Well, good morning to everyone. What a promise we just sang in that last hymn, it is well with my soul regardless of what's going on. Everything in the world is crazy and upside down, and we see animosity towards Christ and in our country and our culture, but we can say, it is well because we know Jesus. My wife reminded me on the way down here that he sits in the heavens and laughs, and he holds them in derision. Nothing's taking God by surprise, and he is in control.

Well, we're continuing our study in the gospel of John for our communion services the last Sunday of each month, and this morning we come to chapter two and a most amazing event to begin the ministry of Jesus: the first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. This is an important event because it marks the first miracle of Jesus that John highlights in his Gospel in order to show us who Jesus is.

What we're going to see in our text this morning is a shifting from the words of testimony to the works of testimony. In chapter one, we saw the witness of John the Apostle. In the first 18 verses, we saw the witness of John the Baptist. We also saw the witness of his disciples, Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. All of these in chapter one gave testimony of who Jesus is by their words. We will see as we go through the Gospel that Jesus will also testify concerning who he is and why he has come by his words. But alternating with this witness, we also see the witness of his works. 

In John 10:37, Jesus said, "'If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do, though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him.'" In John 14:10, it says, "'Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works.'" 

The words of Jesus are a testimony. They're a witness of who he is. The works that he did, the multitude of miracles and signs and wonders, undeniably proved that he is the Christ, the Son of God. This is the very purpose of John's Gospel: to show us who Jesus is, that we might believe him, and through believing, we might have life in his name.

This first miracle begins that proof, the witness of his works. It also marks the beginning of his ministry, separating from his social relationship with his family for the last 30 years and now the beginning of his ministry in doing the work of the Father, culminating in the sacrifice of himself to satisfy the wrath of God and obtain salvation and forgiveness of sins for all who believe. 

This is what so many around the world celebrate today: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But we who believe celebrate this truth, not just on this one Sunday, not just every Sunday, but each and every day of our lives, as he has given us new life and a commission to go into all the world and preach the good news of the gospel to every creature. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 that he died for all, and that we died with him, so that those who live might live not for themselves, but for him who died for them. That's every day. That's our life as new creations in Christ. 

We are now new creations. We are ambassadors in this foreign world, sent to herald the message of the gospel and call on men to believe Jesus. This is the express purpose of the gospel of John, which we are studying together this morning in remembrance of what Jesus did for us. In John 20:30, I'll remind you, it says, "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." 

Let's look at our text together in John 2:1. It says, "On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding." And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it." 

Now there were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water," and they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now." 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they did not stay there many days. 

Well, I've given you four points on your outline this morning. First, marriage. Second, Mary. Third, miracle. And fourth, message.

Well, first in our text, we see marriage. Verse one, "On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding." What we see in the scriptures is that God created marriage. God gave to man marriage as a gift. I believe it is significant that Jesus began his ministry and performed his first miracle at a wedding, affirming God's plan for marriage and family as a foundation of our society. 

Marriage is upheld. When marriage is upheld in a society, when marriage is valued and esteemed, then culture prospers and society prospers. When God's plan is rejected, then everyone suffers. I thought of a couple of examples of this just in our world and culture. We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the great society, Lyndon Johnson. Some of you are old enough to remember that he started what was called the War on Poverty. 

We saw what that did because in that legislation, there was what they called the "no man in the house" clause. So if there was a man in the house, then the woman and the children did not get a welfare check. This has utterly destroyed so many families and communities. We see single birth rates and all kinds of issues and less people working because of that legislation. Maybe the intent was good, I don't know, but the result was a destruction of the core of the family. 

Before that, in that culture, in those communities, there was a strong commitment to marriage and to the nuclear family. Even this morning, I saw in the news that our president has declared today transgender, what is it Mark? Transgender Visibility Day. Yes, today. We see attacks on the family all the time. 

And I just wanted to make a note, a small note here in observation and application: Jesus believed in marriage. Jesus created marriage. Jesus gave to us the family. That marriage is a picture, I’m reminded in Ephesians 5, of Christ and his church. We should see it that way and esteem it. 

Well, Jesus was from Nazareth and had lived there for most of his life. His mother, Mary, of course, was there, and his brothers and his sisters and his stepfather, Joseph, who was a carpenter. Sometime after this first miracle in Cana, Jesus goes back to his hometown and the synagogue of Nazareth. We see this sad event recorded in Matthew 13. If you'd like to turn to Matthew 13, just giving you a little geographical context here. Nazareth is nine miles north, or Cana was nine miles north of Nazareth, so these communities are close. 

Matthew 13:54 says, "When he had come to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said, 'Where did this man get his wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?'" So they were offended at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

The tragedy where Jesus grew up in this area was that they did not believe him. Matter of fact, they tried to kill him. The town of Cana, like I said, was about nine miles north of Nazareth. It was the home of Nathaniel, whom we just saw Jesus call at the end of chapter one. This was an agricultural region, and there were only a small number of people in these towns, estimated under 500 in Nazareth and fewer in Cana. People worked in the fields and families lived in this region for generations. These people would have known each other. They probably were related, probably why Mary was there and Jesus and the disciples were invited—probably cousins, that kind of thing. 

It was the greatest social event in the lives of these people in this culture at this time. A wedding is a big deal even in our time. A lot of planning, a lot of expense, a lot of worry, stress, as well as celebration. But it was a much bigger deal in Jesus' time in his place. In the custom of the Jews, perhaps a year or more before the wedding, there was a betrothal. This was a legally binding arrangement, and it could only be ended by a legal divorce. Our engagements aren't like this. In our culture, a man or woman is not legally bound until the "I do's" are said. But in this time, the betrothal was a legal union and a promise of marriage. 

We have an example of this in the life and marriage of Mary and Joseph before Jesus was born in Matthew 1. Turn over to Matthew 1:18 with me. It says, "After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly." 

So we see that Joseph and Mary entered into this binding relationship of betrothal in the Jewish custom. According to the law, if there was fornication or some uncleanness found in the young woman, then the betrothal could be separated by divorce. But remember, the penalty under the law for such sin could be stoning. 

What we see in Matthew 1 is that Mary was found to be with child before she and Joseph had come together. In a natural sense, it would be assumed that there was unfaithfulness in the betrothal period, and Mary would be subject to death. But we see that Joseph did not want to make such a public spectacle of her and decided to put her away secretly. This is the word often translated divorce, apoluo. It speaks of something that was bound being released. We see it in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and many other passages. 

Joseph was planning to divorce her quietly because she had been unfaithful during the betrothal period. But as you know, the angel visited him and he decided to stay with Mary and to raise Jesus and the rest of his family. So the betrothal was a legally binding situation that could only be ended by divorce. 

The process that followed the betrothing of the couple was a time of preparation. The groom was to go and prepare a place for his bride and show that he could support and care for her. Often he would build a room onto his father's house or perhaps his own place to dwell with his wife. This preparation time could take over a year, and the bride would wait for her groom, not knowing when he would come for her. 

When everything was ready, the groom would come for his bride and take her to the wedding ceremony. It was a short ceremony but a long celebration. The wedding reception or party often lasted up to a week. This event required a great deal of preparation on the part of the groom and his family as well. Remember, a large part of this cultural tradition was for the young man to prove that he could provide for and take care of his new bride. The preparation for the home, for the work, for the party were all an integral part of this process, and it was the largest social event of their lives.

Well, it is in this context that we read verse 3 of our text. It says, "And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.'" Now in our time, this wouldn't be that big a deal. I mean, just send a couple of guys down to the store, pick up some wine. Maybe you'd have to bum a few dollars from your dad or something at the worst, but it's not that big a deal. But in Jesus' time, this was a huge deal. 

The whole point was that the groom would have prepared for all these things and made sure there was provision for the celebration. To run out of wine in the middle of the reception was a tragic social situation for him and his family. It's likely that these would be relatives of Mary. She must have had some part in the planning or overseeing. She tells the servants what to do to listen to Jesus. They were looking to her for guidance in some sense. 

But regardless, we have a very bad situation. And interestingly, Mary turns to Jesus for help. This is a pivotal point. In verse 3, it says, "When they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.'" Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it."

Well, we see the marriage, and now we see Mary. What is going on here with Mary and Jesus? It's kind of an interesting exchange. First of all, we see in this time of need, Mary turns to Jesus. I'm not sure that Mary was looking for a miracle or asking him to do anything like that. I imagine that in the last 30 years, especially after the death of Joseph, Mary had often looked to Jesus, the oldest of her sons, to lead, provide, and solve problems.

Think about it. He never had a bad idea in his life. He was filled with wisdom. He was without sin. I'm sure he helped his mother many times in many difficult situations, apart from any supernatural interventions. So Mary says, "We have a big problem. There's no wine." 

Jesus' response is interesting. He says, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." At first, we might think that there's some sort of condescending or disrespectful tone in this use of the word woman. But that's not the case. This term was a general term of respect, like we might say down south today, "ma’am," or "my lady," as they would say in old English. 

It wasn't a term of disrespect. The significance here is that he did not call her mother. The relationship has now changed from what it had been for the first 30 years of his life. There is a break from the social context of family to the beginning of his ministry and the work of his father, culminating in the cross. We see this in another passage, Matthew 12:47. 

It says, "Then one said to him, 'Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak with you.' But he answered and said to the one who told him, 'Who is my mother and who are my brothers?'" He stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." 

Jesus had left home months before this event in Cana. He had been anointed by the Holy Spirit. He had chosen his first disciples. He had begun his ministry, and now the relationship had changed. The literal translation says, "What have you to do with me? My hour has not come." In other words, the way that she would relate to Jesus now would not be as her son, but as her Savior. What he is saying to her is, "On what basis are you coming to me? My hour has not come." His ministry and focus is set toward that hour that would come on the cross.

So we see this important change in the life, ministry, and focus of Jesus, as well as the change in relationship with his hometown, his family, his relatives, and the context in which he had lived and existed for the last 30 years. It's also interesting to note that Mary is only mentioned here and at the cross in all of John's Gospel. On both occasions, Jesus uses this same term, translated woman.

In John 19:25, it says, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother.' And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home."

Well, next we see in our text that he solves the problem and manifests his power and glory in his first miracle. John 2:5 says, "His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever he says to you, do it.'" Now there were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water," and they filled them up to the brim. 

And he said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, he did not know where it came from. But the servants who had drawn the water knew. The master of the feast called the bridegroom and he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine." This is just proverbial, right? This is what people do: give you the good stuff first. "When the guests have well drunk, then the inferior," he says, "You have kept the good wine until now." 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. I want you to notice verse 6. It says, "There were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews." So, there were six water pots—large pots, 20 to 30 gallons apiece. What's this all about?

Well, this is an important detail that we see in this event. In the Jewish custom, according to the law, there were various or diverse baptisms—that is, ceremonial washings. We see this throughout the Old Testament. Back in Exodus 19:10, it says, "The Lord also said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Let them wash their garments and let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day, the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all people.'" 

In chapter 40, it says, "Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him that he may minister as a priest to me. And you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them." 

Numbers 8:6 says, "Again, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. Thus you shall do to them for their cleansing. Sprinkle purifying water on them.'" This was a ritual for ceremonial cleansing. It's not a bath; it was a ceremonial washing. 

We also see these ritual cleansings with water referred to in the New Testament. It's interesting to see that in Hebrews 6:1, it states, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of the Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms." 

What he's saying in this text is, "Let's leave behind all the pictures, the shadows of the old covenant doctrines, like ritual washings, and go on to the fullness, to perfection, through faith in Jesus Christ. Let's leave the old covenant and go on to the new covenant." 

So, these water pots sitting at the door, large pots, 20 to 30 gallons, were for these ceremonial washings. The people would rinse their hands when they came in. They may sprinkle water on the couches to cleanse them before they sat on them. The water was used for ceremonial washing. 

So, Jesus tells the servants to fill the pots, and they fill them to the brim, all the way full. Then they draw some out, and they take it to the head waiter. Notice here that Jesus does not approach the pots. He does not make any motions or say any words that are recorded. He just has them fill the pots and immediately draws out some water. It says the servants knew what had happened. They knew what they had done. 

When they took it to the head waiter, the master of the feast, to sample it before serving it to the guests, it was the best wine he had ever tasted. In this miracle, we see several things. First of all, we see that Jesus creates wine. 

How is wine usually made? Think this through with me. First, you must have a vineyard, right? Soil. Plant a seed. Must have rain and sunshine. It must grow into a vine. Must be cared for, pruned, nourished, in order to bear fruit. Then someone must take that fruit, crush it, and separate the juice. Then that juice must go through a decaying, breaking down process whereby the yeast causes a fermentation, resulting in an alcoholic beverage. None of that occurred in this miracle.

The water was put in, the wine was immediately drawn out, and not normal wine—the best wine. This was like Garden of Eden wine: the original creation of God. This was perfect wine created by the power of God, not subject to the death and decay process of the curse. No fermenting, no grapes, no vine, no soil, no nothing. Jesus created wine, even without a word, by his will. 

The servants who participated in this miracle and those who were in the know behind the scenes knew this. Of course, this news spread. So first, we see that this is a creative miracle by the power of God. 

We also see that this miracle was symbolic. The pots for purification rituals represented the old covenant in Judaism and its requirements under the law of Moses for ritual cleansing. The new wine represents the coming of the new. 

Now remember, Jesus said his hour had not come. It was not time for the inauguration of the new covenant or the coming of the Spirit. But it's a glimpse into what is coming by the power of the Holy Spirit manifest through Jesus. New wine, new life, regeneration. "You've kept the good wine until now," he says. 

So, the pots and the water represent the old; the wine represents the new and the promise of what is to come through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ—the new covenant in his blood and the coming of the Spirit to permanently indwell believers and empower them to do the will of God, those greater works that he has promised. 

Bruce's comment is appropriate here. He writes, "Christ has come into the world to fulfill and terminate the old order and to replace it by a new worship in spirit and in truth which surpasses the old as much as wine surpasses water." 

Well, the final point we need to see in our text and the main intent of the author John is that this miracle was a message, a testimony, a witness concerning who Jesus is. In 2:11, he says, "This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him." 

Several words are used in the New Testament to denote Jesus' mighty works. The phrase "mighty works" has at its core the word "dunamis." You know that word—dynamite. Matthew, Mark, and Luke use this word often in this context, but John never uses this word. Another word often used for miracles is "signs." 

It always goes with another word, translated as "wonders" or "miracles, signs and wonders." John uses the word "signs" because it speaks of an underlying reality. The works point us to an underlying reality. When Jesus takes water and turns it into wine, that tells us something about who Jesus is.

So, John prefers to call them simply "signs." He uses this one word throughout the Gospels pointing to this underlying reality. This is his intent, his purpose, and his goal. If you do not believe the words of Jesus—that he is the Son of God, that he is the way, the truth, the life, and that only through him can we come to the Father and only by faith—if you do not believe the words Jesus says, then allow the signs, the miracles, the works, to convince you of who Jesus is. 

And that's the point of this miracle. It's a work, a sign pointing to the reality of who Jesus is in order that we might believe in him. He is the Son of God. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. This is the purpose of John's recorded works—signs, miracles that Jesus performed to be a testimony as much as his words.

It's always interesting to me because even the religious leaders of Israel never denied his works. They never denied that they were real. They were too abundant, too miraculous, and too stunning—complete in the moment. It wasn't like, "Be healed and go home for six months and you'll slowly feel better," right? He instantaneously healed people and made them whole and complete. 

He instantaneously took water and turned it into wine. He did multitudes of miracles. As John said, if they were all written, the books in the whole world couldn't contain them. They never denied his works. Sometimes they tried to attribute them to Satan, but they had a real problem with his words because of who he claimed to be. And what John's telling us here is that his works, just as much as his words, tell us who Jesus is.

Truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written. Why did you record this event, John, in Cana of Galilee? "These are written," that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name.

Let's close in prayer. Father, we're so thankful to know You, to know Jesus, to have eternal life. And all of this only because of what Jesus has done at the cross—that he died in our place for our sins, that he fully satisfied Your wrath for my sins, and that through faith I can have Your righteousness imputed to me and my sins imputed to Christ. Thank You for that truth, that good news, and for the life that You have given us in Christ—a new life to now live for You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.