Water into Wine- John 2
Isaiah 62: 1-5; Psalm 36: 5-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11; John 2: 1-11
The coming of the Messiah is sometimes described as the Messianic Banquet, or the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is the time when the Messiah and his bride (God’s people) are finally unified. It is a fulfillment of the hopes of the prophets, who sometimes use marriage as a metaphor for the people’s relationship with God, though this is often in a negative sense. As in, the people are not living faithfully. The longing of the prophets is for a faithful marriage.
Near the end of the book of Revelation, in chapter 19 it says,
“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (19:7).Isaiah prophesies to the people in chapter 62,
“For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Is 62:5).The Messianic banquet is often described as including an abundance of wine. In Isaiah chapter 25, which is often connected to the Messianic Feast, we read,
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” (Is 25:6)Paul uses this image of the Lord’s marriage to his people when he gives direction to husbands in the letter to the Ephesians-
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25).
So, when we read about Jesus at a wedding, and he miraculously produces an abundance of wine, it hints towards this future Messianic banquet. … It’s not coincidental that we have a wedding at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of John. …
A first century Jewish wedding was a very joyous event. A modern wedding is usually the good part of an afternoon and evening. But, this was a huge event. It involved a whole week of dancing, and feasting, and drinking wine. Often this would involve the whole town, and even some people from out of town. People didn’t move around much back then, so these are people who probably watched this young couple grow up- it would be like a big family.
Hospitality was (and is) a huge value in the Middle East. Your honour can be bound to your ability to be hospitable and welcoming. The preparation for this party fell on the shoulders of the groom. It was his job to talk to all his family and friends and neighbours and people who owed him favours to provide food and drink for all his wedding guests.
When the wedding feast runs out of wine it isn’t just embarrassing. This is socially disastrous. It brought shame. It implied a lack of helpful friends. It could leave people questioning how he will be able to support his bride and family. It might even be considered a bad omen regarding the marriage. This was a disaster for the couple as they begin their life together.
Mary, being sensitive to all of this, comes to Jesus and says,
“They have no wine”.
We then have this awkward moment. … Jesus replies,
“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not come.”
It’s worth saying that calling his mother “woman” in his culture is not rude, like it would be in ours. … Here we can feel the pause as Jesus and Mary look at each other. … Then Mary turns to the servants and says,
“do whatever he tells you”.
It is an odd moment. There is a reluctance in Jesus, but he seems to be gently pressed by his mother.
As instructed by Jesus, the servants take six large pots. They fill them with water, and Jesus turns the water into wine. This is a huge amount of wine- 120-180 gallons of wine. But, this wasn’t just about wine, this miracle was a sign- it points to something beyond itself.
The water pots were used for ceremonial washing. The pots represent the Old Testament Law. In a sense, the Law was about keeping Sin under control. … Jesus uses those old pots and fills them with the wine that represents blessing and abundance and life. This is way beyond managing Sin. This is about abundant life. The old order of things gives way to a new order. God is doing a new thing from within the old Jewish system.
So, as a sign, the wine Jesus made points beyond itself. We read that this was the “first” of his signs. But it is not just the ‘first’ in a list of seven. The Greek word used for “first” is arche (ἀρχή), and that can also mean something like “foundation”. It’s where we get the word “archetype”. So, we can also read this as the foundation of the other signs. This sign is not just about wine. It is bigger than that. And this is probably connected to the comment at the beginning of this passage that this happened “on the third day”. This sign becomes a comment on all that Jesus is about to do. There is something to learn about the resurrection by thinking about this sign of turning water used for Jewish purification rights into an abundance of wine for a wedding.
Wine in the Old Testament is often a symbol of abundant life and of the messianic age to come. This isn’t just about saving a groom from social embarrassment and dishonour. Through the Old Testament We hear about the stormy marriage between God and God’s people. The prophets often talk about the people as an adulterous spouse who turns against God. … Here we see the marriage perfected in Jesus. The perfectly faithful human is united perfectly to the faithful God. In Jesus, humanity is reconciled to God. … The time to celebrate is coming. That wine is a symbol that this new messianic age has arrived- it’s not here in its fullness yet, but it is here. The invasion of the messiah and his kingdom has begun. …
This miracle being described as ‘arche’- as being foundational- and as being a ‘sign’- can also give us reason to think that there is a sense in which this abundance of wine overflows into Christian churches throughout the world. Through the chalice, God offers his abundant life. Jesus made the water into wine. And here he makes the wine into his blood. And in the Old Testament, blood is life. … Jesus is pouring his life into us, so that we can be united with God. Just as in Jesus, divinity and humanity are made one, so we have his blood coursing through us as the Body of Christ. As he made water into wine, so he transforms us into his body.
Jesus' first sign wasn't just about saving a couple from social embarrassment; it was a powerful declaration of the arrival of the Messianic age. In this miracle, we see a glimpse of the ultimate wedding feast, where Christ and His bride, the Church, are united in perfect harmony. The wine of Cana is a foretaste of the eternal celebration that awaits us, a celebration where all divisions are healed, and all are made one in Christ. AMEN
As instructed by Jesus, the servants take six large pots. They fill them with water, and Jesus turns the water into wine. This is a huge amount of wine- 120-180 gallons of wine. But, this wasn’t just about wine, this miracle was a sign- it points to something beyond itself.
The water pots were used for ceremonial washing. The pots represent the Old Testament Law. In a sense, the Law was about keeping Sin under control. … Jesus uses those old pots and fills them with the wine that represents blessing and abundance and life. This is way beyond managing Sin. This is about abundant life. The old order of things gives way to a new order. God is doing a new thing from within the old Jewish system.
So, as a sign, the wine Jesus made points beyond itself. We read that this was the “first” of his signs. But it is not just the ‘first’ in a list of seven. The Greek word used for “first” is arche (ἀρχή), and that can also mean something like “foundation”. It’s where we get the word “archetype”. So, we can also read this as the foundation of the other signs. This sign is not just about wine. It is bigger than that. And this is probably connected to the comment at the beginning of this passage that this happened “on the third day”. This sign becomes a comment on all that Jesus is about to do. There is something to learn about the resurrection by thinking about this sign of turning water used for Jewish purification rights into an abundance of wine for a wedding.
Wine in the Old Testament is often a symbol of abundant life and of the messianic age to come. This isn’t just about saving a groom from social embarrassment and dishonour. Through the Old Testament We hear about the stormy marriage between God and God’s people. The prophets often talk about the people as an adulterous spouse who turns against God. … Here we see the marriage perfected in Jesus. The perfectly faithful human is united perfectly to the faithful God. In Jesus, humanity is reconciled to God. … The time to celebrate is coming. That wine is a symbol that this new messianic age has arrived- it’s not here in its fullness yet, but it is here. The invasion of the messiah and his kingdom has begun. …
This miracle being described as ‘arche’- as being foundational- and as being a ‘sign’- can also give us reason to think that there is a sense in which this abundance of wine overflows into Christian churches throughout the world. Through the chalice, God offers his abundant life. Jesus made the water into wine. And here he makes the wine into his blood. And in the Old Testament, blood is life. … Jesus is pouring his life into us, so that we can be united with God. Just as in Jesus, divinity and humanity are made one, so we have his blood coursing through us as the Body of Christ. As he made water into wine, so he transforms us into his body.
Jesus' first sign wasn't just about saving a couple from social embarrassment; it was a powerful declaration of the arrival of the Messianic age. In this miracle, we see a glimpse of the ultimate wedding feast, where Christ and His bride, the Church, are united in perfect harmony. The wine of Cana is a foretaste of the eternal celebration that awaits us, a celebration where all divisions are healed, and all are made one in Christ. AMEN
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