STUDY ONE SOLITARY LIFE: THE LIFE OF JESUS     1-28-2001
UNIT 3: INTRODUCING JESUS: TRANSFORMING POWER
JOHN 2: 1-5, 6-10, 11.

Today we watch Jesus taking part in a marriage feast. Does this strike
you as odd, after studying last Sunday His terrible experience of
temptation in the wilderness? We are still in the first week of the
active ministry of Jesus. In Vs. 11 John clearly says that this is the
first miracle Jesus performed. With one clear word John sweeps away all
the romantic and exaggerated legends of childhood miracles which had
already begun to gather around the name of Jesus by the time John wrote
his book, around 90 A.D. One of these fanciful legends says that when
Christ was a tiny boy He fashioned birds of clay, set them on the
windowsill of the house, then gave them life and let them wing away!
Other legends suggest that, after the death of Joseph, Jesus provided
food and other necessities by miraculous means. 

1. PLEASE READ JOHN 1: 1-5. 

If it seems strange to us that the public ministry of Christ began here
at a marriage feast, we need to think a bit about the significance of the
setting. Cana of Galilee was a tiny and obscure village, situated l5 Mi.
N.W. of Tiberis and 6 miles N.E. of Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus.
Cana was the village from which the apostle Nathaniel came. 
  
The natives there still pretend to show the place where the water was
turned to wine, and even one of the large stone water-pots. A Greek
church stands at the entrance of the town, deriving its special sanctity,
as I suppose, from its being supposed to occupy the site of the house in
which he marriage was celebrated to which Jesus and his friends were
invited.

Evidently, not as many tourists visit Cana as they do Nazareth, Tiberis,
and Capernaum. As we entered the church there were 2 monks rather
shabbily attired. The smaller held out a bowl into which we dropped some
change. As we moved on into the church I looked back and the larger of
the monks was wrestling the smaller for the contents of the bowl.

 There is not now a habitable house in the humble village where our
blessed Lord sanctified, by His presence and miraculous assistance, the
all-important and world-wide institution of marriage. It was called "Cana
of Galilee" to distinguish it from another Cana in the tribe of Ephraim.
This Cana of Galilee is not mentioned at all in the O.T. and only one
other time in the N.T. Jesus could scarcely have chosen a more obscure
place in which to begin, but it emphasizes for us the marvelous fact that
no person and no place is too obscure and humble to merit and secure His
concern. 

Notice that John keeps a journal showing that no day passed without
something extraordinary done or said. We must always remember that
beneath John's simple stories there is a deeper meaning which is open
only to those who have eyes to see. In all His Gospel John never wrote an
unnecessary or an insignificant detail. Everything means something and
every thing points to something. Jesus never lay down at night
complaining, as the Roman Emperor did, that He had lost a day. This day
of the wedding was to be unique for it marks the day of Jesus first
miracle or as John says the first sign. John will give us seven of these
miracles or signs as we move 
through His Gospel: (1.) Water turned to wine, (2.) Curing of the
officials son, (3.) Curing of the paralytic by the pool of Bethesda, (4.)
Feeding of the 5,000, (5.) Walking on water, (6.) Curing the blind man,
(7.) Raising of Lazarus from the dead. All these are to indicate that
Jesus was indeed the Messiah; they magnified His glory

Mary was already present at the home where the wedding feast was in
progress when Jesus and his five or six disciples arrived. An ancient
Christian tradition says that Mary was present because the wedding was in
the family of Cleopas or Alphaeus, whose wife was Mary's sister. Whether
or not this is true, it is clear, at least, that Mary was a close friend
of the friend of the family and had been invited not only as a guest but
also as a helper.

In a humble home Jesus began by sanctifying marriage by His presence and
creative power. It was the beginning of the undeniable honor, which He
always put upon marriage. Let us remember that those who want a happy
marriage had best invite Jesus to the wedding! 

It is really a pity that it is almost a shock to our own ideas of our
Lord to think of Him as one of a marriage party. He is enjoying it all
with the wedding guests.   Christ teaches us that to be holy as He is
holy we are not required to abandon the ordinary affairs of life, and
that, no matter how we make them the apology for worldliness, it is not
the necessary duties or relations of life that prevent our being
Christlike. 

Mary is mentioned here in John's Gospel and no more until the
crucifixion! This perhaps seems strange in view of the fact that John
kept Mary in His home through all the years until her death! It is likely
that he played her down because there had already begun to gather around
her some of the baseless and foolish notions that have resulted in
Mariolatry. 

I need to inject here that our lesson today is not one on abstinence from
alcohol. The N.T. sets forth some general guidelines for Christian living
that indicate reasons to abstain totally from drinking alcohol. But if we
focus on that today we will miss the main point of our lesson, "Jesus
Power to Transform."

In Vs. 3 Mary sought Jesus out and mentioned to Him the fact that the
supply of wine was gone. We are not told why there was not enough. It is
interesting to notice that she simply told Jesus the fact. She made no
request at all. What did she expect or hope? The answer probably is that
she turned to Him because she was in the habit of turning to him! Since
the death of Joseph, it has been her natural custom to turn to her eldest
son. She also obviously knew of His unique Sonship to God. She was a
resourceful woman and as such, felt that a word to her Son would be all
that was necessary.   

Now in those days wedding feasts were not a matter of one day only; they
often lasted a week, even two weeks. That meant a great deal of food and
wine had to be provided. Jesus and his party arrived late in the week
(perhaps Nathaniel brought Him), and by that time the wine was gone. For
a wedding feast to run out of wine would be considered a serious social
breach. In some instances the hosts (the bridegroom and his family) might
be subject to legal liability for their failure to provide enough food
and wine. 

That Jesus approved of the use of wine is certain; that He approved of
its misuse or abuse is, of course utterly untrue. The social customs of
the times of Jesus were entirely different form ours; the use of win was
customary and expected. There was no tea, no coffee; neither was there
any stimulated traffic in alcoholic beverages! Water was often dangerous
to drink; sometimes it was poisonous. Wine was accepted as the current
beverage, but in moderation. When Jesus addressed his mother in Vs. 4, He
called her simply "woman." Actually there is not reproach in the title-He
used the same term on the cross. Neither does the title show an undue
regard, either. He called her no more "mother' because now He was to be
revealed as God's Son.  

"What have you to do with Me?" It seems impossible to translate into
English the words Jesus spoke in Vs. 4 without their sounding
unreasonably harsh. Actually they were not. The were probably, first of
all to remind her gently that He had now reached the estate of manhood
and that the period of His subject to her was at an end. He was defining
his new relationship with her. Much more important, they were a gentle
reminder of His divine mission and an indication that she could give no
directions there. 

Jesus came to fulfill His Father's purpose-to die on the cross and to be
raised form the dead. This is clear by the rest of Jesus' words. "My time
has not yet come." The Gospel of John refers to Jesus' time as having not
come or having come on several occasions. In each of these occasions
Jesus' was a reference to His death, burial, and resurrection. Thus
Jesus' response "Why do you involve me? My time has not yet come," was
the manner in which He reminded His mother that His role was to redeem
the world. He later said in John 17:1 "The time has come." That time was
the night He was betrayed, which occurred about three years later. The
wedding feast took place about the first week of His public ministry.  

Jesus never set His mother up to be a Madonna. He deeply respected her,
but did not allow her to dictate to Him. As Son of God He uttered the
rebuke; as son of Mary he complied with the request. But He made it
everlastingly clear that she should have no more to do with His
redemptive mission than any other person. As a matter of fact, she had
less to do with it than anybody else close to Him did!

The gently rebuke of Jesus to Mary did not affect His mother's love and
faith. If she could speak to those who superstitiously seek her
intercession now, she would point them to this incident and say now as
then in Vs. 5, "Do whatever He tells you." Here we see not only her faith
in Jesus as her son, but as the Son of God. It is another of the great
tributes to Jesus reported by John. Only this one time did she testify to
Jesus during His ministry. Up to this time Jesus had been a private man
had and had belonged to her. But henceforth He was to be the public
Messiah. Mary here renounces her exclusive right Christ and in parting
from Him says; "Do whatever He tells you." Behind this command lay thirty
years of wonderful and divine events which had been treasured in her
heart. Now they were coupled with her evident realization that He had
begun His ministry.

The manner in which the miracle was performed deserves attention and
emphasizes His glory. 

2. PLEASE READ JOHN 2: 6-10. 

John described some of the setting in which Jesus performed His miracle.
John first noted the six stone water jars in the banquet area. The number
six stood for incompletion, whereas seven stood for completion. John
wrote Ch. 1-11 around seven signs Jesus performed to reveal His deity, a
number that indicated complete revelation. The six water jars symbolized
that the Jewish law and system were incomplete and unfinished, but the
revelation Jesus brought was complete. In this account the water pots
symbolize Judaism. The wine symbolizes the new revelation of grace in
Jesus.

I would challenge you to read a book written by the pastor of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, Jim Cymbala, titled "Fresh wind, Fresh fire." It
signals that God is at work in our day. He wishes to work in our lives. I
am presently reading his new book titled "Fresh Faith" and finding it
excellent.

The Jews used the six jars for ceremonial washing. Jews observed strict
laws about washing their hands to become ceremonially clean. They washed
their feet on entering a building, as Jesus washed His disciples' feet.
Jews washed their hands before and after eating. All utensils had to be
washed ceremonially. 

The washings' purpose was not merely for hygiene. The Jews believe that
contact with the world and with Gentiles made them spiritually unclean.
They believed that they were God's holy people and that all other people
and things were unholy. Thus they developed elaborate rituals for
cleansing themselves from the world's defilement before they ate or came
before God.   

After Jesus came, cleansing was through confession of sins. John wrote in
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." And the cleansing
power of His atoning sacrifice as set forth in 1 John 2:2 "He is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole world."

At a festival such as the marriage feast that could last for a week or
two much water was needed for ceremonial washing. The bridegroom's family
had six stone water jars containing water for that purpose. Each jar
would hold 20 to 30 gallons. It is clear that the jars were now either
empty or nearly so. Jesus commanded he servants that they should fill the
jars, all of them, with water. He could have produced the wine without
water, but the fact that they had been completely filled with water would
be witness to the miracle. The servants knew it was water. A little
later, the steward knew it was wine. 

We may feel surprised at the enormous amount. Somewhere between 120 and
180 gallons of wine were produced if the water was changed into wine in
the jars. If, as some suppose, only that part carried to the steward
became wine, it would be a lesser amount. It is pure conjecture and
against the general trend of the story to suppose anything except all of
the water in all six jars was turned into wine. The enormous supply would
remain as a witness to the miracle and as a dowry to the new family.    

We cannot know whether the servants knew that Mary had been delegated by
the family with power to command them or whether they sensed something in
the bearing of Jesus that led them to obey his commands without question.
Most persons, servant or not, would have objected that what was needed
was not water but wine. But without question the servants filled the jars
with water as commanded. Now Jesus commanded that they should "Draw some
out, and take it to the steward of the feast. They knew very well that
they had only put in water, and they knew that to offer water to the
steward of he marriage feast would be to insure their own punishment. But
they did not hesitate. Jesus gave them no hint whether had been any
change in the water. Actually Jesus did not say, "Now draw some out," as
our translation show. He said, "Now draw out and take it to the steward."
How Jesus transformed the water into wine is not revealed. All we know is
that His power is an effective power to transform. And so it is for us.
How Jesus transforms a sinner's life into a life that is pleasing to Him
is a mystery. Yet we know that His power is an effective power to
transform people's lives and to make them the best.

Thus these willing servants became co-workers in the miracle. We may
remark in passing that sometimes Christ's command may not seem to us to
be pertinent to the point in hand. We may not see or understand the
processes involved or even the goals to be attained. But---let us
remember! ---that the connection and importance must be left with Christ.
 Notice that no word is spoken and no gesture made on the part of Jesus
in performing this miracle. The servants filled the jars with water and
drew out the wine, and there was no apparent exercise of divine power, no
mysterious words of incantation uttered over the water-pots, not so much
as a command given that the water should become wine. What the spectators
see is men at work, not God creating out of nothing. The means seem to be
human, the result to be divine. Christ did all while the servants seemed
to do all. And He appears to have done the miracle purely by an act of
His own will. We must remember that He is the Lord of nature. John had
emphasized His role as Creator in the original thesis of the book. He who
can create the grape can create the wine.

3. PLEASE READ JOHN 1:11. 

John adds that in this first miracle Jesus "manifested His glory." This
glory did not BEGIN with the miracle. The miracle only MANIFESTED it by
showing His divine power. It proved Him the Lord of Creation and related
Him to Human life. 

Jesus said that because this miracle "manifested his glory," his
disciples "believed on Him." Did they not believe already? They had
followed him on His mission at His call. Remember that most of them had
previously been disciples of John the Baptist. John was an ascetic. Jesus
associated himself with people of all kinds and proceeded very
differently from the way of John Baptist. The word "believe" means that
His disciples made a surrender to Him in complete confidence. Of course,
they had believed on Him on the journey to Cana. But now what they saw
led them further---and in that moment, in a way not realized before, they
saw his glory and made a surrender to him in complete confidence.

John wrote in John 20:30 that Jesus performed many other miraculous
signs. John called Jesus' miraculous acts signs that point to His deity.
Each sign pointed to a truth about Him. A sign is a miracle with a
message. John used Miracles as signposts to point readers to Jesus so
they might believe in Him. 

Through the first sign Jesus revealed or made visible His glory. The
Greek word for glory has the idea of divine excellence and majesty.
Through the first sign, Jesus revealed His worth. His significance. He
revealed His divine power and majesty. This sign proved that He was the
mighty, wonder-working Son of God, that He ruled nature as well as man.
To John, every miracle was intended to prove that is the reason He is
worthy of honor and faith. The disciples now believe in His power and
they connected themselves to Him without reserve.

In his first sermon in Acts 2:22 Peter proclaimed that Jesus was "a man
accredited by God...by miracles, wonders and signs, which God
did...through Him." Peter later said in Acts 10:38 that Jesus' being
anointed with the Holy Spirit and power enabled Him to perform His
miracles.

The whole experience of the wedding, the water made wine, and the
disciples' belief accomplished John's purpose in relating the account. As
is continued to reveal Himself, the disciples continued to grow in faith
and knowledge.

As Jesus entered into His public ministry He clearly understood His
mission---He was to die on a cross to pay the penalty of our sins. Jesus
blood washes our sins away; therefore, because of His redemption we can
stand before God as if we had never sinned.

CONCLUSION: 
Jesus has power to transform lives. He showed it when He changed water
into wine. In that miraculous sign, Jesus revealed His identity and His
mission. His act revealed that He is God's Son. The wine's quality
symbolized that Jesus can give life that is joyful, full, and meaningful.
When a person begins to trust and obey Jesus, that person will experience
God's transforming power.  
1. Jesus can give the highest quality of life because He has the power to
transform life.
2. Jesus' power is self-determined. He works His transforming power in
our lives because He chooses to do so. 
3. Jesus' power produces in us what He promises us. 
4. Jesus' power in us reveals His glory. 

FOR NEXT WEEK YOU WILL WANT TO READ JOHN 4:4-42 TO GET THE FULL MESSAGE
OF JESUS CONVERSATON WITH THE SAMARITAIN WOMAN AT THE WELL.              
                               A.V. DAUGHERTY  1-28-2001