Jesus turned 600 litres of water into wine. That’s a lot of wine for a wedding that’s coming to an end. Jesus gave over and beyond any expectation!
Sermon Transcript
Throughout the life of Jesus Christ, He performed a tremendous amount of amazing miracles. Many of which we haven’t even heard about because they weren’t officially recorded (there were too many of them).
In John 21:25 it says,
Jesus did many things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.
So, there were miracles galore!
But for me, one miracle that has always stood out, because it seems a tad different from the rest, and because it was His first miracle recorded, was of course the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine.
The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that gives an account of this incredible miracle.
And according to John, the Apostle, this miracle was the first of many signs, that were written about so that,
John 20:31 New International Version
…you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have LIFE in His name.
and that by believing you may have LIFE in His name.
Truly believing in Jesus who performed THIS miracle will give you LIFE!
It isn’t explicitly stated in John’s narrative why Jesus transforms the water into wine. Jesus did what He did quietly and never explained His motives.
But today, I’m going to discuss a deeper meaning of why, I believe, Jesus turned water into wine and its wonderful implication for us 2000 years later! This message is very good for you, Romeo and Cindy, as you begin your life together.
The first recorded miracle of Jesus occurs in the New Testament, as told in John 2:1-11, when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. It was an amazing miracle!
A miracle refers to an event that happens outside the realm of natural law.
A miracle is a supernatural occurrence.
This first miracle Jesus performed led Him from being a simple carpenter from Nazareth to taking His first step toward becoming the Messiah. And even though it was an act of the supernatural, it was more important because of the message it contained.
As Jesus, and His disciples, prepared to begin His public ministry, Jesus, His mother Mary, and several other disciples were all invited to a wedding in Cana.
SHOW PICTURE ONE AND TWO
Now that’s a good start to the story. Jesus was invited to the wedding. What a wonderful guest to have at a wedding. The newlyweds had no idea that the Creator of the universe was sitting at their banquet table! How blessed were they!?
But Romeo and Cindy know how blessed they are today. That’s why they’ve asked to have their wedding in this church service because they know Jesus is here. They want Him to be in their ceremony. He’s invited. Good start to your marriage. (A big tick for you!)
At the wedding dinner, Jesus’ mother informed Him that ALL the wine had been consumed. It was all gone. It had embarrassingly run out way too soon! This was not good for the hosts of the ceremony; it would bring shame on the family and be a great embarrassment for the newlywed couple. This social catastrophe was about to ruin their wedding.
Astute Mary (the mother of Jesus) could see what was happening, she obviously felt concern for the family, so she came to her son, Jesus, who always seemed to know what to do in dire situations and said,
“They have no more wine”.
They have no more wine. She was sharing the problem with Jesus. There was a serious lack, there was a desperate need, and she was letting her Son Jesus know.
What a wonderful example Mary is to us. If there’s a need, if there’s lack, let Jesus know! Involve Him. No matter what the circumstance, bring the problem to Jesus. Even if you don’t think it’s His area of expertise, let Him know.
At first, it would appear that Jesus wanted to ignore the problem, he said to His mum, in
John 2:4 New International Version
“Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”
I love this dialogue from Jesus. It’s only two short sentences but there are so many interesting bunny trails we could take from them.
“Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”
I seriously don’t think that Jesus was planning on launching His public ministry in this way. Jesus obviously had other things in mind.
But Mary doesn’t get put off with His reply. And neither should you when it feels like God isn’t listening, you keep on knocking at the door with expectation. So, Mary doesn’t argue instead she simply turns to the servants and says,
“Do whatever He tells you to do.”
What another brilliant piece of advice for us to follow.
“Do whatever He tells you to do.”
“Do whatever He tells you to do.”
Even a child can understand that one!
“Do whatever He tells you to do.”
This brilliant advice didn’t just affect the servant’s behaviour, but it also sets Jesus into action too. It sets God into action. It’s like, if you are truly, by faith, ready to do what God tells you to do then God is compelled to act.
God finds our faith and obedience irresistible.
“Do whatever He tells you to do.”
Jesus noticed six large stone water jars,
SHOW PICTURE THREE OF STONE JARS
the kind used for ceremonial washing, each holding between 76 and 114 litres of water.
Jesus then instructed the servants to fill the jars with water and take them to the wedding host. As the host sipped from the water pots, the water became wine. Although the host was unaware that a miracle had just taken place, the servants who drew the water knew it was new wine miraculously produced by Jesus.
They knew because they poured water into those jars and fresh wine came out! The servants were firsthand witnesses of this miraculous occurrence.
In John 2:9-11 New International Version it says
and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “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.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
This was the start of a glorious ministry that Jesus would carry throughout the rest of His short life here on earth.
This first miracle teaches us some valuable lessons:
Firstly,
Jesus provides for our needs.
We may not always get what we want, but when we turn to the Lord, when we invite Him into the situation, our needs are met so we can pursue a deeper relationship with Him.
Secondly,
Jesus provides with an abundance.
Jesus turned 6 big stone jars worth of water into wine. That’s almost 600 hundred litres of wine! That’s around 4200 glasses of wine.
SHOW PICTURE FOUR – WINE GLASSES
That’s a lot of wine for a wedding that’s coming to an end.
Jesus gave over and beyond all expectations that I’m sure His mother Mary had!
Furthermore, we know that that wine was THE best quality wine because the master of the banquet (who was unaware a miracle had taken place) commented to the bridegroom that he’d saved the best wine to last, when normally you bring out the cheap wine at the end of a wedding when no one notices.
Well, think about this, if that wine was the absolute best, which it would have to be because the Creator of the universe made it. When you compare it with one of the most expensive bottles of wine, on today’s market, which happens to be the Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 at $500,000.00 a bottle. Well, Jesus supplied them with $200,000,000.00 worth of wine. Now that’s what I call a decent wedding present. Jesus provided with an abundance. Hallelujah!
This all happened because His mum, Mary, invited Him into the situation. I believe, Jesus had a wonderful relationship with His mum. He loved her and she loved Him. She knew Him well. She knew that He would do something to make things right.
We too need to know Jesus. The relationship must come first.
The most amazing thing about this account wasn’t so much the wine He made, but the fact that the Creator of the universe was at their wedding. He was present and He was there to eventually save them all and no one knew it.
For us, we need to pay less attention to the wine (OUR NEEDS) and instead focus on the winemaker (OUR SAVIOUR). Due to their concentration on the wine, the guests of the wedding never learned about the ‘Winemaker.’ Focusing on the wrong things is something many of us do. Your focus may be on a fancy new car, or a bigger house, or a nice girlfriend or boyfriend. Whatever you face, don’t let it take your focus from the Lord.
The Winemaker is so much better than the wine.
The Winemaker is so much better than the wine.
Let us pursue the Winemaker and He’ll take care of the needs that come along. He will provide with an incredible abundance, more than you could possibly imagine or think!
It’s no surprise that the first miracle Jesus performs takes place at a wedding — one of God’s favourite symbols for the new agreement He’s made with us, His chosen people. We as His church are His bride, we are THE bride of Christ. And one day He’s coming back to receive us to Himself, and what a marvellous banquet we will have in glory, sipping His top-quality non-alcoholic wine together!
Do you know Jesus?
Is He central to your life?
Make sure the Winemaker is the head of your household Romeo and Cindy!
If He is, He will supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory.
Let us pray.
This morning, we give You, the Wine Maker, a big thank you for showing us how incredibly marvellous You are through this amazing account. Lord, I pray that Romeo and Cindy, and every other family here, will truly make You the centre of their household. May they know the blessings that come with knowing Jesus, the Winemaker, as their Lord and Saviour. Amen