1. Tonight’s lesson revolves around two stories
1. When you read the story for the first time, the stories seem unrelated
1. First there is the wedding at Cana
2. And Second is the story of Jesus cleaning the Temple
3. Or as I summarize it: … Joy and Judgement (repeat)
4. What we have in Chapter 2 are the two sides of God we face as humans
1. We see the Joy of those who put their trust in God
2. And we see the wrath of God of those who take advantage of those wanting to come to God
2. First let talk a little more about the Wedding at Cana
1. You would think the first miracle mentioned by John would be something more dramatic
1. Maybe raising someone from the dead
2. Or feeding 5,000 people
2. But the first miracle is Changing Water to Wine
1. I suspect a half-decent magician can pull off that stunt.
2. What’s more, the only people who knew this were the servants
3. Most of the guests just thought…
1. Gee, they held off on the best wine until now
2. Most of the people there had no idea that Jesus changed the water to wine
3. So back to the original question… Why water to wine?
1. Because that represents our life in Jesus Christ!
1. Water, symbolically represents the source of life
1. It also represents cleansing
2. Jesus’ first miracle was to turn Water into Wine
1. Wine, represents celebration Joy
2. Like the servants in the wedding
1. Our job is to fully trust Jesus
2. And He will give us the best wine!
2. The interesting thing is that
1. The more you study the details of the Wedding at Cana
2. The more you see how our new life begins with Jesus Christ
3. More than that, there are some wonderful applications for us personally from these verses…
3. The central character to me, in the first five verses is not Jesus, but his mother
1. Notice that in John’s Gospel "The Virgin Mary" is never used
1. John always refers to her as the "Mother of Jesus"
1. If you think John was not respectful of Mary
2. Remember that at the end of the Gospel of John
1. Jesus puts Mary’s care in John’s hands
2. John wrote this Gospel either during,
1. Or after John took care of Mary for many years
3. Yet John knew that Jesus is the deity, not Mary
1. And only refers to Mary as "the Mother of Jesus"
1. Why?
2. So the focus is on our Lord,
3. Jesus, and not on Mary!
2. Notice Verse 3: And when they ran out of wine,
   the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
1. And in Verse 4, Jesus rebuked her saying "My hour has not yet come"
1. The term "Women" in that culture was not an insulting term
2. It is one of respect,
3. It is just not one of intimacy
4. On the cross, when Jesus was giving the care of his mother to John
1. Jesus uses the same word: "Women"
1. (John 19:26) "Women, behold your son"
2. Again, it is a term of respect, but not intimacy.
3. But back to Mary
1. Think how tough life must have been for Mary
2. At a young age, probably 16 or 17 she received the promises about the Messiah
1. It was now 30 years later, and Jesus had not begun his ministry yet
2. Could you imagine the rumors that were going around about Mary
3. In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, the Pharisees said to Jesus
1. "We were not born of Fornication"
2. Therefore, the word must have gotten around that Joseph was not the father of Jesus
3. Mary had to live with this reputation for years
4. She has been waiting patiently for Jesus to become
1. Quote The Messiah Unquote
2. Not only for the sake of her son
3. But also to vindicate her reputation.
5. So when she asks Jesus to do something about the wine..
1. It’s like, come on Son, show them who you are!
2. Let’s get the show on the road
3. My reputation is pretty shoddy
4. But what Mary went through also applies to us!
1. When we ask God a question,
2. There are 3 possible answers
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Yet
3. Like Mary, we have to be on the look-out for God’s timing
1. Remember in Matthew and Mark’s Gospel
2. When The Disciples tried to cast out the demons
3. But couldn’t do it (Matthew 17:16 or Mark 9:28)
4. Jesus responded "This kind of demon can not be cast out without prayer and fasting..
1. That is God’s call to us to always be ready
2. You never know how & when
1. God is going to call us
3. You never know how & when
1. God is going to use us
2. But he does tell us to always be ready
5. The rebuke to Mary was…
1. You will be glorified, but not yet…
2. Your reward for faithful service will come,
1. But not yet
4. By the way, after Jesus rebukes his mother…
1. Notice her attitude…
2. She didn’t say
1. "Don’t Woman me young man"
2. "I am still your mother you-know"
3. No!
3. She said to the servants in Verse 5
4. "Whatever He says to you, do it"
5. That’s the attitude we need to have to other Christians
6. If God tells you to do something
1. Don’t argue do it
2. Encourage others in what God called them to do!
4. The next main characters we read about are the Servants at the wedding
1. Notice the obedience of the Servants
1. Jesus told the servants to fill up the waterpots with water
2. And what did the servants do?
1. They filled them to the brim
2. I like that…
1. When God asks us to do something
2. Don’t do it half way
3. Obedience to the maximum
4. Fill it up to the top
5. Notice their servants faith
1. They didn’t ask why..
2. They didn’t know at this point what Jesus would do
3. This is a mistake we make as Christians
4. We ask God
1. God, could you fill us in on the whole game plan
2. I know you want me to fill this water-pot
3. But then what do you want me to do?
5. God works with us one-step-at a time
6. Once we are obedience with what God calls us to do
1. Then it’s the next step
3. The next step is Verse 8
1. Jesus told the servants to draw out some of the water and take it to the master of the feast
5. Next are the verses where the Master of the Wedding tastes the wine and brags about how good it is
1. Notice he has no idea Jesus changed the water to wine
2. He turns to the bridegroom to compliment the wine
1. I picture a bridegroom shrugging his shoulders and saying
1. I have no idea what your talking about!
2. Only the servants, and probably the disciples knew about the Miracle
3. Amos 3:7 says Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
1. There were no "ooh’s" and "aah’s" as the wine was poured
2. Only those who are the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ
1. Are aware of the POWERS of our Lord Jesus Christ
2. As we read in John Chapter 1 Verse 5..
1. And the light shines in the darkness,
2. and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6. I wanted to mention a few words about the Waterpots
1. A lot of the commentators make a big deal about the Waterpots
2. They show how this is a comparison of the old system under Jewish Law
1. And compare it to the new system under Jesus
2. The Gospel writer John mentions that the Water Pots were used for purification
1. There was a special ritual for washing hands a certain way…
1. This ritual was also mentioned in Gospel of Mark, 7:3
2. The pots were connected with the system of the Jewish Law
3. As they were used for purification
4. Without Jesus, the pots were cold, stone, and empty
5. With Jesus, the pots brought joy & life
6. The wine was after the ceremonial water
7. The wine was from the ceremonial water
8. The wine was better than the ceremonial water
9. It’s a picture of the new convenant with God being superior to the Old
1. This is what the Book of Hebrews is primarily written about
3. I also want to take this opportunity to show you one of my favorite obscure verses in the Old Testament..
1. Remember that Jesus makes the claim that the Volume of the Book of the Bible speaks about Jesus
1. John 5:39 says "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
2. In the Book of Numbers, there is this strange ritual involving a Red Heifer
1. (essentially, a Reddish color hog)
2. God told Moses and Aaron in Numbers, Chapter 19 to find a pure red Heifer, one does not have any spot or blemishes
1. And use it for purification from sin
2. Notice Chapter 19, Verse 9…
3. 'Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin.
3. Maybe it’s just me, but when I see John describe the water used for ceremonial cleaning
1. And Jesus takes the water and makes it into Wine
2. I think of that ceremonial red heifer
1. That was sacrificed in Numbers 19
2. To purify the Israelites from their sin
3. I submit that the Red Heifer, in a strange sort of way, is a model of what Jesus Christ did in the Gospel of John
4. This may be "way out in left field"
1. But I want you to think about Jesus statement, when Jesus said
1. "The volume of the Book is written of me"
2. The next time you find an obscure passage of scripture
3. Try placing Jesus right in the middle of that passage
1. And See if it fits…
2. OK…back to the text
7. Back to my original question…
1. The emphasis of John’s Gospel is on Who was Jesus
2. And the first miracle John choose was changing Water to Wine
3. Verse 11 of Chapter 2 says… This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
1. Changing of the Water of Wine
1. Represented the New Convenant of Life with Jesus
2. Jesus brings Joy to those who are called his servants
3. To those who are unaware of the Power of Christ
1. They don’t see what the Big Deal is all about!
2. Paul says For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18 NIV)
8. Before moving on… I wanted to add one thing for clarification
1. In Verse 11, it says that after seeing this miracle His disciples believed in Him.
1. This does not mean they didn’t believe in Him prior to the miracles
2. It only means that their faith was strengthened by the signs
3. One of my favorite Christian expression is
1. Miracles are for the weak in faith
1. God usually allows us to see some miracles in order to increase our faith in God
2. He won’t give us wonderful signs and miracles every day
1. But I usually find God gives us miracles during times of weakness of faith
2. God wants us to walk by faith, and not by sight
1. 2 Corinthians 5:7
3. The miracle is that occasional boost that God is always there, working in the background.
9. The next section of Chapter 2 has to do with the Judgement
1. Verses 14 through 18 are about Jesus cleaning the Temple
2. By the way… You can tell that the money changers were guilty of their practice
1. They don’t defend what they did to Jesus
2. The response of the money changers in Verse 18 says
1. What sign do you show to us, since you do these things?
2. This verse reminds me of Chapter 1 of 1^st Corinthians, when Paul says
3. 1 Cor 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
4. 1 Cor 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
5. 1 Cor 22 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
10. This passage of scripture also opens a debate about whether or not there was
1. "One or Two" cleanings of the temples
2. Mathew & Mark’s Gospel mention the cleansing of the Temple at the end of Jesus Ministry
3. In John’s Gospel it is mentioned at the beginning..
4. Most scholars believe there were two separate events
5. Others argue it was the same event
1. You could make a good argument either way
2. Either John was telling stories about Jesus out of sequence
3. Or there were two separate events
4. The more I thought about it,
1. The more it didn’t make a difference
2. It’s simply a debate topic, and it’s not important either way…
11. Back to the Cleansing of the Temple…
1. The one thing that I also get from this passage is the necessity of God’s Judgement
1. Christians love to talk about the Joy of our live in Christ
2. But we don’t brag too much about God’s judgements..
3. But Judgements is just as necessary as Joy
4. When we first become Christians, God does not say to us..
1. Well, change this aspect of your life
2. And change that aspect of your life
3. And then we’ll talk about salvation
4. No, God, wants us, just as we are…
5. But after we get saved, that is when God starts to work on us
1. Those tables that God is over-turning
1. Is our lives!
2. Jesus is going to say later in Chapter 15…
3. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
1. (John 15:5a)
4. And Jesus goes on to say…
5. for without Me you can do nothing.
1. (John 15:5b)
6. God wants us to bear fruit..
7. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19
1. that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit
2. Just as Jesus had Zeal for proper worship in His Temple
3. Jesus wants proper worship from our Temple
1. And often, that means over-turning the tables
2. Driving out the profiteers in our lives
6. God wants to mature us..
1. Therefore Joy requires Judgement
2. And Judgement by Jesus leads to Joy by Jesus!
7. In John Chapter 15, after the 3 years of Jesus’ ministry to his disciples are about completed Jesus says: (John 15:11 NKJV) "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
8. That’s what are life here on Earth is all about
9. For God to Mature Us in the image of Jesus!
12. I received a great comparison list comparing the Wedding at
1. Cana to The Cleansing of the Table…
1. I’d like to share it with you…
2. At Cana… There was a festive gathering
1. At Jerusalem, There was Judgement
1. 1 Peter 4:17 says Judgement begins at the House of God
3. At Cana… Jesus was invited
1. At Jerusalem, Jesus stepped in and took authority
4. At Cana… Jesus used people to carry out his miracles
1. At Jerusalem, Jesus acted alone and Directly
5. At Cana… Jesus supplied
1. At Jerusalem, Jesus emptied
6. At Cana… Jesus commanded
1. At Jerusalem, Jesus challenged
7. At Cana… Jesus spoke of his death
1. At Jerusalem, spoke of his resurrection
8. At Cana… Jesus demonstrated his glory
1. At Jerusalem, demonstrated his zeal
13. Let’s Pray
1. Father in Heaven, we thank you for the inexpressible joy you bring to our lives. Your light shines in us in a way that the world can not comprehend it.
2. And also, we ask for your judgement
1. Not judgement in terms of condemnation
2. But judgement in terms of what is wrong with our lives
3. Show us where we need to improve our lives
1. Overturn our tables
2. Drive out the money-changers in our lives
3. Help us to have the zeal for our temple
1. That you have for our temple
4. Help us to better abide in Jesus
1. So that our Joy may be full
2. We ask this in Jesus Name, amen.

This week’s text… (New King James Version)

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.

7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.

9 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.

10 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!"

11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business.

15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.

16 And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"

17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"

19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"

21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.

24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,

25. and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.