The Seven Signs of Jesus - 1
The Wedding at CanaExtravagant. Extraordinary. Unprecedented. Superabundant. Surprising. All those words have been used to describe what took place in this story - the one that John records as the first sign that Jesus gave to His disciples. What word would you use?
One thing that we can say for certain, is that there is much more here than appears on the surface, although the surface itself tells us quite a lot. Just on the surface, we see a picture of a God Who is very much at home with, not only willing to support, but also enhance, moments of celebration in our lives. We see a God Who, as a son, demonstrates both a sense of profound self-awareness and independence, and yet honor and respect in His relationship to His mother. We see a picture of an incarnate God Who loves being with His children, as well as catch a glimpse of a playful God Who invites the servants to play a central role in the surprise that the wedding party gets to enjoy as the wine is replenished.
That by itself would be enough, but there is much more going on here. If we peel back the familiar covering on the story just a little, we find a richness that, like the wine Jesus provided at the feast, is even better than what we enjoyed on the surface. Among the things we find there are:
Six empty containers intended to hold the water for Jewish purification rites, representing the never ending quest for ceremonial purity
Jesus filling empty containers not with water for the purpose of trying to wash away what defiles, but wine that is intended to add to the celebration of a great wedding! What an amazing transformation of a salvation image!
The rich superiority of what Jesus provided in stone jars to the very best that the older images could offer.
The way the story provides the first half of the Lord's Supper imagery (the wine), which will be followed in the next story in which Jesus talks about the destruction of the temple (His body broken) - rich imagery that John likes to use in his gospel to talk about the significance of the ministry of Jesus.
There is much to contemplate and reflect on here as you enjoy the richness of the story as John shares his description of this first sign through which Jesus reveals His glory to the disciples. What else do you notice as you reflect on this story?
These are some of the things that Pastor Jon invites us to consider in this first sermon in the series on the seven signs of Jesus. If you would like to hear the sermon again, or perhaps listen to it for the first time, you can click here to access our sermon library.
John 2:1-11 (TNIV)
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 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 10 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.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their faith in him.
Footnotes:
For further study:
Just for Fun
A Couple of Good Commentaries that reflect on this story:
Jon Paulien, The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier - John, Pacific Press, 1995
Michael Card, The Parable of Joy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995
A Study Guide for the Wedding Feast at Cana
The Message
1-3 Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus' mother told him, "They're just about out of wine."
4Jesus said, "Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn't my time. Don't push me."
5She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, "Whatever he tells you, do it."
6-7Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, "Fill the pots with water." And they filled them to the brim.
8"Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," Jesus said, and they did.
9-10When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, "Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now!"
11This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Signs
We rely upon them for direction. They tell us where we are. They tell us how to get to where we want to go. This was the first sign that Jesus gives His disciples. How does this sign tell them where they are, provide them with direction, help them know how to get where they want to go?
Some significant things to remember about these signs
In John, because he is writing for a community of believers that have not physically seen or felt the physical touch of Jesus, Jesus extends healing as people respond to what He says, not to his physical touch.
The signs are there, not to satisfy curiosity, or even make things more convenient for us, but so that we might believe that Jesus is Who He says He is.
The "hour" when Jesus' messiahship would become fully revealed was not what most people expected ("My hour is not yet come" He says) - but it is symbolized in what Jesus did.
Mary's response to her conversation with Jesus was, "Do what He tells you to do." Signs are not about us telling God what we want Him to do, but listening to what He directs us to do.
Signs are often transformative. In this case, an old form was filled with new substance, transforming it and enriching what it was all about. For those who are open, this is a happy surprise! From purification anxiety to the celebration of a wedding.
It is often through the "servants" that God shares the great things he doing, those who define greatness differently, and who now know what it's like to be included in the surprise that God is sharing.
Here is an interesting, old, clip from the Life of Christ, told only as Johnny Cash could. About 1 1/2 minutes into the clip is his short re-telling of the story of Jesus at the wedding feast. It is intriguing what is communicated in the way the people are portrayed. A slightly different take than we are used to, but intriguing none-the-less.
For those who would prefer something a bit more contemporary, there is this . . .