A Glimpse of His Glory - John 2:1-11

 A GLIMPSE OF HIS GLORY

John 2:1-11

Introduction:  John is unique among the gospels.  For one thing he draws attention to the miracles of Jesus and uses a specific term to describe them. They are not called “acts of power” or “wonders”  as we see in the synoptic gospels, rather they are specifically called “signs.”  They point beyond themselves as works anticipating the kingdom, and they especially point to Jesus and his significance (John 20:30,31). 

The “sign” at the wedding at Cana points ahead to a messianic banquet, blessing, joy, abundant living.  Don’t get distracted in this story by the whole question of Jesus creating maybe 150 gallons of fine wine. The first sign is more than a story about a lot of water being transformed into a lot of fine wine. The main point is certainly not whether or not Christians have the freedom to consume alcohol.  I would say that the Bible does speak strongly against drunkenness and addiction, that we should not be under the influence, or controlled by any substance, but rather, we should be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).  As we look at this "sign" our focus will be on what it shows us about Jesus, and what He came to do... 

The Big Idea:  Have you glimpsed the glory of the Bridegroom? Have you received the purification from sin that only He can bring? John calls us to “See the glory of the Son, the faithful Bridegroom, receive the cleansing that only He can bring, experience the abundant life of blessing He came to provide.”  

We’ll look at 1) The Setting, a wedding feast in Cana (1-4); 2) The Symbol, from ceremonial water to celebratory wine (5-8); and 3) The Sign, a glimpse of His glory, and a reminder that the best is yet to come (9-11)!

I. The Setting: A wedding feast and an attentive Son (1-4).

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.  3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."  4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."

       On the third day – This is only three days after Nathaniel’s profound statement about Jesus, and the reply of the Master (1:49-51). Jesus revealed knowledge about Nathanael and he responded in faith, calling Jesus Son of God, King of Israel.  He told Nathanael that he would see greater things, and this is just the start.

       As the scene opens, we are told that a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee – We have no information about whose wedding this was, or why Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were there. (We can assume they were invited!) It is interesting that Jesus and his disciples were invited. This could have been a relative or a close family friend, but Jesus was there, along with his disciples and his mother. Since Mary knew that the wine had run out, it would seem to indicate that she was very close to the family.

It was in this common, simple, social setting, that Jesus would do a miracle, a “sign,” that began to reveal to those closest to him more about who he really is. The scene presents an interesting picture of prayer: simply reminding the Son of the need. There is no direct request, simply the statement: “There is no more wine” (3-4).        Does that sound like a somewhat profane report to bring to Jesus? In this cultural context this would have been quite an embarrassment, a faux pas that would have reflected very poorly on the groom. Without a direct request, Mary “informs’ Jesus of the situation.  This is similar to what we see in 11:3 concerning Lazarus, “The one whom you love is sick.” There is no specific request, just a statement of fact, but with the implicit expectation that Jesus could and would do something about it.

  Jesus addresses His mother, not as “mother,” but calls her “…woman…”  There is no disrespect in this term. Mary only appears in two scenes in this gospel, here, and standing in front of the cross of Christ, with John. In both contexts she is not called “Mary,” simply identified as “his mother.” Both times he addresses her as “woman.” It is not at all disrespectful, in fact, on the cross Jesus will show a tremendous act of caring pointing her and John to the deeper truth of our spiritual family. “Woman, behold your Son, [and to John] Behold your mother.” It may be close to the word “ma’am” as it is used in parts of the south. If so, it would be respectful, though maybe a little impersonal. The second part of the sentence, “Why is this our concern…” is a little abrupt. The Greek wording even more so, “What to me and to you, woman?” The entire statement, though abrupt, is not disrespectful. The tone reminds me of the scene in Luke 2, when Mary and Joseph come searching for the 12-year-old Jesus, who they had left behind in Jerusalem. Their tone seems to be at least mild rebuke, “Son, why have you treated us so?” Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” As Jesus goes on in our scene in the wedding in Cana, it is clear he is speaking with a deeper meaning in view, another wedding, one that was still future, one that will flow from His very purpose in coming into this world. He is mildly distancing himself from Mary to make it clear that He is prioritizing His relationship with His Father, and His commitment to carry out His purpose in coming. 

       Jesus says, “…my hour is not yet come…”  It is not time for this yet!  But more than that, he says “my hour”… What is he saying?  What is his hour?  (7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1). Though He taught publicly, the leaders were powerless to arrest Him, Because “his hour had not yet come” (7:30; 8:20). Then, after His final entry into Jerusalem that last Passover, He said in John 12:23,27…

23 And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…  27 "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Then John, as the narrator of the Gospel says in 13:1, “Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

       We frequently will see in John that Jesus is always looking for opportunities to teach, to show deeper significance in His words and actions.  Mary wanted the wedding to end without embarrassment. A thoughtful reader will remember that the prophets had characterized the messianic age as a time when wine would flow with abundance. It is not an isolated idea, for example…

Isa 25:6,9 “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… 9 It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Jer 31:12 “They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD-- the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.”

Amos 9:13-14  "…the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it.  14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vine-yards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.”

The picture is of abundance and celebration, joy in the presence of our Rescuer and life-giver. Later in this Gospel Jesus will say, “I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly!” (Jn 10:10b). This Gospel is written with such connections as to invite us to consider such parallels, to go beyond the surface and consider how each scene fits in the whole. How does each scene reveal His glory, and feed our faith, and minister to us His grace? As Jesus does this miracle, we as readers of the Gospel are invited to think ahead to another wedding, and the marriage supper of the Lamb! The church is the bride, Jesus, the Bridegroom, and the celebration will be greater than we can imagine! The Big Idea here is a call to *see the glory of the Son, the true Bridegroom, to receive the cleansing that only he can bring, and to experience the abundant life of blessing He came to provide.

II. The Symbol:  Six stone jars of the kind used for “ceremonial washing” (5-8).  

5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.  7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim.  8 And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it.

       “Whatever he says to you, do it…” (5). Simple instructions from Mary. Did she think He would do a miracle? She is reflecting faith that Jesus would act, He would do what was best, trusting that he was able to meet the need of the moment.  By the way, that is a good word to each of us as well as we pray – What does he say about my need, the situation I am facing, in his Word?  Whatever He says to you, do it. Trust Him. Believe his Word. I think it is always good to pray, “your will be done.”

Many of the “signs” that Jesus did in John had a deeper meaning. For example, the story of the healing of the man born blind in John 9 is also a story about someone gaining spiritual sight, while the Jewish leaders are exposed as being spiritually blind.  

        Here there were six stone jars used for the Jewish rites of purification. The word appears only twice in John, here is describes the function of the jars. It is a point of contention in John 3:25, “Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.”  The old ordinances and practices were soon to fade, the One who they anticipated was on the scene! In that context further John echoes some of the themes in this scene at the wedding in Cana, Jn 3:22-30.

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.  23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized  24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).  25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification.  26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness - look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."  27 John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.  28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.'  29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.  30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

This location was a place with much water, there was discussion over ceremonial washing (or purification). A mention is made of the bride and the bridegroom, and another wedding feast. John calls Jesus the Bridegroom, and he rejoices over Him! On a second reading of the Gospel, a reader might be expected to make the connection between the two passages. One commentator says that already here in John 2, at the wedding in Cana,

"The imagery is just too potent. In the presence of Jesus, a collection of pure (stone) water jars for the ceremonial washing of many people serves to herald the fulfillment (“to the brim”) of the entire ceremonial purification of… Judaism. In the person and work of Jesus, the purification jars and their water become useless, only suitable to contain celebratory wine” (Klink, John, 166-67).

The verb that is used to describe “drawing water” from the jars, may also be suggestive. It is only used elsewhere in contexts referring to drawing water from a well, in the NT, only John uses it, here, and in John 4. One passage in the Septuagint uses it in a figurative sense, in Isaiah 12:3, look at it in context…

2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."  3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.  4 And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

Was this passage on Jesus’ mind as he spoke to the servants? Was it on John’s mind as he repeated that same word to describe their actions? Since it is such an unusual word, I don’t think we’re stretching things too much to say so. It was, after all, a sign, revealing His glory! The Big idea here is to *Behold the glory of the Son, receive the cleansing that only he can bring, experience the abundant life of blessing He is offering to you.

III. The Sign: Water from the jars of cleansing transformed into the finest wine, the water of Judaism into the wine of the New Age (9-11). 

9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom  10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."  11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

       Consider what happened: these jars of the type used for ceremonial cleansing were filled with water. This has to draw our minds to the Old Testament ceremonies. Some of the water is “drawn out,” and taken to the Master of the Feast, but wait, it is no longer water! It has been transformed to celebratory wine!

       And not only wine, but the water is transformed into the finest wine!  On the mundane level the bridegroom is saved from a potentially embarrassing situation, and instead he receives a commendation: “You’ve saved the best of last!” In the broader context of John, the parallel story in chapter 3 that identifies Jesus as the eschatological “bridegroom” reminds us of another wedding, another wedding feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. It points to the Day when Isaiah 12:3 will be fulfilled in its fullness, a Day when, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”   The quality of the wine points ahead to that Day, and the abundance of blessing that God has in mind for us. John wants us to see His glory! He comments on the significance in 2:11… The “sign” reveals his glory and calls us to faith: This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him (11).

       The first of the miraculous signs. Other signs will follow. John will tell us that Jesus did many other signs, but that “these were written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in His name. This first “sign” is at a wedding and signals a coming New Age, the Messiah had come!  And it promised a new kind of life, eternal life, abundant life, that we have as children of God. 

       The Law could not bring lasting purification.  There were repeated cleansings and sacrifices that were needed (cf. Hebrews 10:1-18).  Isaiah anticipated the purification that only the Messiah could bring when he said: “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be read as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isa 1:18). The New Covenant would do what the old could not, it would be written on human hearts, it would make us part of a New Creation. This miracle, this “sign’  anticipates that provision in Christ.  The Day will come when He makes all things new, the curse undone! For now, "God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6)!

       “…he thus revealed his glory…” In 1:14 John wrote: “…we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth…” The glory of Jesus shines through the works that He did in the Gospel of John.  The Light shined in the darkness, “…and his disciples put their faith in him…” John will talk a lot about the response to the signs that Jesus did. A few believe, many will not.   

What is God saying to me in this passage? See the glory of the Son, receive the cleansing that only He can bring, experience the abundant life of blessing He is offering to you.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? 

1) His disciples believed in Him. Have you? John will tells us that “these things were written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…” Have you believed? Have you received Him? Trust Him now!

2) Have you glimpsed the glory of the Son in his passage? This was no parlor trick of turning a cup of water into wine – these were vats of 20 to 30 gallons each, roughly 150 gallons of fine wine. It certainly speaks of the joy, blessing, and abundant life that awaits us in the Son. He came that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly! AMEN.