WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.459 the wedding day is something that the couple looks forward to eagerly, 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:11.740 and they try to plan everything meticulously to make sure the reception is bountiful, 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:14.359 it's fun, and then the ceremony is beautiful. 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:19.519 And so nowadays there are people who have made a career out of being wedding coordinators 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:22.719 because it's become so elaborate and so much planning is involved in weddings. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:27.699 But of course, not everything always goes as planned in weddings. 00:00:28.460 --> 00:00:31.759 Even in our wedding, I remember we had trouble lighting the unity candle, 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:36.500 or we had the flower girl that was coming up who took a whole two minutes to come up 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:39.000 because she was literally putting one pedal down at a time. 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:40.659 She was adorable, yeah. 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:45.700 And so those are less embarrassing, really, the things that happen at weddings. 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:50.120 But in this case, in this wedding, something really, really embarrassing happens, 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.840 something that's particularly embarrassing in this culture. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.920 And Jesus comes to rescue. 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:57.640 They run out of wine during the celebration. 00:00:57.700 --> 00:00:59.920 And Jesus comes and turns water into wine. 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:04.340 And in doing so, he saves the embarrassment of the bridegroom and the bridal party. 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:10.540 And also, even more importantly, he demonstrates the fact that he is the glorious bridegroom 00:01:10.540 --> 00:01:15.379 that's come to usher us into the wedding feast of God. 00:01:16.260 --> 00:01:21.740 Jesus is the glorious bridegroom who's come to usher us into the glorious wedding feast of God. 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:27.799 And we're going to look at this, how John tells us this, teaches us this truth, by looking at three portraits. 00:01:28.039 --> 00:01:30.579 First is the portrait of the embarrassed bridegroom. 00:01:30.919 --> 00:01:33.419 And the second is the portrait of the chided mother. 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:37.019 And then lastly, the portrait of the glorious bridegroom. 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:43.619 Now, running out of wine at a wedding doesn't seem like that big of a deal for us. 00:01:43.699 --> 00:01:45.299 I mean, it's like wine is a luxury, right? 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:46.939 I mean, if you run out, hey, we ran out. 00:01:47.019 --> 00:01:48.439 You have other food and drinks you could have. 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:54.439 But in this culture, in Jewish weddings, that was a big deal because weddings lasted seven days. 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:58.700 You celebrate a wedding in Jewish culture for seven whole days. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:05.120 And so to run out in the middle of that, potentially the first day, because it seems like that's when the wedding was taking place, 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:07.759 is a really big deal, a real oversight. 00:02:08.859 --> 00:02:13.500 And during those seven days, the master feast, as it talks about in verse 9, 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:17.879 was in charge of making sure that everything is running smoothly. 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:19.759 He's regulating the distribution of the wine. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:23.680 And he apparently didn't do his job well. 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:30.620 And because the bride, the groom, the man of the party, the wedding party, was responsible for paying, 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:34.460 him and his family, they were responsible for paying for everything regarding the wedding, 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.359 it was a particular embarrassment for them that this didn't happen. 00:02:39.079 --> 00:02:43.659 And the Jewish culture, it's a shame culture, like a lot of the Southeast Asian cultures are. 00:02:43.659 --> 00:02:52.439 So for them, this kind of shame that you bring on your family would be, for ages, for years to come, a point of ridicule. 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.919 It would become the butt of jokes for years to come. 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:57.520 So that's what's going on. 00:02:57.560 --> 00:02:59.900 So it's probably more similar in our context. 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:02.659 Let's say you go to the reception after the wedding ceremony, 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:06.699 only to discover that because of a calendar mix-up, the caterer hadn't showed up. 00:03:06.859 --> 00:03:08.359 So there's no food at the reception. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:09.579 That's embarrassing. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:11.219 I mean, that's shameful, right? 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:11.520 Almost. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.520 And that's the kind of shame that's in play here. 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:25.280 And from the context, it seems like Mary and Jesus were somehow close friends or relations to this party that was getting married. 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:30.560 And we know that because the whole family is invited, not just Mary, but also Jesus, 00:03:30.700 --> 00:03:32.920 and all of Jesus' disciples are also invited. 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:43.519 We can infer from that because of that, the close relationship, Mary potentially may have felt some kind of responsibility to help maybe with the catering. 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:47.319 And so that's maybe why she comes up to Jesus and it says in verse 3, 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:50.939 that when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 00:03:51.899 --> 00:03:52.959 they have no wine. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:04:05.439 And Jesus' response is a little jarring because from his response, you can tell that Mary wasn't simply observing the fact that they ran out of wine, 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:08.600 but he was expecting Jesus to do something about it. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:11.680 He wanted Jesus to do something about the situation. 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:17.000 And some people, because of that, assume that Mary was somehow expecting a miracle. 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:21.800 She had seen Jesus perform miracles when he was younger, whatever the case may be, 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:23.400 and was expecting him to perform a miracle. 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:30.000 But that's probably unlikely because verse 11 tells us, if you look at this chapter 2, verse 11, 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.420 this was the first of his signs. 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:35.759 This is the first miracle that Jesus performed. 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:36.920 This is the first of his signs. 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:41.519 So any other stories you have seen or heard, maybe you saw the Passion of the Christ when it came out, 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.980 and in it a child Jesus is making a chair. 00:04:45.280 --> 00:04:48.120 One leg is a little too short, so he kind of magically extends it. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:51.519 Those are apocryphal stories, what you call stories, 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:55.259 stories that are not authentic, stories that were made up throughout the history of the church. 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:59.500 They don't belong to the canon, the scripture, the 66 books of the Bible. 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.920 So if that's the case and Jesus hadn't performed any miracles, 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:07.639 it's probably more likely that Mary here was not expecting a miracle per se, 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:13.980 but rather leaning on her son, her firstborn son, to do something about a dire situation. 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:22.860 And it's possible and probably likely that Mary is at this point a widow because we know that Joseph was there. 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:27.439 But after that story of Jesus being lost at the temple grounds in Jerusalem, 00:05:28.140 --> 00:05:30.840 Joseph never appears in the scene again in the Gospels. 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:35.040 And when the Gospel writers, for example, Mark, describes Jesus, 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:37.740 he calls him not just the son of a carpenter, 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:42.120 which is how you would traditionally refer to someone, but as the carpenter. 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.319 And so you see this in Mark 6, 2 to 3. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.560 Where did these men get these things? 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:49.460 These are Jews being amazed at Jesus' teaching. 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:50.780 Where did Jesus get these things? 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:52.280 What is the wisdom given to him? 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.139 How are such mighty works done by his hands? 00:05:55.620 --> 00:05:57.180 He's not this, the carpenter. 00:05:57.860 --> 00:06:02.199 The son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.620 are not his sisters here with us. 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:07.500 And they took offense at him. 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.840 So notice how he mentioned all the family members except for Joseph. 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:14.600 So that may be an indicator that Mary at this point is a widow. 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:19.000 And like any widow that has lived and has a firstborn son, 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.300 she had come to rely and to lean on the resourcefulness of her son. 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.560 And so at this point she comes and says, son, do something. 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:29.540 So if we ran out of wine, can you do something? 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:33.459 And so that's what she is doing. 00:06:33.459 --> 00:06:35.739 And then Jesus' response is shocking. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.319 It's surprising because it says, read verse 4 with me. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:44.219 It says, Jesus said to her, woman, what does this have to do with me? 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.019 My hour has not yet come. 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:53.379 Addressing someone as woman in English would be really, really rude, 00:06:53.919 --> 00:06:57.060 especially if that's your mother, right? 00:06:57.159 --> 00:07:00.439 I mean, you don't want to call your mother a woman, right? 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:03.819 But in this context, it's not quite like that. 00:07:03.899 --> 00:07:05.639 The woman is a respectful term. 00:07:05.719 --> 00:07:07.639 It's more like madam or man. 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:13.959 But even still, it's not exactly the appropriate way to refer to your own mother. 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:17.480 It establishes a distance. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.139 It's kind of a way to distance yourself from that person. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:24.100 So madam, what does this have to do with me? 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:27.199 Literally, that phrase means what to me and to you? 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:29.800 What do we have in common regarding this matter? 00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:34.159 So it actually has a tone of rebuke, a tone of reproach, 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:37.019 saying that what does this have to do with me and you? 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:41.079 And from a human perspective, that seems really harsh, doesn't it? 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:44.240 This is your mom, and she's asking you to do something, 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:46.919 and then you tell her, woman, what does this have to do with me? 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:51.919 But we have to remember the context of John and what we just learned in chapter 1. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:57.180 That's the only way this makes sense, because in chapter 1, John told us that Jesus is the incarnate word 00:07:57.180 --> 00:08:01.080 that was there before time began and is part of God's creative work. 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:02.960 He's the Messiah of Israel. 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:05.560 He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:08.139 He's the Son of Man and Son of God. 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:16.079 And because Jesus is this person, this Son of God, by probably rebuking his mother in this sense, 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:20.680 he is emphasizing the fact that he has utter sovereignty and freedom 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:25.079 from any kind of human advice, agenda, and manipulation. 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.120 He's saying that I am the sovereign ruler. 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:32.799 I am the Son of God, and no one has special privilege or access to me. 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:37.340 And in the same way, this is because it'll be kind of like this. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:43.039 If you go to your doctor, right, and you get diagnosed, you do exams, 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:46.340 and then imagine the doctor said to you, 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:49.059 okay, so now what do you think we should do for your treatment? 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:51.740 That's nonsense, right? 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.879 No, you don't want the doctor to ask you for advice. 00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:58.980 The doctor is the one that knows, and the doctor is the one that should tell you what to do. 00:08:59.020 --> 00:09:05.240 In the same way, it's good, and it's wise, and it's advisable for fallible human beings like us 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:08.920 who have imperfect understanding and perspective to seek counsel from others, 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:10.940 to consult others, and to listen to others. 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:11.480 That's good. 00:09:11.520 --> 00:09:12.759 That's a virtue for humans. 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:18.720 But for an all-knowing, sovereign God to ask for human advice 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:21.960 and to follow human agenda, that would not be a virtue. 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:23.980 That would be a foolish vice, right? 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:27.759 So in this instance, Jesus is establishing his identity as the Son of God, 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:31.379 saying, no, I will not be following human advice agenda. 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:33.580 I am the Son of God. 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:36.560 And from this point on, at the beginning of his public ministry, 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:40.100 Jesus will answer to no one else except to his Father, 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:43.480 who has called him and who has given him a mission to fulfill. 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:47.800 This, of course, must have been extremely difficult for Mary. 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:48.940 You can imagine. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:50.300 The mothers in the room would know. 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:52.460 I mean, she saw him. 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:58.139 She gave birth to him, nursed him, saw him take his first steps, heard his first words, 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.000 and then saw him mature into the fine man that he is, 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:03.620 and she had come to rely on him as her firstborn son. 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:10.460 And but still, Mary no longer gets to view Jesus as every mother has viewed their own son. 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:15.600 Now, from this point on, Mary now has to relate to her, like every other human being, 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:19.659 as the Son of God, as the Messiah that has come to save the world. 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:24.199 That's why it's dangerous when someone says, 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:28.799 this example proves very clear that Mary was just like all of us. 00:10:29.339 --> 00:10:34.839 She doesn't have special status before God as some kind of mediator that you go through, right? 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:39.459 So that if you pray to Mary, then you will have special access to God because she is his mother. 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:43.659 There's no such thing taught in Scripture, and this very clearly proves that. 00:10:44.439 --> 00:10:48.339 There's no other mediator before God as 1 Timothy 2, 5 says, 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:53.320 for there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:57.019 He's the only mediator, and the only way to get to God is through him. 00:10:57.300 --> 00:10:59.139 It's the only way to pray to God is through him. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:02.240 That's why even in our service, we try to emphasize that. 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:07.259 So when we have communion, right, the minister goes behind the table to offer the elements 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:11.820 instead of standing between the person that's taking part in communion and the table 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:14.100 because we don't stand in the way before God. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:15.759 Nothing stands in the way before God. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:19.700 Christ alone is the mediator that gives access to God. 00:11:21.460 --> 00:11:26.899 And Jesus continues to give the reason why he is refusing his mother's request. 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:28.740 And what he says in verse 4 is, 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:30.799 the hour has not yet come. 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:35.740 Now, the word hour is a key word throughout the Gospel of John, 00:11:35.819 --> 00:11:40.779 and it consistently refers to the hour, the time of Christ's death on the cross. 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:44.980 And so that's chapter 7, 8, 12, it repeats over and over again. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:47.539 That's the hour that Jesus is going toward. 00:11:47.819 --> 00:11:52.759 And once Jesus starts to perform his signs, which reveal his glory glimpse by glimpse, 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:59.299 then he is marching toward that death, toward that cross, and that hastens that process. 00:11:59.439 --> 00:12:02.039 And that's why Jesus says, you know, my time has not yet come. 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:04.679 It's not time for me to die. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:06.439 It's not time for me to start on this. 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.220 And that's why he refuses. 00:12:10.340 --> 00:12:18.380 But though rebuffed by Jesus in a respectful way for presuming on that family tie that she had with Jesus, 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:20.720 she nonetheless persists in faith. 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:22.080 And you see this in verse 5. 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:26.040 So his mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:32.240 So she's just rebuffed by her own son, but she persists in faith and says, you know what, just do whatever he tells you. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:36.719 And this would have been understood by Jews as an example of good, persevering faith. 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:39.279 Because we see examples of this throughout the Old Testament. 00:12:39.419 --> 00:12:43.699 For example, Moses, when God threatens to abandon Israel because of their sin, 00:12:43.819 --> 00:12:45.860 he says, no, you must go with us. 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:46.039 He insists. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:48.039 And then God listens. 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:49.480 God helps him. 00:12:49.819 --> 00:12:50.559 Goes with Israel. 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:53.579 In the same way, Jacob, wrestling with the angel of the Lord, 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:58.299 demands, insists on God's blessing, even though the angel says, let me go. 00:12:58.679 --> 00:12:59.979 And he does get the blessing. 00:13:00.079 --> 00:13:01.059 God blesses him through that. 00:13:01.119 --> 00:13:06.019 So God desires and commands throughout the Bible this kind of persisting faith. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:09.979 And Mary is really exemplifying a best version of that kind of faith. 00:13:11.439 --> 00:13:14.479 And so, to our amazement, the response is, 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:19.759 the Son of God does honor this woman's request, Mary's request. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.699 And D.A. Carson, a Bible commentator, puts it in a really memorable way. 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:30.859 It says, in chapter 2, verse 3, Mary approaches Jesus as his mother and is reproached. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:36.799 In chapter 2, verse 5, she responds as a believer and her faith is honored. 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:42.059 Mary, in the same way as all of us, all human beings must, 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:45.319 approach Jesus as the Messiah, as the Son of God. 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:50.020 So now, we just talked about the embarrassing mistake, 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:51.520 and then we talked about the chided mother, 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:55.340 and then we're going to talk about the glorious miracle that reveals the bridegroom to us. 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:58.000 So read verses 6 to 10 with me. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:59.240 Follow along as I read. 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:04.139 Now, there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification. 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:07.120 It's holding 20 or 30 gallons. 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:09.120 Jesus said to the servants, 00:14:09.560 --> 00:14:12.299 Fill the jars with water, and they filled them up to the brim. 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:13.799 And he said to them, 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:17.480 Now, draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. 00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:18.799 So they took it. 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:22.379 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:24.539 and did not know where it came from, 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:26.560 though the servants who had drawn the water knew, 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:29.459 the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:31.479 Everyone serves the good wine first, 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:33.579 and we will have drunk freely than the poor wine. 00:14:34.199 --> 00:14:36.500 But you have kept the good wine until now. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.839 Now, there's a lot of things that are happening here, 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:42.079 and Jesus, through this, reveals that he is the glorious bridegroom 00:14:42.079 --> 00:14:45.039 that ushers us into his feast, the wedding feast. 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:48.559 And he does that by really three signs here. 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:50.479 It's really one sign together, 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:53.239 but first by filling the jar to the brim with water, 00:14:53.359 --> 00:14:55.459 and then by turning that water into wine, 00:14:55.460 --> 00:14:59.379 and doing this on the seventh day. 00:14:59.560 --> 00:15:00.940 And I'll explain all of this as we go. 00:15:01.300 --> 00:15:04.860 But curiously, he instructs the servants to fill the jars with water. 00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:06.600 And their stone jars, big jars, 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:08.620 can hold 20 to 30 gallons. 00:15:08.800 --> 00:15:11.259 With six of them, that's 120, 180 gallons. 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:14.180 That's enough water to fill it, fill a tub, right? 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:15.820 So that's quite a bit of water. 00:15:16.300 --> 00:15:19.460 And it was there for the purpose of the Jewish rites of purification, 00:15:20.180 --> 00:15:21.280 it tells us in verse 6. 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:26.480 And that people, and I'll talk more about this, 00:15:26.579 --> 00:15:28.500 but you see an example of this in Mark. 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:33.620 Chapter, let's see if I can find it for you. 00:15:37.339 --> 00:15:40.740 In chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, you can get a more detailed look. 00:15:40.839 --> 00:15:41.319 Jesus says, 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:43.840 The Pharisees who are gathered to Jesus 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.900 kind of object to the way the disciples are eating 00:15:46.900 --> 00:15:47.920 without washing their hands. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:48.320 And he says, 00:15:48.320 --> 00:16:13.840 So that's what these water jars were for. 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:15.720 It's to wash all kinds of pots and vessels, 00:16:16.040 --> 00:16:17.040 to wash people's hands, 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:19.860 to ensure that this ceremony is clean, 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:22.740 that they're not defiled by their eating. 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:23.839 It's a goat. 00:16:24.939 --> 00:16:29.120 Now, Jesus is telling them to fill this to the brim with water. 00:16:29.819 --> 00:16:33.599 And by telling them to fill it to the brim, 00:16:33.839 --> 00:16:35.519 and even though he's not going to use that 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:37.199 for the purpose of ceremonial washing, 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:40.240 Jesus is indicating that the time for purification, 00:16:40.699 --> 00:16:42.679 for the ceremonial rites of purification, 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:43.860 have come to an end. 00:16:44.199 --> 00:16:45.339 It has been fulfilled. 00:16:45.459 --> 00:16:46.360 It has been filled. 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.600 Now, he is the one who has come to bring a new age 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:52.940 where he becomes the means by which we are purified. 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.220 He's the bridegroom by which we are purified. 00:16:56.440 --> 00:16:58.580 So then Jesus commands them after that, 00:16:58.779 --> 00:16:59.639 after filling the jars, 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:02.200 he tells them to draw out some of the water 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:04.380 that the stone jars were filled with, 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.500 and then to take it to the master of the feast. 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:08.960 So the master of the feast is kind of a head caterer of sorts 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:11.099 who regulated the distribution of wine. 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:15.039 And sometimes I will comment briefly on this 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:16.859 because sometimes people make much of this passage 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:19.299 to get into an argument about drinking alcohol. 00:17:19.939 --> 00:17:20.740 Some people will say, 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:23.559 you know what, we should drink alcohol as much as we want 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:24.839 because look at Jesus. 00:17:25.299 --> 00:17:26.339 These people have drunk freely, 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:28.639 but he makes more wine for them. 00:17:29.159 --> 00:17:31.419 And the other people who want to argue the opposite 00:17:31.419 --> 00:17:32.659 say that, well, you know what, 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.939 Jesus isn't actually turning the water into wine. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:36.719 He's just making the water taste like wine, 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:38.720 which is the miracle, right? 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:39.920 I mean, so I mean, 00:17:40.100 --> 00:17:42.819 these are argued in serious scholarly books 00:17:42.819 --> 00:17:44.980 because people obviously have a vested interest 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:46.380 in proving it one way or the other. 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:50.120 But Jesus clearly turns water into wine, first of all. 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:51.440 He says in verse 9, 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:54.539 the master of the feast tasted the water, 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:56.740 now become wine, right? 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:58.480 That's unmistakable, right? 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:00.500 It's not water that tastes like wine. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:01.720 It's water that's turned into wine. 00:18:02.220 --> 00:18:04.220 But it would also be untrue to paint Jesus 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:06.539 as promoting drunkenness at the party. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:10.640 Because this is in the absence of refrigeration 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:12.740 and sealing, hermetic sealing, right? 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:14.660 So they don't have the technology we have now. 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:15.860 Because of that, 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:18.500 any grape juice would very soon ferment 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:19.860 and become wine, right? 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:22.319 That was just a natural way to keep grape juice. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.900 And they didn't use an artificial process 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:27.180 of distillation like we do 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:30.720 to increase the alcoholic content in wine. 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:32.960 We do that and we distill it, 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.660 remove the water so that there's higher 00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:36.600 alcoholic content in our culture. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:37.019 We do that. 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:37.980 In this culture, 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:39.200 they did precisely the opposite. 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:41.500 When they have the wine, 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.500 they actually diluted it. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:45.319 Two to three parts of wine, 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:47.160 I mean water and one part of wine. 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:48.319 That's what they did, right? 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:50.740 So they diluted it. 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:53.319 And the job of the head caterer, 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:54.120 the master of the feast, 00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:56.200 was actually to regulate this distribution 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:58.559 so that people don't go out of hand 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:00.420 and become incapacitated and ruin the party. 00:19:00.840 --> 00:19:01.759 That was his job, 00:19:01.820 --> 00:19:02.920 to make sure to regulate it. 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.300 And the Jews in particular condemned 00:19:05.300 --> 00:19:07.600 reducing the level of dilution 00:19:07.600 --> 00:19:09.220 so that people get drunk faster, 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:11.440 which some of the Greek orgies did, right? 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.600 So the Jews were particularly observant of that. 00:19:14.900 --> 00:19:15.420 For that reason, 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:17.519 I think it'd be wrong also to say that, 00:19:17.560 --> 00:19:17.840 you know what? 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:18.960 Jesus loves drinking. 00:19:19.120 --> 00:19:20.640 He lets people drink however much. 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:22.060 That's not what's going on here either. 00:19:22.600 --> 00:19:24.120 But that's just a side point 00:19:24.120 --> 00:19:25.300 because to get into debate 00:19:25.300 --> 00:19:27.080 about whether alcohol is okay or not 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:27.699 from this passage 00:19:27.699 --> 00:19:29.720 would really be to get lost in the trees 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:30.779 and lose sight of the forest. 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:33.659 That's not at all what this passage is about. 00:19:33.899 --> 00:19:35.099 This passage is about the fact 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:37.139 that Jesus is the glorious bridegroom 00:19:37.139 --> 00:19:40.299 who ushers us into his wedding feast. 00:19:40.899 --> 00:19:42.319 And he indicates this first 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:44.879 by fulfilling the ceremonial washing, 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:46.319 by filling the jars to the brim, 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:47.059 and then second, 00:19:47.159 --> 00:19:48.799 by turning the water into wine. 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:50.859 And wine in the Old Testament 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:53.599 referred to the time of the Messianic age. 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:55.539 All the Old Testament prophets 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:58.879 like Jeremiah 31, Hosea 14, Amos 9. 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:00.500 All these passages talk about 00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:01.619 how Messianic age, 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:04.779 the time of the Son of God come to the earth, 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.059 would be characterized by abundance 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:08.779 and the liberality of wine 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:11.059 because it represents blessing, 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:13.399 abundance, and celebration, and joy. 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:15.879 So Jesus is now bolstering his claim 00:20:15.879 --> 00:20:16.819 to be the Messiah 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:19.920 when he turns this water into wine. 00:20:21.139 --> 00:20:22.539 And not only that, 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:24.799 not only is Jesus coming to be the Messiah, 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:27.740 but Jesus elsewhere symbolizes 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:28.799 the consummation, 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:31.240 the fulfillment of the Messianic age 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:32.779 as a wedding feast. 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:34.859 Maybe some of you have run into that. 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:37.480 In Matthew 22 and 25, 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:38.799 he describes that time 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.079 when the kingdom of God comes in fullness, 00:20:41.399 --> 00:20:43.259 that he describes it as a wedding feast. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.339 And just a chapter later, 00:20:45.419 --> 00:20:46.139 in chapter 3, 00:20:46.919 --> 00:20:48.859 John the Baptist will say 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:50.759 that Christ is the bridegroom 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:52.519 who has come to claim his bride, 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:54.680 and his bride is the people of God, 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:56.460 people who have put their faith in him. 00:20:57.059 --> 00:20:58.259 And so now by doing this, 00:20:58.379 --> 00:21:00.680 then his action of turning the water into wine 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:01.480 at a wedding feast 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:03.279 becomes an extended symbol. 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:06.579 It becomes an active parable, really, 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:09.599 where Jesus shows his claim 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:11.460 that he is the glorious bridegroom 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:13.059 that has come to claim his bride, 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.799 to bring them in to the wedding feast 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:15.819 that he has prepared for them. 00:21:15.819 --> 00:21:19.079 And that wedding feast represents 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:19.980 the presence of God, 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:21.019 being reconciled to God 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:22.059 and united with God. 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:24.259 So that's the first two parts, 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:25.460 the purification, right, 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:26.299 and the wine, 00:21:26.439 --> 00:21:27.460 and his claim as the Messiah. 00:21:27.939 --> 00:21:30.240 And this happens on the seventh day. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:32.599 If you're just reading it casually, 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:33.759 you wouldn't have picked this up, 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:36.200 but it says in the beginning of verse 1 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:38.299 that this was on the third day, right? 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:39.480 So it's the third day 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:42.179 that you count from the last narrated event, 00:21:42.180 --> 00:21:45.120 which was when Jesus was talking to Nathanael, right? 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:46.380 And Nathanael comes to faith. 00:21:46.820 --> 00:21:49.480 But if you go back to chapter 1, verse 19, 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:52.440 that's when John starts counting the days 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:54.820 with the delegation from the Sanhedrin 00:21:54.820 --> 00:21:56.440 coming to question John the Baptist. 00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:58.580 And then he says the next day, 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:00.560 Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist 00:22:00.560 --> 00:22:02.299 in chapter 1, verse 29. 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:04.820 And the next day, chapter 1, verse 36, 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:06.080 John the Baptist's disciples 00:22:06.080 --> 00:22:07.320 begin to follow Jesus. 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:09.299 And then on the next day, 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:10.720 or on the 10th hour, 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.360 which is 4 p.m., 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:15.160 which by the Jewish reckoning is the next day, 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:18.460 Andrew tells Peter about Jesus. 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:21.740 And then next day, chapter 1, verse 43, 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:23.960 and then third day from that point on, 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:25.640 that adds up to seven days, 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.799 which is, according to a subtle writer like John, 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:30.180 that's very intentional 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:33.180 because he had just given an account in the prologue 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:36.420 about how Jesus is bringing about the new creation, right? 00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:37.759 The days of creation, 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:39.700 Jesus was the word incarnate that was there, 00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:41.440 the word that was there in creation, 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:42.460 now becoming incarnate. 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:46.100 And that now Jesus is bringing about a new creation. 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:47.559 And in the same way, 00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:49.860 later in chapter 5, verse 16 to 18, 00:22:50.080 --> 00:22:53.600 when the Jews accused Jesus of violating the Sabbath, 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:54.440 he says this, 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:56.819 my father is working until now, 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:58.160 and I am working. 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:00.680 And so this was why the Jews were seeking 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:01.779 all the more to kill him, 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:03.880 because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:06.400 but he was even calling God his own father, 00:23:06.759 --> 00:23:08.840 making himself equal with God. 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:13.399 Now Jesus is identifying his ministry of new creation 00:23:13.399 --> 00:23:15.000 with the father's work of creation, 00:23:15.379 --> 00:23:17.299 and throughout those seven days, 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:19.439 the son of God is revealed to the world. 00:23:22.439 --> 00:23:25.240 Now, how does Jesus bring about this new creation? 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:29.359 And how does Jesus fulfill the purification law 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:31.119 that he proclaims to fulfill 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:34.059 by filling the stone water in the jars? 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:36.940 How does Jesus usher us, 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:38.000 his people, 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:40.220 into the wedding feast? 00:23:41.179 --> 00:23:42.799 Because we are sinful, right? 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:46.179 And the answer lies in verse 11. 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:47.319 Read with me. 00:23:48.399 --> 00:23:48.679 This, 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:51.099 the first of his signs, 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:54.019 Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, 00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:56.139 and manifested his glory. 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:59.079 And his disciples believed in him. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.980 The New Testament uses several different words 00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:05.039 to refer to what we would call miracles. 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:08.220 So some gospel writers call it mighty works. 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:09.799 Some people call it wonders. 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:12.500 But the word that John prefers to use 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:13.519 is the word sign. 00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:16.839 Because sign, by definition, 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:19.139 always points to something else. 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:21.720 It points to another reality. 00:24:23.120 --> 00:24:23.700 And here, 00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:26.440 the sign points to his glory. 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:28.680 The glory of Jesus Christ 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:30.040 as the only son of God, 00:24:30.080 --> 00:24:31.400 as he talked about in chapter one. 00:24:32.340 --> 00:24:34.360 And the moment of glorification 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:35.660 throughout the gospel of John, 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:37.020 as we talked about last week, 00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:38.060 is the cross. 00:24:38.300 --> 00:24:39.780 That's the climactic moment 00:24:39.780 --> 00:24:41.240 of Jesus' glorification 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:42.360 is his death 00:24:42.360 --> 00:24:44.120 and then his ensuing resurrection 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:45.180 and ascension. 00:24:45.340 --> 00:24:47.240 That's when Jesus is glorified. 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.059 So when it says here in verse 11 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:50.859 that this was the first of his signs, 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:51.700 the sign of his glory, 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:53.960 and this is how Jesus manifested his glory, 00:24:54.259 --> 00:24:56.319 it's pointing to that ultimate reality 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:59.359 of Jesus going to the cross. 00:25:00.120 --> 00:25:01.519 And it's at the cross 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:03.059 that the ultimate laws of purification 00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:04.480 are also fulfilled, right? 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:05.799 Because if you remember 00:25:05.799 --> 00:25:07.759 the quote I read for you 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:08.559 from Mark 7 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:10.539 of the Jews being upset 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:11.339 about the disciples 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:12.319 not washing their hands 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:13.559 and not washing the utensils 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:14.200 before they eat, 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:16.200 this is Jesus' response 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:18.180 after their objection. 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:21.200 There is nothing outside a person 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:22.539 that by going into him 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.519 can defile him. 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:25.600 But the things that come out of a person 00:25:25.600 --> 00:25:27.000 are what defile him. 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:28.319 Do you not see 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:29.759 that whatever goes into a person 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.380 from outside 00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:31.299 cannot defile him 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.740 since it enters not his heart 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:33.539 but his stomach 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:34.340 and is expelled? 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:36.680 What comes out of a person 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:37.799 is what defiles him. 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:38.860 For from within, 00:25:39.340 --> 00:25:40.620 out of the heart of man, 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:41.720 come evil thoughts, 00:25:42.080 --> 00:25:43.000 sexual immorality, 00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:43.700 theft, 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:44.500 murder, 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.339 adultery, 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:46.160 coveting, 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:46.980 wickedness, 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:47.720 deceit, 00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:48.779 sensuality, 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:49.220 envy, 00:25:49.420 --> 00:25:49.799 slander, 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:50.420 pride, 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:51.180 foolishness. 00:25:51.339 --> 00:25:52.640 All these evil things 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:53.740 come from within 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:55.759 and they defile a person. 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.680 Now you see 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:58.740 the larger point 00:25:58.740 --> 00:25:59.539 that Jesus is making 00:25:59.539 --> 00:26:00.900 by saying that he claimed 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:02.000 to fulfill 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:03.460 the purification laws of old. 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:05.640 The purification laws 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:06.079 in the Old Testament 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:06.960 were about symbols. 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:07.920 They were shadows 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:08.839 that pointed to 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:09.880 a greater reality 00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:11.000 because it's not 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:11.920 what goes inside 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:13.259 a man that defiles him 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:14.220 but what comes out, 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:15.160 the sinfulness 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:16.059 in their hearts. 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:17.940 On the surface, 00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:18.660 if you look around, 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:19.640 most people are living 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:20.400 fine lives. 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:21.700 They seem like nice people. 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:22.819 They say nice things. 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:24.140 They're wearing nice clothes. 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:25.480 They have nice jobs 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:26.920 or they attend nice schools. 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:28.200 They seem to have 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:29.099 their life put together. 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:30.539 But inside, 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:31.559 when we are honest 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:32.119 with ourselves 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:33.279 and we examine our lives 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:34.440 and we look at the hearts, 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:36.900 then we find envy. 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:38.359 We find pride. 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:40.200 We find selfishness. 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:41.700 We find lust. 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:43.380 We find anger. 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:45.500 That's all of us. 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.759 Every single human being. 00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:49.940 And that is what truly needs 00:26:49.940 --> 00:26:50.779 to be purified 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:51.920 because that's what needs 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:52.420 to be purified 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:53.400 so that we can enter 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:54.440 into that wedding feast 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:55.500 with God. 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:58.500 And how does Jesus do this? 00:26:58.600 --> 00:27:00.019 By dying on the cross. 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:02.059 He absorbs the punishment 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:03.240 and wrath of God 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:04.019 that we deserve 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:05.200 for rebelling against him. 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:06.759 That's the gospel. 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:07.700 That's the good news 00:27:07.700 --> 00:27:08.559 of Jesus Christ. 00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:10.139 And by believing that, 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:11.740 that's how we become apart. 00:27:11.899 --> 00:27:14.339 That's how we become purified 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:15.720 so that we can be ushered 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:18.200 into his wedding feast. 00:27:19.619 --> 00:27:22.679 Now, as theologian John Stott 00:27:22.679 --> 00:27:24.379 describes this way 00:27:24.379 --> 00:27:25.119 in his book, 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:25.940 The Cross of Christ, 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:27.879 man asserts himself 00:27:27.879 --> 00:27:28.759 against God 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:29.779 and puts himself 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:31.619 where only God deserves to be. 00:27:32.379 --> 00:27:34.359 And God sacrifices himself 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:35.419 for man 00:27:35.419 --> 00:27:36.259 and puts himself 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:37.839 where only man deserves to be. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:40.699 Man claims prerogatives 00:27:40.699 --> 00:27:42.159 that belong to God alone. 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:44.379 God accepts penalties 00:27:44.379 --> 00:27:46.659 that belong to man alone. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:50.419 That's the heart of sin. 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:51.579 The essence of sin 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:52.759 is that we are living 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:54.099 in rebellion against God. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:56.139 We want to be God's ourselves. 00:27:56.679 --> 00:27:58.179 We want to live for our will 00:27:58.179 --> 00:28:00.459 to do our bidding 00:28:00.459 --> 00:28:02.279 and to live however we wish to. 00:28:02.619 --> 00:28:03.659 That's what we want to do. 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:04.859 And that's what all the sins, 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.819 all the lists of sins 00:28:05.819 --> 00:28:06.359 that you can find. 00:28:06.439 --> 00:28:07.439 That's all a manifestation 00:28:07.439 --> 00:28:08.500 of that pride. 00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:09.960 We want to do what we want. 00:28:10.179 --> 00:28:11.039 We want to live life 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.819 however we wish. 00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:13.519 We want to be God's ourselves. 00:28:13.619 --> 00:28:15.139 And that's the ultimate sin 00:28:15.139 --> 00:28:16.339 at the root of sin. 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:18.179 But instead, 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:20.259 but we can't, right? 00:28:20.259 --> 00:28:21.839 Because we are created beings 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:22.960 and we're dependent on God 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:24.339 and God has his intention 00:28:24.339 --> 00:28:25.220 and design for the way 00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:25.759 we ought to live. 00:28:25.799 --> 00:28:26.500 And that is ultimately 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:27.980 what is best for us. 00:28:27.980 --> 00:28:30.099 But because we have transgressed that 00:28:30.099 --> 00:28:31.259 and violated that now, 00:28:31.360 --> 00:28:32.920 Jesus takes our place 00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:33.819 because we must, 00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:35.799 and he bears a punishment 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:36.720 that we deserve 00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:40.220 so that we can be reconciled to God. 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:42.140 And what is our response? 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:43.860 The proper response 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:45.059 is at the end of verse 11. 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:45.480 It says, 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:49.059 the Jesus' disciples believed in him. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:52.500 Do you believe in Jesus? 00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:56.779 Faith is not merely a belief 00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:57.779 in a supreme being. 00:28:57.980 --> 00:28:59.240 It's not just a belief 00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:00.799 that God exists somewhere. 00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:02.880 Probably half the population 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.619 of the world, 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:04.339 more than that, 00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:06.500 believes that some supreme being exists, 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:07.500 that God exists. 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:08.940 It's like saying that 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:10.579 you believe that a chair exists, right? 00:29:10.839 --> 00:29:11.980 That doesn't mean anything 00:29:11.980 --> 00:29:13.480 unless you're willing to also believe 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:15.480 that this chair can hold your weight 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.619 and you're willing to actually sit on it 00:29:17.619 --> 00:29:19.259 and entrust your weight to it. 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:21.279 Then the chair has meaningful existence 00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:22.740 and actually serving its purpose. 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:24.700 It's no use to believe 00:29:24.700 --> 00:29:25.720 in a supreme being 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:26.059 and say, 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:27.759 oh, I believe in the existence of God. 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.460 You must believe 00:29:28.460 --> 00:29:30.180 that this God is Jesus Christ. 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:31.139 You must believe 00:29:31.139 --> 00:29:32.740 that this God is the Savior, 00:29:33.099 --> 00:29:34.160 the Redeemer that has come 00:29:34.160 --> 00:29:34.980 to forgive us, 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:36.240 to make a way for us 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:37.460 to be reconciled to God. 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:39.099 And then you have to entrust 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:39.940 your life to him 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:41.579 and believe in him 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:42.019 and say that, 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:42.379 you know what, 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:43.099 as if, 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:43.980 as in the same way 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:44.980 you entrust your weight 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:45.819 to the chair, 00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:47.599 you entrust your whole life to God 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:47.940 saying, 00:29:48.059 --> 00:29:48.379 you know what, 00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:49.460 I'm going to live 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:50.359 every moment of my life 00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:51.839 as if this is true, 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:53.259 as that you, 00:29:53.439 --> 00:29:55.639 as if I was intended to live 00:29:55.639 --> 00:29:56.639 according to God's will, 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:58.259 as if God made a way 00:29:58.259 --> 00:29:59.199 and saved me, 00:29:59.419 --> 00:30:00.359 he was gracious to me, 00:30:00.399 --> 00:30:01.459 he was merciful to me. 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:02.819 And then that becomes 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:03.859 the new standard 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:04.939 and the new, 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:07.099 by which we do everything 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:08.000 and judge everything. 00:30:08.459 --> 00:30:09.259 That's what it means 00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:09.799 to have faith. 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.399 We become a new person, 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:12.539 we have a new orientation 00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:13.159 toward God. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:15.539 And that's what the disciples do. 00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:16.259 They don't, 00:30:16.339 --> 00:30:16.839 it doesn't say 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:17.659 that they believe in him 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:18.740 and then they just go back home 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:19.480 and do whatever else 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:20.000 they were doing 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:21.160 before they met Jesus. 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:22.380 They follow him 00:30:22.380 --> 00:30:23.240 everywhere he goes. 00:30:23.840 --> 00:30:24.900 And that's what we are to do 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:26.040 when we come to believe in him. 00:30:26.060 --> 00:30:27.040 We are to follow him 00:30:27.040 --> 00:30:28.180 wherever he goes 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:30.080 and to do whatever he wishes 00:30:30.080 --> 00:30:31.279 in our work, 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.040 in our home, 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:32.980 in our relationships. 00:30:33.320 --> 00:30:34.360 That's what it means 00:30:34.360 --> 00:30:35.360 to become a Christian. 00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:36.660 That's what it means 00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:37.759 to have faith. 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:43.000 So Jesus is the glorious bridegroom 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:43.740 who ushers us 00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:46.220 into his wedding feast. 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.960 And I want to close this 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.660 with this image 00:30:48.660 --> 00:30:49.240 and I don't know 00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:50.079 if this is actually 00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:51.119 the reason why 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:53.519 this tradition came to be, 00:30:53.900 --> 00:30:55.099 but in the wedding, 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:57.619 the groom wears traditionally 00:30:57.619 --> 00:30:58.980 a black tuxedo, right? 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:01.200 And the wife, 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:02.180 the bride, 00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:03.759 wears a white gown 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:04.539 or dress. 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:07.700 Isn't that a perfect picture? 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:10.200 of what Christ did for us. 00:31:10.460 --> 00:31:12.220 Christ is our groom. 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:15.379 He takes on our sins. 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:18.460 And we, his church, 00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:19.480 are the bride. 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:22.140 We take on his purity, 00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:23.319 his holiness, 00:31:23.799 --> 00:31:24.420 his righteousness. 00:31:26.339 --> 00:31:27.519 That's the picture 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.720 of what Christ did for us 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:29.319 and that's why 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:31.140 he's the glorious bridegroom 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:32.420 who brings us in 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:33.940 to God's presence. 00:31:34.879 --> 00:31:35.440 Let's pray. 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:48.819 O God, 00:31:48.879 --> 00:31:49.400 we long 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:51.700 to know you, 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:55.920 to be loyal to you, 00:31:56.140 --> 00:31:57.079 to love you 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:59.640 as only you deserve. 00:31:59.640 --> 00:32:05.620 we want to approach you 00:32:05.620 --> 00:32:07.640 as the son of God 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:08.420 who takes away 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:09.320 the sin of the world. 00:32:16.060 --> 00:32:16.940 There are some of us 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:17.640 who have not yet 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:18.420 made that decision. 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:22.080 to help us 00:32:22.080 --> 00:32:23.340 to take that step 00:32:23.340 --> 00:32:23.820 of faith 00:32:23.820 --> 00:32:25.100 to follow you. 00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:28.340 For those who have 00:32:28.340 --> 00:32:29.000 made that decision, 00:32:29.100 --> 00:32:29.620 Lord, we pray 00:32:29.620 --> 00:32:30.480 that you would enable 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:31.220 all of us 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:32.620 to continue 00:32:32.620 --> 00:32:33.640 to follow you, 00:32:34.360 --> 00:32:35.600 to orient 00:32:35.600 --> 00:32:36.580 and redirect 00:32:36.580 --> 00:32:37.800 every part 00:32:37.800 --> 00:32:38.900 of our lives. 00:32:39.080 --> 00:32:39.640 What we say, 00:32:40.100 --> 00:32:40.380 think, 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:40.980 feel, 00:32:41.160 --> 00:32:41.700 and do 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:44.860 toward doing 00:32:44.860 --> 00:32:45.519 your will 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:47.180 for the sake 00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:47.920 of your glory. 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:50.140 In Jesus' name 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:50.500 we pray. 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:51.539 Amen. 00:32:51.539 --> 00:32:51.640 Amen. 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:54.039 Amen.