The Wedding Wine

John 2: 1-12 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 

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

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?  My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants “Whatever He says to do, do it.” 

Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” 

And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.”  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted of the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew,) the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!”

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

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

I love this story for several reasons.  First, that this miracle, the first Jesus did, was at a wedding.  That God would set His seal of approval on marriage.  God ordained marriage, and made of man and woman one flesh, in other words, made us complete in each other and Himself.

Second, that Jesus obeyed His mother, even though He was God in the flesh.  He made the rules (honor your father and mother) and He kept them.  I think that speaks to those of us who think we can break the rules, just because we’re God’s people. 

I go to a church that has a little café in the front.  People buy coffee and chat there in the café, and then church starts at 10:00.  Right there on the sanctuary doors it says “no food or drink allowed in sanctuary.”  But people come in sipping their coffee, as if the rules don’t apply to them.  God keeps His word and follows it Himself!

Some scriptures about honoring your parents:

Proverbs 15:5 A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 10:1 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man grief to his mother.

Proverbs 15:20 says A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

Mary has an expectation of Jesus—she knew He would be the Messiah—but Jesus told her, “my hour has not yet come.”  In spite of this, she still directs the servants.  She had faith that Jesus would do something to solve the problem.

Although Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, many in the region thought that Jesus was illegitimate.  Scripture says that when the angels came, when the wise men came to see Jesus, the shepherds, the prophet and prophetess, Mary “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” Luke 2:19.  She may have hoped He would reveal Himself openly to be the Messiah, stilling the whispers. 

Cana is a little town a few miles from Nazareth.  Jesus didn't pick Jerusalem to do His first miracle, He did it in a little tiny village where no one would notice.

But Jesus did this miracle without fanfare, in the kitchen, as it were, away from the crowds.  He wasn’t a performing magician, wasn’t there taking the attention away from the bridal couple, but quietly taking care of the details in the background. 

Charles Haddon Spurgeon writes:

Now, concerning this miracle, it may well be remarked how simple and unostentatious it was. One might have expected that when the great Lord of all came here in human form he would commence his miraculous career by summoning the scribes and Pharisees at least, if not the kings and princes of the earth, to see the marks of his calling and the guarantees and warrants of his commission; gathering them all together to work some miracle before them, as Moses and Aaron did before Pharaoh, that they might be convinced of his Messiahship. He does nothing of the kind. He goes to a simple wedding among poor people, and there in the simplest and most natural way he displays his glory.

That’s God!  He doesn’t need an audience, doesn’t need to be announced—He’s got angels that can do that job if He wants it done—He does His work when we don’t see it.  Sometimes when we’re sleeping, God’s working. 

I think about the people involved in this story.

Mary—His mother.  Wondering when she’ll see her Son show Himself to be the King.  Like the rest of the Jews, perhaps she was unaware of the gap between Jesus the “suffering Messiah” and Jesus the Reigning King.

Jesus.  Knowing all things, Jesus was aware of His mother’s heart, her feelings, her misunderstandings and apprehensions.  He loved His mother, just as we all love our mothers.  Had He once tried to explain the process?  Or had He known she wouldn’t understand?

The disciples.  No mention of them at the feast, other than the fact that they were there.  John is the only one who mentions this miracle.  Is he the only disciple who witnessed it?  Or maybe he heard about this through Mary?

The servants.  They were just doing their jobs.  Filling waterpots, doing as bidden.  They had no idea what was going to happen.  Did any of them question Jesus?  “Uh, hey, buddy, wine doesn’t come from waterpots, ya know?”

The Master of the feast.  He was confused when he tasted the wine Jesus had made—not knowing what Jesus had done.  Did he think the groom had been holding out on him?

The Bridegroom.  We don’t know what he might have said in response.  He likely shrugged his shoulders and smiled, enjoying the time with his new bride. 

The wedding guests.  They drank the wine, not knowing where it came from either.  Maybe someone noticed it was really good wine, but wine wasn’t the focus, the bride and groom were.

In all this, there is no one saying “thank you” to Jesus.  He doesn’t seem to want thanks.  It looks like His gift to the bride and groom—that their feast would be blessed.

I thought about how we serve, as His servants.

Am I content to work in the background, unnoticed?  Or do I want to be recognized, perhaps becoming petulant or dissatisfied without it? 

Do I continue serving even if no one says “thank you”?  What’s my attitude if I never see it?

Some, misunderstanding the culture, think Jesus made more wine than necessary.  The Jews would feast for days at a wedding, up to a month or two at a time—it could be very expensive to host one.  The couple was likely poor, and was probably barely able to afford the wedding.  Being given this gift would really be a blessing!

But one more thought—do I take Jesus’ gifts to me for granted?  He often works in my life, gifts me with moments, friends, provision, even things I wouldn’t consider good, but they all work out for my good. 

Do I thank Him?  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we should “give thanks evermore, for this is the will of God.”  Another way of saying that would be

“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

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

The word manifested carries the idea that something which has been hidden is now being revealed.  Earlier in John, he states: and we beheld His glory.  Jesus will continue to show Himself and reveal the glory of God in His earthly ministry.  The Bible says whatever is hidden will be revealed.  What you’re doing for Him will be revealed, and you will be rewarded by God.  Don’t give up!  God sees your work on His behalf.

How awesome it is that Jesus cared so much, loved this young couple so much, honored and loved His mother in this manner.

Dear Lord,

You always bless me with Who You are.  Here You’re doing this miracle completely without fanfare, not concerned about gathering attention.  Your character is so wonderful!  You’re humble and gracious, and yet, You’re God, and know all things.  In spite of being worthy of praise, you take all of it—praise, rejection, hatred, love, anger, curses, blessing, misjudgment—in stride.  I don’t really understand how You can do that.

Jesus, thank You for working the unseen in me.  Thank You for doing the things I don’t get yet.  For the good You do on my behalf that I may never see.  Help me to give thanks for all things.

And Lord, let me work without receiving praise for it.  Help me to give all glory to You!  It’s Yours anyway.  I want to give credit where You deserve it.

Love, Your Daughter,

Donna