Jesus, the true Bridegroom, erases that mistake by his own compassionate, saving act. Isn’t this also a picture of the gospel?
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him,
“They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water;” so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:1-11).
What is Jesus’ greatest miracle? You might think of the resurrection. Or, if you say that one doesn’t quite count, you might say raising Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter or the young man at Nain. Or maybe you are thinking bigger, something like feeding over 5,000 people from a kid’s lunchbox or calming a storm-tossed sea with a word. You probably think of miracles where Jesus reveals he is the Son of God or where his compassion is linked to his mission of salvation. Perhaps you think of those miracles that help people who find themselves in desperate need with no possibility of human help. All those kind of things make the big miracles stand out. Is that what you see here in John 2?
Jesus goes to a wedding with his mom and some of disciples. Cana is less than ten miles from Nazareth where Jesus grew up. The happy couple may have been family friends or extended family. The wine runs out, which would have been a major embarrassment, but not necessarily uncommon. Mary wants Jesus to do something, but he has his own timetable in mind. Jesus has the servants fill six large jars with water, which he then miraculously turns to wine, the best wine the master of banquet had tasted. Jesus saves the day for this family with his first miracle, and the disciples see it and believe in him. That’s a big deal, but who would put this miracle at the top of the list of Jesus’ miracles? If it wasn’t the first, would we even note its significance? Why does Jesus do what he does here?
Maybe Jesus chooses a wedding to begin his miraculous work as a reminder he’s the true Bridegroom. Just as the Lord was the faithful husband to his wayward people in the Old Testament, now Jesus was working to secure the church as his bride for eternity. Here Jesus provides. Here Jesus meets a need. Here Jesus goes above and beyond what was needed and in a quality of work unmatched. Here Jesus works to strengthen the faith of his people as he shows himself to be the Son of God and yet takes no public credit for his act of charity and power.
But perhaps the biggest thing we learn here is Jesus cares about his people and supplies what they are lacking. Don’t miss this point: someone screwed up (and it was probably the groom who was supposed to make sure these things were taken care of). How could they run out of wine? Jesus, the true Bridegroom, erases that mistake by his own compassionate, saving act. Isn’t this also a picture of the gospel? You screw things up too; you sin. Yet Jesus has erased your sin at the cross. He supplies the righteousness you lack. In compassion, he acts to save you. In compassion, he still calls you through the gospel to see Jesus, the Son of God, your Savior.
%20(1).jpg?width=36&height=36&name=untitled%20(16%20of%2039)%20(1).jpg){kind=small}
