Do turn to John chapter 2. If you've got a church Bible, it's page 886. And let me encourage
! If you didn't hear me at the start, do stay around afterwards. There's no need to rush
! You're off this tea, and we'd love to get to know you. And so we're going through John's
Gospel, and we come this morning to John 2, 1 to 11, to the wedding in Canaan of Galilee,
Canaan of Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine. As I was working on this passage
this week, I took one of the commentaries that I don't normally look at on John from
a top shelf, and as I pulled the book down from one of the top shelves, a whole collection
of little pieces of chocolate fell onto my head. I'd obviously been hiding them up there.
They were Toblerone. It was delicious. It wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't what I was
expecting. And I think that nicely sums up John 2, 1 to 11. It's so familiar, isn't it?
So, so familiar. Jesus turning water into wine. But there's something completely wonderful going
on here. I think unexpected. Why would Jesus choose a wedding as the first place to do a miracle?
I mean, it's not saving people from death, is it? It's not saving people from disease.
It's saving them from embarrassment, maybe, and turning water into wine. But it seems so
commonplace. Seems so domestic, undramatic. What's the point of this miracle? And you can hear sermons
on all these kind of themes. Is Jesus the best guest to invite to your wedding? Is John 2 pro-marriage?
So let's have a sermon on marriage. Is this passage pro-wine? Or is it anti-wine? As one of the commentators
incredibly says. Or are we meant to be like Mary, Jesus' mother, speaking words of wisdom?
And I hope you'll be grateful to know that it's none of those things. And John actually teaches
something, asks something about the reason why he includes the sign. Look at verse 11.
Look at verse 11, what it says.
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.
So by the time we get to the end of the Gospel of John, John tells us,
listen, if I'd written everything that Jesus did, all the books in all the world would not be able to contain them.
And so I've had to be really selective. I've selected the different signs.
He selects what he reports to us. And there are only seven of these miraculous signs that John writes.
This is one of them. And so the basis on which John chooses the signs is so that you would see that Jesus
is the Son of God, and that today you might believe in Jesus, and you might have life in his name.
And so turning water into wine is not just some big power miracle.
It is a sign that points you to something.
It shows you something else. It's not a party trick.
And when John says it's the first of his signs, he could mean it's the first chronologically.
It's the first one that he did.
And that he'd not done any miracles before this.
But the same word is used at the start of the Gospel, in the beginning.
And so the word, it can mean first, not just chronologically, but in primacy.
As in primary, that the sign of water into wine is actually foundational.
The sign of John 2 is the basis on which all the other signs are built.
And I think John is saying to you and I that the turning of the water into wine is actually a doorway sign
to all the others.
That you won't really understand all the other signs unless you understand this sign.
And I know it's so obvious, isn't it?
It's so obvious that this miracle is a miracle of change.
It's a miracle of transformation from one thing into another, of water into wine.
And that is the sign of the great change that Jesus has come to bring.
Of what it means to have life in his name.
And so do you remember last week, the second last verse of John chapter 1,
said you will see greater things.
You'll see greater things than these, who was it?
Nathaniel.
Well, what are these greater things?
You go straight into chapter 2, verse 1, here they are.
Jesus has said, isn't he, I am the connection between heaven and earth.
But you will see greater things than this.
Well, what does it look like?
In the ordinary, common circumstances of our lives?
Well, it's complete transformation.
It's water into wine.
That's why this passage starts on the third day.
Do you notice that in verse 1?
Chapter 1, do you remember where that starts?
It starts in eternity.
In the beginning was the Word.
Do you remember that?
And it comes right down to earth.
It moves from cosmic to practical, personal.
From cosmic right down to individual.
And so chapter 2, verse 1, it's a new week.
It's a new week.
The third day.
This new week, because what Jesus is doing is nothing short of new creation.
We've spoiled the old creation.
And Jesus has come to restore, to recreate, to transform.
And this sign is a demonstration showing that.
And the reason that this is important, the reason that we're even talking about that today,
is that what Jesus did then, he is able to do now.
And he is more than able and willing to do that for you now.
And so I want to look at this passage around two surprises.
There are two surprising things.
And the first surprise is, he shows us the basis of the change.
That's the first surprise, the basis of the change.
And he points to Jesus' death.
The second surprise shows us the result of the change.
And it points to Jesus' life in us.
So here's the first surprise.
The basis of our change.
And I think the surprise is this interaction between Mary and Jesus.
I don't know whether you picked it up when Chris read it to us.
It's so abrupt, isn't it, that little interchange?
Despite the best attempts of commentators to smooth it over,
Jesus' words to his mother are sharp.
Verses 1 and 2.
On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.
And the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus was also invited to the wedding with his disciples.
And the event is played out like a perfectly normal Saturday afternoon wedding.
You get the date, you get the occasion, you get the place.
You get the guest list.
It's a family wedding.
It's in a little place not far from Nazareth.
And it may well be a relative of Mary's.
Mary is invited.
She certainly seems to be involved in the wedding.
And Jesus is invited.
And five very big eating disciples are invited too.
And it's likely Mary is related to the family.
She seems to be in close touch with the kitchen staff.
She may be helping.
And before we go on, it's worth pointing out, isn't it,
that Jesus is very different from John the Baptist.
Jesus had a social life.
Jesus is not an ascetic like John the Baptist.
Jesus is not anti-marriage.
He's not anti-parties.
And often in the Gospels, we find him going to a feast, at a feast, or coming from a feast.
And then early on, just at the beginning of verse 3,
there's a catering catastrophe.
The wine runs out.
It's a perfectly normal crisis.
It's the kind of thing that happens to you and to me on a regular basis.
And it's the perfect context for Jesus' first sign.
Because just like the wine running out, we are always running out.
Everything in our lives, every natural joy and pleasure we have runs out.
I mean, this happy wedding couple on their wedding day, with their wedding guests,
even those people are not going to last.
The bride and groom, they might have children, but they will grow old and they will eventually die.
Their health will run out.
Their capacities will run out.
Their time will run out, just like yours and just like mine.
And that's what makes this interchange between Mary and Jesus so surprising.
If you just look down at chapter 2, verse 3, Jesus' mother says to him,
they have no wine.
Whether she said it through gritted teeth, not out loud, they have no wine.
To which he says in verse 4, and it's even sharper in the original,
woman, what does this have to do with me?
What are you to me, woman, literally?
And then Mary says, not to Jesus, but to the servants,
do whatever he tells you.
And I've got to say, honestly, I don't know what to make of it.
I really don't.
Because you can read it all the way from a very positive example of faith,
that Mary is being this wonderfully faith-filled woman,
or you can read it in being a meddling, manipulative mother.
And I can line up the books along that divide.
However, it is a surprise, isn't it?
Jesus' words, they are not rude, but they are unusual.
What are you to me?
And then he says this, my hour, literally, has not yet come.
And he's clearly pushing back on Mary, isn't he?
He is putting a line between himself and his mother.
He's placing a bit of distance between him and his mum.
He's establishing a distance, which I think is a bit of a surprise for Mary.
And it's a surprise for us.
And then when you read John's Gospel, you'll see that Jesus does this again and again.
As somebody comes to him in desperate need,
and they ask for Jesus' help, and Jesus says no.
And then he goes around and he does something more wonderful than the miracle they asked for in the first place.
So, for example, in John chapter 4, an official comes to Jesus, whose son is at the point of death,
and asks for Jesus for help, and Jesus' response is a strong rebuke.
Because, you see, the official is in danger of just believing in Jesus' power,
and not believing in Jesus himself.
And he wants to give him the greater gift of believing in himself.
And when the man goes, Jesus heals the boy, even from a distance.
I think of John 11.
Lazarus, Jesus' friend, his close friend, is very sick.
The sisters send off to Jesus and say,
Come, the one you love is sick, Lord.
And they think that Jesus could help before Lazarus died.
They've got no idea that Jesus has power over death itself.
So Jesus waits, doesn't he?
And he waits until Lazarus has been in the grave three days.
And we're told he raises Lazarus from the dead,
and he gives him a greater gift
to show them that he is the Lord of life and death.
And so each time Jesus does this in the gospel,
the key to it is, why is he saying no?
Why is Jesus saying no?
Each time he says no to the person,
he is trying to move them, isn't he?
Out of their spiritual danger, into faith in him.
And here at the wedding feast,
Jesus is indicating to his mum
that there's a change in their relationship.
That he is no longer, if I can put it like this,
primarily Mary's son.
He is primarily the son of God.
That he does not belong to anyone.
He's not going to be there for anyone's agenda.
And so what is the greater thing that he's going to do?
Well, he says, my hour has not yet come.
And if you've read John's gospel,
you'll know that when he talks about the hour,
he is referring to his death on the cross.
It's used seven times,
and each time when Jesus speaks of my hour,
he's referring to the cross.
And so can you see right here,
at the start of his ministry,
in this foundational sign,
Jesus has his death in mind.
That the essence and pivot of his ministry is his death.
And I think that's really helpful to us,
because if he hadn't talked about his death,
then we wouldn't really be able to understand this sign.
Because what you see Jesus is trying to do
by turning water into wine
is a sign of his transformation.
The sign of transformation that he will bring
through his death.
Now, if you've fallen asleep,
as some of you have,
come back for a moment and listen, all right?
It's not, is it,
that Jesus does lots and lots
of wonderful,
magical signs,
and his life is tragically cut short.
That is not the message of the gospel.
All his power
and all his work
run through the nexus of the cross.
Everything goes through the cross.
And it is because of his death
that his power is available to us.
Otherwise, we are just spectators
looking at this miracle.
If you separate Jesus' death from the signs,
in the end,
we just want to use him
for what we want.
He becomes a tool for our agendas
rather than us being drawn
into the plan and agenda of God.
And Jesus keeps warning you about this
all the time.
He feeds the 5,000
and he says something like this.
You are after me
because of the signs,
not really because of what they point to.
I filled your bellies
with food
and that's the only reason
you're following me.
So here's the first surprise.
That Jesus connects
this transformation
with his death.
Water into wine
is a sign of his death.
That is the basis for change.
Secondly, what's the result
of the change?
And the result of the change
is that the life of Jesus
comes to us.
The gospel is all about life.
That is the great theme
of John's gospel.
He's writing these words
so that you might believe in Jesus
and have life in his name
but we need pictures,
don't we?
We need pictures to see
what is that life going to be like?
What is that life all about?
And the basic picture
of somebody who was without God
and without hope
who begins to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ
is that they are changed.
They are transformed.
It's like being changed
from ordinary plain water
into something that is living
and fermenting,
if you will,
and changing.
It's not just ideas
we're talking about.
It is not just spiritual change
that is confined
into my inner experience.
It is a miracle
of power
with a particular date
and an occasion
and a guest list.
Here is a change
in the material world
showing what the Lord Jesus Christ
will do for us
if we'll put our trust in him.
And John so wants us
to get this
that he doesn't even show you
the miracle happening.
Did you notice that?
He only shows you the results.
Have you noticed
he does that
all the way through the Gospels?
There's no razzle-dazzle.
The miracle itself is narrated.
The actual changing
of the water and wine
happens in between
verse 7 and verse 8.
Look at verse 7.
Look down there, please.
Jesus tells the servants
to fill in these stone water jars
with water.
They fill them to the brim
the end of verse 7.
The next thing he tells them
draw out, verse 8,
some of the water
and take it to the MC.
But it's already been changed.
The master of ceremonies.
He loves it.
And in case we missed it
verse 9, John tells us
the water has now become wine.
So where did the miracle happen?
It happened somewhere
between the end of verse 7
and the beginning of verse 8.
We don't even get to see it.
But the effects are very big.
What are the effects?
There's three of them.
There's three effects.
Number one, newness.
Number two, goodness.
Number three, fullness.
First, this change that Jesus makes,
it's newness.
And what were the water jars for?
And what were they for?
They were for the Jewish rite
of purification.
They are connected, aren't they,
to washing on the outside.
But by filling them with water
and turning them into wine,
Jesus creates, doesn't he,
something completely new.
Something completely different.
It's not the old with a bit of cordial mixed in
with a bit of squash in it.
It is de novo.
It is a new creation.
It is a different thing.
He has transformed stuff
that was used for ritual,
formal practice
into something which is brilliant
and alive
and will meet ordinary human needs
and will bring joy.
It's what God promised
in the Old Testament.
That when the Messiah would come,
the mountains would drip sweet wine
and all the hills would flow with it
and I will restore the fortunes
of my people Israel.
Jesus is not just shuffling around
the different elements in the world.
He's not like a clever cook
that goes to the cupboard
and says,
I'll see what I can do
with a little bit of this
and a little bit of that.
No, he says,
I will create something new.
He's not just taking natural life
and lifting it to a new level.
He is creating
a different order of things.
And so if you make wine,
some of you have made wine
and you home-brewed it,
it is a carefully controlled process
of decay and fermentation
for flavor.
And there's a need
for an aging process
to bring out the flavor,
so I'm told.
And it depends, doesn't it,
on the bottling
and the storage
and the casks
and the corks.
Some of you will remember
that Graham used to home-brew
the wine Chateau Weeks,
as it was known,
that we used in communion.
And we're very grateful
he did that for many years.
But,
it could have probably done
with a bit more of a process,
that wine,
but there was a process to it,
wasn't there, you know?
And there are some very expensive bottles
of wine about,
aren't there?
And the most expensive bottle
of red wine
in London at the moment
is a 1987
Henri J.Richberg.
Rieschberg.
Henri J.Richberg.
Grand Chew,
as they say in Wales.
It'll cost you £31,200.
That's a bottle of red.
The most expensive bottle of white
ever sold in London
was a 200-year-old bottle
of Chateau D'Kiem.
It was purchased in 2011
for a whopping £75,000.
What Jesus does
in these two verses,
in between these two verses,
is completely different
from all of that.
It is instantly perfect.
It's not 200 years old.
It's not in 1987.
It's instantly perfect.
The MC says
it's the best wine I've ever tasted.
What vintage is this?
Jesus says it was made
about a minute and a half ago.
It's what Jesus has come to do,
isn't it?
Jesus has come to give
newness of life.
To make you new.
To bring you into a new creation.
Jesus has come to give you
a taste of what heaven is like.
Something that is constantly renewing.
Newness.
The second word is goodness.
Growing goodness.
I love the MC in this wedding.
You've got to love his honesty.
He's probably a semi-pro,
isn't he?
He's been hired indicator
for weddings,
make sure the guests are happy,
the food keeps coming,
that the wine keeps being serviced.
He knows a thing or two
about wine.
And when he tastes the wine,
he is utterly gobsmacked.
He's got no idea
where it's come from,
but he's astounded
by the quality.
He's never tasted wine
like this before.
And so he calls the groom over
and he smiles at him.
And I think he winks at the groom
and he says,
you crafty devil,
you've done the exact reverse
of what normally happens.
Every other wedding I've ever done,
they've served the good stuff
at first,
and when the people have drunk
quite a lot,
they bring out the rubbish.
Poor old groom doesn't know
what he's talking about.
But he's smiling as well.
The MC says,
you've done the reverse,
you've saved the very best
to the last.
You see,
the normal way it is
in our lives,
the normal direction
is the head into decline,
isn't it?
We go from life to death.
We decay.
But the order of Christianity
is the opposite.
We go from death to life.
And when Jesus makes water
into wine,
he is reversing
the normal order of things.
And that is the direction
of growing goodness.
It means that for you and I today,
if we'll trust in Christ,
we don't have to live in the past.
You don't have to wallow
in regret.
But Christ has come for me.
He has entered into this world
to give me life,
which means the best
is in the future.
And he's not just
fixing up the old.
He's not even replacing it.
He's not just adding
good things
into our declining lives.
He is transforming
our lives
with his own life,
with a growing goodness.
He's taking the old waters
of purification,
if you will,
and turning them
into fermenting wine,
bringing life
and abundance.
When you think
about those jars,
those jars that we used
for purifying yourselves,
for cleaning yourselves up,
it's really important
you see that the change
that Jesus is bringing
is different to that.
It's different
than just purification.
Let me be really clear
about this.
When Jesus gives us
his life,
it is more than purity.
When Jesus gives us
his life,
it is more than forgiveness.
It is more than cleansing,
as important as they are.
Jesus hasn't just
come to take away
your sin.
He comes also
to give us
what we don't have.
Because removing
the dirt
and the stains
is essentially,
isn't it,
a negative act
and can never
really restore
something
to being new.
It can't bring
fullness.
It can't bring joy.
But what Christ
has done
and what he has
come to do
in you and me
is not just
to remedy
our defects,
but he has come
to make a new creation,
a new life.
And it begins
in this life.
It is broken
into this world
right now.
And it grows
and it increases
in hope
and joy
and fullness.
So the life
of Jesus
means newness.
Goodness.
Newness.
And finally,
it means fullness.
What does life
in Jesus look like?
I don't know
if you've done
the maths,
but each of the
water jars
contain about
20 to 30 gallons.
They're massive.
It's mind-boggling.
It's something
like 700 litres
of the best wine.
wine.
The Old Testament
says God
gave wine
to gladden hearts.
That's why it's
important at the
Lord's table
we have wine.
It's to gladden hearts.
It's a picture
of fullness.
And here,
with 700 litres
of the best wine,
there's a lot
of gladness.
I need to say,
don't we,
that we spoil this
with our excess.
Like all of God's
good gifts,
we use it for evil.
It's really easy
to become enslaved
to God's good gifts.
Just to be clear,
I need to say to you,
of course,
getting drunk
is a sin.
It is something
that Christians
don't do.
But here,
clearly,
wine stands
for joy
and gladness
and fullness.
And the point
I'm making,
and John is making,
is that Jesus
does not provide
the bare minimum,
does he?
he gives ridiculous
provision.
Jesus doesn't just
cover the embarrassment
of this young couple,
he gives over the top
lavish satisfaction.
It's like
the miracle we'll see
with the feeding
of the 5,000.
Do you remember that?
And he doesn't just
give enough
for the 5,000.
He leaves baskets
and baskets
over.
And that's what
verse 16
of chapter 1
is all about
if you just glance there.
This is what
it's all about.
John says,
from his fullness
we've received
grace upon grace.
And John is talking
about the fullness
of Jesus
filling us.
We all know,
don't we,
what it is to be
filled with self-pity.
I certainly do.
Or with pride.
Or to be filled
with anger.
or bitterness.
Or to be filled
with envy.
Or to be filled
with self-entightenment.
And when you're
filled with self-pity
it pushes everything
out, doesn't it?
So you can't really
think about anything
else.
You've got no room
for anything else.
Well,
Jesus' deepest
desire for you
is that you
would be filled
with all his fullness.
Because his fullness
is the only thing
that can overwhelm
our fears
and our pride
and our self-preoccupation.
And this is the
character of the life
that Jesus comes
to bring.
It's not just
free his grace.
It is free.
But it is full
and it is
extravagant
and plentiful.
The Lord Jesus
doesn't give you
scraps of himself.
He brings himself
with all of his
fullness to us.
I spoke with
an older man
recently
who said to me
that he had made
a list of the
advantages of
growing old.
These are some
of the things
that he had
on his list.
These are the
advantages
that he as an
older man
as a Christian
he said this is
the advantage
of growing old.
Number one was
I've got more
time to pray
for others.
Number two
I've got more
time to go back
over my life
and see God's
good hand
of sovereign
kindness
to me.
Number three
I've got more
time to volunteer
to help others
both near to
where he used
to live
and in his
church.
Number four
I've got more
time to give
specific thanks
thanks for
specific things.
That is
fullness.
That's what
the Apostle
Paul prayed
for the
Christians in
Ephesus
that they
would be
filled with
all the
fullness of
God.
And I'm
aware,
I'm not
fully aware
but I'm
aware a
little bit
as your
pastor
of some
of the
difficulties
of your
circumstances
and some
of you
who are
suffering
greatly.
And the
Lord Jesus
has not
come into
this world
to give
us a
free pass
from
suffering.
He doesn't
airlift you
out of your
difficulties
but what
he does
is he so
fills us
with his
life that
in those
difficulties
we know
his plenty
and we
know his
joy in
the midst
of our
difficulties.
And my
experience has
been
that those
Christians who
suffer most
when they
are abiding
in Jesus
are those
who are
most filled
with joy.
And so
this is the
first and
the foundational
sign.
It is about
the change
that Jesus
has come to
bring.
And I
wonder if you
know this
change.
Longingly,
inwardly,
personally,
really,
the basis
of his
change is
his death.
The effects
of his
change are
newness of
life and
a life of
goodness and
a life of
fullness.
And you
might wonder
why in
verse 11,
just look
there,
there's the
last surprise,
Jesus tells
us that the
disciples
believed.
But didn't
they believe
in chapter
1?
How come
they believe
in chapter
2,
verse 11,
when we're
told that
they believe
in chapter
1?
And I
think it's
this,
I think
that believing
is a
process.
It's not
a one-off
sign on the
dotted line.
Every single
one of us
here are
somewhere along
that process,
I hope,
of believing.
The disciples
believed in
Jesus and
began to
follow him.
And as
they followed
him,
Jesus showed
more of
himself to
them,
and as he
manifested
more of
himself to
them,
so they
trusted and
believed in
him more.
And that's
exactly how it
works for us
today.
Let's pray
together.