Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends, as we begin another work week together.
No matter where you live in the world, WEDDINGS are wonderful events aren’t they? In recent years with COVID and many countries engulfed in war conflicts, many, many weddings have been very small, scaled-down versions of what they had hoped for. We’re on a 40 day journey together with Jesus, heading toward Easter 2022. Did you know the very first public, recorded miracle Jesus did was at a wedding? I realize you and I didn’t receive an invitation, but come on, John the disciple of Jesus gives us a detailed account so let’s join the party and witness this remarkable event!
You’ll find this story in John chapter 2, “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, ‘They have no more wine.’
‘Dear woman, why do you involve Me? My time has not yet come.’
His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:1-5)
It’s not difficult for us to put ourselves in this wonderful party, is it my friends? Cana was a short distance from Nazareth and evidently some of the family was known to Mary and her family, thus she had received an invitation. Do you notice there is no mention of Mary’s husband Joseph? In fact he’s not mentioned again in the Gospel accounts after their Jerusalem Passover experience when Jesus was 12 years old, as recorded by Dr. Luke in Luke 2:41-52. Most Bible scholars assume that means Joseph likely died at some point before this wedding, thus Mary would have been a single mother for an extended period of time, as there is no record of her marrying again, but there are multiple accounts, during Jesus’ 3 year ministry, where Mary is mentioned.
I assume that when John records that “Jesus and His disciples had also been invited”, John is speaking of the five men we have met in John 1:35-51, and that would be John, the author of this Gospel, Andrew and his brother Peter, Philip and his friend Nathaniel. Since all of these 5 men likely knew each other, it’s possible they had been invited to the wedding not because they were ‘disciples’ of Jesus, for they had only met Jesus the day or two before, but rather because they were, like Mary, friends of someone in the bridal family. None of the 5 of them would have considered themselves “disciples” of Jesus since they’d only begun their relationship with Him.
Perhaps you know Jewish wedding receptions in the first century were very long events often lasting several days. Wine was a major part of the wedding, and running out would have been an embarrassing lack of planning on someone’s part. Mary’s comment to Jesus tells me she was a close friend of this bridal family and felt some responsibility to try and help them. But also, her mentioning this wine shortage to her son Jesus tells me that she had spent much time during His growing up years pondering what she had learned about Jesus from the angels who appeared both to she and Joseph before and after His miraculous conception and birth, and also what she had learned from Zechariah and Elizabeth when she spent three months with them during her pregnancy.
Do you remember Dr. Luke twice records for us that “Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19,51) That tells me that Mary was a very reflective woman, who deeply pondered, and sought God’s help in understanding the miracle of WHO Jesus really was, as her miraculous son, but also as the Son of God! Mary’s comment to the servants “Do whatever He tells you…” sounds to me like the confidence of a mother that Her son would not only care about this problem, but He would do something to help, and probably something extraordinary, something miraculous.
Please don’t be concerned or offended by Jesus’ response as we have it in English in our Bibles. He was not scolding His earthly mother, nor distancing Himself from her. You may recall Jesus used the same phrase when speaking to Mary His mother, from the cross, when He lovingly said to her: “Dear woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26) On that occasion Jesus was looking from the cross at both His mother Mary, and His very good friend John, the man who is writing this account for us about the wedding. In that culture, at that time, Jesus’ words were respectful and loving, but also very significant. “Why do you involve Me? My time has not yet come.” What could it mean?
Jesus understood the complex, vital, Redemption mission God had entrusted to Him. He also knew He had a great deal to accomplish in that Redemption assignment before He would be rejected and crucified, paying our atonement sin price. Jesus knew the timing of that crucifixion was critical, if it was to have the greatest spiritual significance for Jews. Finally, I think Jesus had a very good understanding of human nature and the desperate desire the Jews had for a hero, like a Messiah, who they would quickly rally around to be their leader.
Jesus knew His miracles would very quickly arouse interest in Him and the potential for Him to be an undefeatable leader, so Jesus needed to be very careful about when He began to show His miraculous power. My “Walking with Jesus” friends, can you understand the delicateness of this ‘wine shortage’ moment for Jesus?
I’d urge you to listen to the dramatic audio Bible version of this wedding story and you’ll see the link at the end of my notes today. You’ll feel like you are really there, an eyewitness to this remarkable day! You won’t have difficulty envisioning Jesus, as He saw 6 large water jars standing in the courtyard of this home, each of them large enough to hold 20 or 30 gallons, and then Jesus urging the servants to fill those big jars to the brim with water.
They did, probably drawing the water from a well nearby. When the servant came back to Jesus reporting the jars were filled, Jesus simply said “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” Look at the servant with that furrowed brow. What can you imagine he’s thinking? But the look on Jesus’ face, and in His mother Mary’s eyes, simply said “trust Me”! Can you see the servant shaking his head as he goes back to those water jars and tells the other servants what they are to do? Do you see him just now shrug his shoulders in response to their questions? But they drew out the water, and took it to the banquet master.
John records what happened next like this: “When the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned to wine, he did not realize where it had come from… 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.” (John 2:10)
Look at them discussing this delicious wine and where it came from in such a time of great need? Look at them calling the servant and asking where he got it. And then as the servant turns to point to Jesus… Jesus is nowhere to be found. While John doesn’t tell us, I believe Jesus had slipped out from the courtyard so as not to be seen by the guests. But John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel… oh they had seen it all, and that’s why John writes: “This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory and His disciples put their faith in Him.” (John 2:11)
If John’s account is chronological, Jesus and these 5 men have only been together three days. What Jesus has told them about Himself, we don’t know, but clearly they are now faced with some great intellectual challenges. How did Jesus change ordinary water into the best wine the banquet master had ever tasted without a word or a touch or adding anything to the water? Was it sorcery or could it possibly be God somehow did a miracle here, through Jesus? Who is this Jesus? If He had powers to do such a remarkable miracle, why would He leave the wedding secretly so as to avoid the great celebration which must have happened and the accolades that He deserved?
Oh they had much to think about as they left the wedding that day. And while John doesn’t tell us, what do you suppose Mary learned that day about Jesus? Let’s not rush from the wedding friends… just watch the celebration, look at the servants as they draw ladle after ladle of wonderful wine from those stone jars. Look at the bride and the groom, the banquet master, and Mary. What do you see in all their faces? And what do you learn about Jesus in this amazing event? Why not talk with Jesus right now, and as you listen to the audio Bible version of John’s story?
Today’s Scripture is John 2:1-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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