Water Into Wine
“Everyone brings out the choice wine first
and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink;
but you have saved the best till now.”
John 2:10
Years ago when Johnny Carson was the
host of The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The
young man was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a
coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As
Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience
that the young man was a Christian. So Johnny asked him if he attended
Sunday school. When the boy said he did Johnny inquired, "What are you
learning in Sunday school?"
"Last week," came his reply, "our lesson was about when Jesus went to a
wedding and turned water into wine." The audience roared, but Johnny
tried to keep a straight face. Then he said, "And what did you learn
from that story?" The boy squirmed in his chair. It was apparent he
hadn't thought about this. But then he lifted up his face and said, "If
you're going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!" 1
In John's gospel this is the first of Jesus miraculous signs.
Just a brief word about Jesus miracles:
I know that in our post modern and post Christian world, people wonder
whether or not to even take these signs as historical events or as
metaphors.
The people in Jesus time did not take them as metaphors.
One of the great criticisms that Jesus faced not, from believers, but
from his opponents was by what power and what authority he did these
things. At one point his critics wanted to claim they were the works of
Satan. There was no doubt among them about whether they occurred or
not.
Jesus is even referred to by ancient historians a teacher and wonder
worker. That he is the son of God, they had nothing to say, but it is
clear from the witness of the time that He did the things we read about.
The situation in this miracle is a wedding feast in a small town.
Palestinian weddings went on for days and the whole community was
involved.
It was a party the likes of which we maybe only see once or twice in a
lifetime. It was a big event and the family would have saved up for it
for years, just to do it right.
Jesus and his mother are invited and right in the middle of the
wedding, they run out of wine.
This is an embarrassment of colossal proportions. The only thing that
might be even closely equivalent is if the food at a wedding banquet
ran out before half the guests were served. You can imagine being the
bride's parents and hearing.
"Psssst, they are out of food and not everyone has eaten!" You would
die of humiliation.
Someone had obviously goofed, and some scholars say that it was more
than embarrassment. The family could even be sanctioned socially for
this oversight.
Notice what happens next.
Mary tells Jesus about it.
As far as John is concerned, this is the first miraculous sign.
Maybe John's chronology is off. Maybe there had been others.
We don't know; but for whatever reason, Mary knows Jesus can do
something. Probably because she knows who He is.
Knowing who Jesus is does tend to make one more confident in asking for
His help.
He demurs and says in effect, "so what makes this my problem? This is
not the time for me to be revealed."
But she is not going to be put off. She tells the head steward to just
do whatever Jesus tells him to do.
Doesn't this remind you of the persistent widow in Jesus parable?
Who knows, maybe the persistent widow was Jesus mother.
A point to be made.
How often do you worry about whether or not Jesus is going to take
notice of you and your issues?
Apparently Mary knew that those kind of doubts would get you precisely
nowhere.
She also shows us something. There is no problem beyond the concern of
our Lord.
A moral teacher might have given some wise advice about making sure you
plan ahead.
A therapist might have given counsel about how to keep your self esteem
when bad things happen.
But Jesus sets out to bring help.
What he does is interesting.
He tells them to fill the six large waterpots that held water.
These were used for purification. The guests would wash up so that they
could come to the feast and be clean.
Altogether they held about 120 gallons of water. A fair bit of work in
filling. Each jar was 20 gallons worth.
Whether they carried the jars to the water source or used a bucket
brigade to bring water to the jars, you know there was a lot of
hustling and bustling. Some sweat too.
A whole lot of applications come to mind.
We want God to act on our behalf.
It's a good idea for us to put in our investment into the process first.
Mary says, "whatever he says to you....do it."
Sometimes what is required is obvious.
We want God to help us economically.
God may say, "Fine, you put your investment in first."
We may want God to help us in a broken relationship.
God says, "Fine, you do what you need to do first."
God asks us to do what we can do and what we ought to do first.
Then He does what we cannot do.
The wedding staff tell Jesus they have done as told.
What washing water has to do with wine must have seemed totally
unclear, but they did as they were told.
They put in their investment first.
Next Jesus does what they cannot do. He takes their efforts and
transforms it into what they cannot.
God does not ask us to produce the miraculous.
But He does ask us to do what is in our power to do.
Two things:
1. Have faith.
The wedding help could just have laughed and said, "Is this a joke?"
Maybe some did...quietly.
In our time of post-modern doubt, not many think that following Jesus
is anything more than just an alternate philosophy.
You have to begin with faith that Jesus has something to say to you and
that it will be both relevant and effective.
"Go get some water."
Water is not the issue. Wine is the issue.
Water is not the issue.
The issue is does Jesus have anything to say to this problem?
If you don't think that Jesus has anything to say to you, you will
never even get as far as full water jars.
You will head off on your own muttering to yourself and devising some
solution on your own.
And in this instance there was no solution that was going to work short
of sending everyone home and that would have been a humiliation that
would have hung over the family the rest of their lives.
In a sense they were at the end of their rope.
Funny...
Do you think that God lets us get to the end of our rope from time to
time, just so we will be willing to listen?
Could be.
So the first issue is we need faith to believe that Jesus has anything
worth saying in the first place.
2. The second issue is that they followed Mary's advice and did what
Jesus said.
They could have argued that filling water jugs was a waste of time when
something quite different was obviously needed.
When you think about it, Jesus could have accomplished this miracle in
other ways.
He could have repeated the miracle of feeding the five thousand.
There he took what was available and multiplied it. A boy brought his
lunch and was willing to share and Jesus used that to feed the crowd.
He could have taken the last of the wine and multiplied it, but He
didn't.
He insisted they do what they were capable of doing and doing what He
instructed.
Would they listen and obey?
We want God's help and God asks us to do something we are not
particularly inclined to do.
It was hard work that Jesus asked.
God says, forgive and you will be forgiven. Will we walk away muttering
that God just doesn't understand?
God says, give and it will be given to you. Will we open our hearts and
wallets to others or will we say, I will give when I have enough for
myself first?
Maybe we find ourselves in an unhappy marriage and we ask God's help.
God says, "first, you be a good spouse."
Do we do our best or look for a second opinion?
And those water pots.
They were for ceremonial washing. God says, purify your heart and mind
and you will see the kingdom of God.
Will we begin the process of ridding our lives of everything we know
displeases God or will we just say, "that's too old fashioned for the
twenty-first century?"
Or we do not say any of those kind of things. We just take the bit
between our teeth and never stop to ask what God wants of us in the
first place. And so we plow on, banging our heads into the same brick
walls.
Mary had it right.
Whatever he says to you, do it.
First take the time to find out if God is saying anything. That's faith.
Then when you know what God's requirement is, do it. That's obedience.
The wedding servants did both. They were out of options.
They bring the water to the head servant, I would think somewhat
hesitant.
If he just tastes a mouthful of water is he going to take it out on
them or Jesus?
Their careers are not looking too bright at the moment.
But miracle of miracles! When the water hits the cup it is wine instead.
And not just any old wine.
The head steward takes a sip and says, "Wow, this is great! Usually you
serve the best at first and leave the lesser grades for later. But you
saved the best for the last!" Maybe he thought this was not just
unusual, but a bit nuts.
Why spend money on wine which may not be appreciated?
But that is God's style. God's plan for us is not all flash and
glitzy.
He puts the requirements out front and asks us to do our part out front.
But the best is still waiting, out of sight actually.
Who has a clue what eternal life will be like?
God does not show us. He expects us to trust.
The first miracle of Jesus, and its outcome depends on their
willingness to listen and respond.
A good place to start.
God has lots to say to us about the difficulties and challenges in our
life.
Will we bother to find out what He says?
Will we be willing to act on what we learn?
Remember, he asks us only to do what we can do.
Then He does what we cannot do and saves the best till the last.
Preached January 14, 2007
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian
Church
Victoria, British Columbia
Notes
1. A story found on Esermons.com
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