feast’s response. He thought the family had saved back the very best wine until the end of the feast. This was out of the ordinary. Normally the best wine was served at first, and then when the senses of the guests were dulled, the lesser quality wine would be served. The wine Jesus made was better than the wine they had at the beginning of the celebration.

THE MEANINGFUL SIGNIFICANCE
John 2:11

There are two things to learn from this first miracle of Jesus.

THE FIRST THING IS THIS…

Whenever Jesus comes into a life or a situation, He makes it better - just like making water into fine wine. Jesus always left people better than how He found them. And that is exactly what He will do in the life of anyone who trusts Him.

THE SECOND THING IS THIS…

This miracle highlights the difference between the ways of God and the ways of the world. The world always gives the best they have to offer and it goes downhill from there. With the world you get the kicks first, and the kickbacks later.
Sin always starts out as fun.

But with God, things always get better the longer you know Him. I hope you can testify to these two things from your own life. Just like the new wine at Cana was better than what they had before, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before”.

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