He-eer’s Jesus!

Jn 2:1-11

Back before Jay Leno, there was another host of the Tonight Show. Most of you probably remember Johnny Carson. Before the show they would have a comedian warming the audience up for the actual show. By the time Ed McMahaon made his historic call, the people were raring to go. Everyone knew when Mr. Carson walked on the stage.

That is much like what happened here in this story of Jesus life. The wedding was preparing Israel for Jesus. And with that miracle of turning water into wine, a historic call was sounded. He-eer’s Jesus.

PRAYER

I. The Wedding

A. Weddings were big events

1. Even today Jewish wedding are big events, but in those days, a wedding and it’s parties could last for a week.

2. If the girl was a virgin, the wedding would be on Wednesday and if she was a widow, the wedding would be on Thursday.

3. There would be a great feast, the wedding, and then a great parade to the groom’s home for several days of parties.

B. Weddings symbolized relationship with God

1. Several verses like Hos 2:7 and Isa 62:5 shows that God looked at his relationship with Israel like a marriage covanent.

a) He used that analogy to talk about Israel returning to God.

b) He used the picture of a husband rejoicing in his bride to show his love for Israel.

2. In the New Testament that picture continues on as we are called the bride of Christ.

a) Rev 19:7-9 7Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." NIV

b) That is why God stresses the importance of the marriage covenant.

c) Our physical celebration is just a mere reflection of the celebration that happens in heaven when a person becomes married to Christ.

d) The physical covenant is symbolizes the covenant we make with God when we marry him in salvation.

II. The Miracle

A. Why use this miracle as his first proclamation of diety?

1. This was a question that came to my mind and so I did a lot of reading to see if there was an answers.

2. Only 2 commentaries even addressed it.

3. One thought is that this miracle of turning the common into something incredible is like what Jesus would do for man.

a) He turned the sinner into the saint

4. The Bible doesn’t say why he chose this miracle to announce his deity, only that he did.

B. He used the ceremonial cleansing water for this miracle.

1. Maybe is was also showing that he was changing the old ways, filled with ritual, that could not really cleanse into something new and wonderful.

2. This wine was perfect wine.

3. Far better than the wine that had been served up to that point.

4. As mentioned in these verses. They would serve the superior wine first and the lesser wine later when people’s sense’s were more dulled and couldn’t really tell the difference.

5. This doesn’t necessarily mean it was as a powerful alcoholic drink that most wines are today.

6. But it probably had enough fermentation to dull the senses to some extent.

III. The Gift

A. This was probably a family event.

1. By looking at how Mary was referred to here, it is implied that she had a personal connection to the wedding or was helping to organize the wedding.

2. In either case, that was usually done by family members.

B. The gift.

1. With that in mind, think about the gift Jesus gave his kinsmen.

2. There may have been many great gifts, but none so great as what Jesus gave them.

3. This gift was one they couldn’t hold, or maybe didn’t even recognize, but was still greater than any gift there.

4. His miracle was a gift of great wine.

a) That isn’t even half of it.

b) Jesus honored them by proclaiming his public ministry and deity at their wedding.

IV. The Proclamations

A. A proclamation of release

1. One of the hardest things moms do is let their children go.

a) When they leave home to go on their own, every mother I have know cries.

b) Their baby has grown up.

2. In essence that proclamation is made here by Mary.

a) In Jewish traditions, men stayed connected to the family much longer than they do today.

b) They often lived with their parents while they apprenticed with the father or some other skilled workman.

c) Now Mary let’s her son go with the words, “Do whatever he tells you.”

d) She knew it was time for Jesus to do what he was supposed to do.

e) I don’t think she fully understood what that was, but knew this was the time.

B. A Proclamation of Deity

1. John 2:11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. NIV

2. I found this interesting because it was done so quietly, yet had such a profound effect on his disciples.

3. Only those attuned to him realized what happened, but it was enough that they fully believed in him at that point.

4. I think we tend to look for God to do something spectacular to bring attention to his deity.

5. Sometimes we forget he works like he did with Elijah.

a) It wasn’t an earthquake or whirlwind when God spoke but a gentle whisper.

b) God does incredible things to let us know who he is, He just doesn’t always shout it from the mountain tops.