Chp 2 verse 1...On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee...You know there was a wedding on the third day, but not only in Cana of Galilee, but also at a borrowed tomb near Calvary...The resurrection!...Jesus' triumph over the grave, over death, over sin, and the end of our separation from God...the beginning of our oneness with God clothed in the righteousness of Jesus...the death of our old spouse, the law, and our marriage as Paul calls it with God Himself...(Romans 7)

 

And here Jesus will turn water into wine...so significantly symbolic of our watered-down, sinful hearts being made pure by the blood of Christ...remember, Jesus took the cup, blessed it and gave it to His disciples saying take, drink for this is My blood which is the new covenant, shed for the sins of the world...

 

So On the third day there was a wedding (indeed there was) 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.”

 

The Bible refers to Mary as the mother of Jesus...placing the proper influence on Jesus.  Twice in the Book of John, Jesus will refer to Mary as “woman” signifying His preeminence, His deity...understand if He had said “mother” He would have accentuated His humanity, His human position under Mary...but that is not found in the pages of scripture. 

The bible says of Mary, blessed are you among women, not blessed are you above women...I say this because it is tragic how man has developed the religion known as Mariolotry.  The worship of Mary as a goddess.  How heartbreaking it is that man has ascribed divine attributes to Mary that the bible does not...that Jesus, does not...

 

And so there in verse 4, Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come.”

 

I don't believe Jesus' response was harsh.  For Jesus to call Mary “woman” is not a harsh put down...recall when Jesus was on the cross and He looked down at Mary and John and said “woman, behold your son.”  Same word, and I believe spoken in the same way...with grace, love and truth.

 

And Jesus says to her “what does your concern have to do with Me.”  I believe this to not be a rebuke of Mary but rather a statement to her of two things, two truths...first, I know the situation at hand, and second, it must by out of My will that I act, not yours or any other man's.  And then He says, “My hour has not yet come.”

 

Seven times in this book, John will speak of Jesus' hour...His reason for coming...many times the pharisees sought to take Him but the book records, it was not yet His hour...and then finally in John 17 Jesus prays, Father, the hour has come...

 

Seven times...the number of perfection, leading to the hour in which Jesus once again restored perfection...The hour of Christ's humiliation, His humbling...His dying on the cross because of the will of man...making Himself subject to the will of man...but not now...not today Mary, that day, that hour is coming, but please do not tell me what I must do, I will willingly, of my own accord, do what I must do to save you and you and you and you...and no doubt He surveyed the crowd as He mentions His hour to come....

 

And so Mary, I believe understanding well what Jesus is saying here lovingly to her, in verse 5 says to the servants, Whatever He says to you, do it!” and leaves the entire situation in Jesus' hands...

 

Verses 6 – 8

 

I love this because Jesus was the one to work the miracle, yet it was the servants who were the ones that seemingly did everything.  They filled the water pots, they drew some out, they took it to the master of the feast.  There was no exhibition of divine power...Jesus did not wave His hand or touch the water or stand and pray, He simply called the servants to service and when they obeyed, a miracle happened.  I love that because it was seemingly all humans at work, yet the result is divine. 

 

 

 

And there's more here.  John records for us that the number of the water pots was 6.  That is significant because 6 throughout the Bible is the number of man...

 

Man was created on the 6^th day...man labors 6 days only...the 6^th commandment is man shall not murder man...

 

And so here there are six water pots and John tells us that they are “according to the manner of purification of the Jews” which means they were religious instruments and get this...they're empty.  How do we know that?  Because Jesus says, fill em with water.  And so we have man, in his religiousity, empty and useless.  But Jesus says “fill them.”

I love that!  Paul, the most religious man that ever lived, yet so empty and angry...but Jesus Himself, comes to Paul and says “I want to use you” and the result...Paul says “I am filled with the fullness of God!”

 

And so man, empty with useless religion, Jesus commands fill them with water...in the bible water is a symbol of God's Word...husbands wash your wives daily in the water of the word...THIS IS SO SIGNIFICANT!!!  What is the cure for useless religion, the Word of God!  Jesus said to the faithful church, the church in Philadelphia, in Revelation chapter 3, “I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied My name.  Because you have kept my command to preserve, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world...”

Psalm 118:8, the smack dab middle of the bible says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man.”  The water of the word is able to cleanse our hearts, our homes, our land and yet so many find it so difficult to devote a portion of each day to its study.  Is there anything more important?  If we believe these things that God has said, is there anything more important?  We seek success through hard work, but we attain power, position and a greater portion...and then realize, this is not success...We seek joy through our hobbies, interests and addictions...just to one day realize, this is not joy...it is the water of the word that washes our hearts and lives clean so that we may live free through knowledge and intimacy with God...is there anything more important?

 

And so Jesus commands the servants to draw out the water...you see, draw the water out through the living of your own lives...and take it to the streets!

 

Verse 9

 

And so the water was made wine...and it is profound that when the master of the feast tasted it, he did not know where it came from...but the servants did.  Not Mary, not the disciples, but the servants as Jesus Himself begins His ministry of miracles with an act of service. 

 

 

 

 

In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give My life as ransom for many.”  And just before saying this Jesus had called His disciples close and had told them, “If any of you desire to be great, be the servant of all.”  (That's found in Mark 9:35)

 

The Lord is nearest to those engaged in humble service...and those that pattern their life as service to others are surely rewarded for turning their backs on pride and honor.  We read in Amos 3:7, “The Lord God will reveal His secrets unto His servants.” 

 

Arthur Pink once wrote, “Those who occupy the position of authority are not taken into the Lord's secrets.  Those who wish to be in a place like the “ruler of the feast” do not discern the thoughts of Christ.  But those who humble themselves to take the servant position, who place themselves at Christ's disposal, are the ones who share His counsels.”

 

Verse 10

 

The master of the feast says here, “every man” and truly what he goes on to say illustrates the ways of man...bring out the best first and save the worst for later.  Just like sin...the bible says that sin is pleasurable for a season but the end is destruction....but the ways of God are opposite.  The pattern of God is increasing joy...increasing wisdom...look at the pattern...wilderness then the promised land...cross then the crown...sorrow may last for the night, joy in the morning. 

Sin and the flesh wears you down, but God grows you up.  Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day!”

 

Verses 11 – 12

 

What a wonderful message even within the first recorded miracle of Jesus.  The note written to the lost and the weary that the wine, the substance of man will indeed run out...this earth is passing away and we read in Revelation 14:18 when there will come a day, an angel will thrust a sharp sickle into the vine of the earth and throw it into the winepress of the wrath of God...

 

But there is hope as God through His prophet Isaiah proclaims “I your God will trade you beauty for ashes and fine oil of joy for mourning”...when the wine of men, the substance of man fails, Jesus is able to provide the good wine...

 

He is able to satisfy the longing of your soul...He is able to quench the thirst of your heart...He is able to place a song in  your heart that not even the angels can sing...the song of Redemption!

 

What must you do?  What price do you pay?  Repent.  And place your trust in Jesus friend.  Whosever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  All that come to Me, Jesus said, I will in no way turn away...

...bring your thirst, bring your burdens, bring your needs...and bring an offering, yourself...

 

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst...and most assuredly I say, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”  What is hindering you?  Come...today.

 

Religiousity?  Your demands and commands maybe like we saw today from Mary?  The servants who had obeyed the orders of Jesus, they knew.  God is calling you unto Himself, answer the call quickly...It is high time for the watered-down walk to die and for you to be joined to God in oneness...

 

...And next week we will take a look at the work of Jesus in your heart as He turns over the tables of forgery, drives out the thieves and cleanses the temple...exactly as He desires to do in your heart, so that you might be FREE!