DIGGING DEEP NO: 1034 May 7, 2024 JESUS CHANGES WATER TO WINE JOHN 2:1-11

“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.” (John 2:11)

Jesus Displays His Power

At some point and to varying degrees, everyone desires transformation. We often seek a better version of ourselves or some sort of upgrade—a new home, more education, a fresh coat of paint, a new city, job promotion, or even maturity as the years pass. While many of these may be good, the rejuvenation eventually recedes into the everyday. We yearn for more. The transformation this world offers yields only partial refreshment and momentary excitement. In the opening days of Jesus’s public ministry, He attracted followers and offered evidence of His majesty. The Lord began to share His heavenly perspective with the world. At a wedding in Cana, in the temple courts of Jerusalem, and through His encounters with fellow Jews, Jesus redefined transformation. Only the spiritual regeneration Jesus provides can bring lasting change. Jesus wields transforming authority. He desires and has the power to change His people from the inside out. The newly formed group traveled together to a wedding in Cana, a village near Jesus’s hometown of Nazareth. In Jewish culture, weddings presented a time of joyful fellowship. The celebration typically consisted of events lasting an entire week or more. The bride and groom were treated like a king and queen. A wedding provided a respite from days of hard work, poverty, and Roman oppression.

The Problem – 2:3-4

This wedding, likely that of a relative or family friend, involved Jesus’s mother, Mary. The scene opens with Mary scrambling to find a solution to a critical need—a shortage of wine that would have humiliated the hosts of such a festive occasion. Although drunkenness has always been a sin, wine was considered essential at weddings and other important celebrations. In ancient times, wine was often a regular part of daily life. In desperation, Mary turned to the One she trusted most to find a solution. She simply approached Jesus and stated her problem: “They have no more wine” Luke’s Gospel makes it clear that Mary knew Jesus’s true identity since before He was born.

Had Mary heard the pronouncements of John the Baptist? Did she think it was time for Jesus to reveal Himself to the world? Or did she simply want more wine for the wedding guests? Jesus gently, firmly, and succinctly replied to Mary’s request. Consider three noteworthy points in His response: “Woman” Jesus respectfully addressed His mother in the same manner He would from the cross, the only other time Mary appears in this Gospel. Using “woman” as a common expression, Jesus moved Mary to see Him no longer as the son of her flesh but as the Lord of her life. Mary’s relationship with Jesus would become even more intimate through faith in Him as her Savior and Lord. “Why do you involve me?” Like the term “woman,” this phrase should not be considered discourteous. Rather, Jesus understood the work His Father sent Him to do. While His mother sought a solution to a practical problem, Jesus focused on an eternal timeline. Jesus’s words reveal that He and His mother had different primary concerns. “My hour has not yet come.” Jesus understood that He came into this world to accomplish His Father’s purpose. By divine omniscience, Jesus knew everything His Father planned long before He entered the world. Whenever Jesus spoke of His “hour,” He referred to the cross. Throughout His ministry, Mary and others desired for Jesus to reveal Himself more broadly and urgently as the Messiah. However, Jesus’s “hour” would not come until He entered Jerusalem as King and Messiah, riding on a donkey and fulfilling prophecy.

Though at the point of Mary’s request Jesus had not yet offered signs of His authority, He offered many before His “hour” on the cross.

Jesus’s “hour” would overturn expectations of the Messiah as a conquering king. Jesus’s path to His eternal throne would instead include suffering and death. The Lamb of God must die and rise again to defeat death and provide salvation for God’s people.  Everything Jesus did during His earthly life pointed toward the eternal impact of His saving act on behalf of humanity.

A Mother’s Response – 2:5

With trust in her son and Lord, Mary instructed the wedding servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” In faith, Mary demonstrated the appropriate response to Jesus’s absolute authority— obedience. Mary’s example continues to speak to us today.

Water to Wine – 2:6-10

The Water – 2:6-8

Nearby stood six stone jars, each with a capacity of 20-30 gallons (75-115 liters). These jars held water for the traditional ceremonial cleansing of hands, feet, and household objects. Jewish tradition rather than God’s law dictated this cleansing ritual. Perhaps these now empty jars supplied water for a ritual within the wedding ceremony. The servants obeyed Jesus and filled the jars to the brim with water. Next, they drew a sample from the vessels to take to the banquet master. God positioned these servants as eyewitnesses to Jesus’s transformational power. Scripture does not tell us whether these servants knew about Jesus or His identity as the Messiah. The Lord accomplishes extraordinary work through ordinary people and ordinary things.

The Wine – 2:9-10

Jesus transformed the water within the stone jars into new wine. Jesus, who was with the Father “in the beginning” when the heavens and earth came into being, summoned His divine, creative power to provide more than enough wine for this wedding feast. Jesus’s generous heart gave more than Mary had asked. The One who transforms hearts of stone to love and obey God would regenerate ordinary water into fine wine. God is in the business of transformation. The banquet master testified to the excellence of the wine. He marveled that the best wine would be served at this point in the festivities. Typically hosts served lesser quality wine when their guests’ palates were dulled. In Jesus, God offers the world His best—and with His perfect timing. The One who transforms hearts of stone to love and obey God would regenerate ordinary water into fine wine. God is in the business of transformation. Jesus’s transformation of water into wine at the wedding in Cana presented the first of countless miracles He would perform throughout His public ministry. In his Gospel, John refers to Jesus’s miracles as “signs” designed to reveal Him as the Messiah. Jesus came to earth to do more than heal the sick, multiply food, and give sight to the blind. He intended for His miracles of compassion to achieve a higher purpose. They were “signs” specifically meant to lead people to believe in Him. Jesus offered visible and tangible expressions of His divine authority. Jesus’s first miracle occurred at a wedding. The context of this sign hints at the great wedding feast to come on a glorious day in the future. Jesus will return to establish the new heavens and new earth. Jesus the Bridegroom will be united, eternally and in glory, with His bride—His people, His Church.

Discussion questions

• What does verse 4 tell us about Jesus, his disciples, and his ministry?
• Some people have said that the wine that Jesus made was non-alcoholic. Do you agree or disagree with this? And why?
• Give some examples of things that God had meant for good, but man has twisted.
• Was Jesus being disrespectful to his mother when addressed her as “Woman”?
• What does Jesus mean when he said my hour has not yet come
• Explain the concept of purification.
• How large would you guess was the size of the wedding from the information provided.
• Why would the better wine normally be served first?
• What, if anything, did it indicate that the better wine was served last in this case
• Why do you think John chose to record this miracle when there were so many to choose from?
• Does this miracle have any special significance?
• What was the result of this miracle?
• What does this show about Jesus and his character?
• How about his relation with his mother