“A Sign Of The Times” Screen 1 John 2:1-12 Screen 2 January 22, 2017 Over the last couple of weeks, we have discussed John’s introduc8on (John 1:1-18) and the tes8mony of John the Bap8st coming “as a witness about the light - that all might believe through him” (Jesus). John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother Screen 3 of Jesus was there. “on the third day” - no8ce with me in Chapter 1, verse 29, 35 and 43 “the next day”. It says this three 8mes in the chapter. Here in chapter 2, we begin with a “third day”. What happened on the third day? Jesus rose!!! So John begins his gospel that was wriMen the latest of all four gospels with the end in mind (he was a literary genius). Word Biblical Commentary, p. 133 ➜➜➜ In John’s gospel, he relates Jesus’ first “sign” as occurring on the third day just like his last “sign” occurred, the Resurrec8on. This first sign by Jesus (miraculous event) func8ons as the head clue or key to the signs of Jesus and the one who understands this sign should understand the point of all the “signs”. Seven Signs in John’s Gospel Screen 4 1. Changing water into wine at Cana in John 2:1-11 - "the first of the signs" 2. Healing the royal official's son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54 3. Healing the paraly8c at Bethesda in John 5:1-15 4. Feeding the 5000 in John 6:5-14 Screen 5 5. Jesus walking on water in John 6:16-24 6. Healing the man blind from birth in John 9:1-7 !1 7. The raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45 What is the purpose of these “signs”? Screen 6 John 20:30-31 says 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not wriMen in this book; 31 but these are wriMen so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. PRAY “a wedding in Cana in Galilee” - Cana is the hometown of Nathanael according to: Screen 7 John 21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. (John was a literary genius and 8es everything together.) “and the mother of Jesus was there” - interes8ng in the Gospel of John we are never given Jesus’ mother’s name - it never says “Mary” in John’s gospel. Interes8ng because Mary only appears in this gospel here and at the cross of Jesus. Screen 8 John 19:25-27 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his Screen 9 mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Where Jesus gives her to John to take care of her when he dies. (This was a legal right of his as the oldest son with no father, Mary having no husband.) !2 John 2:2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. Screen 10 Jesus was invited to this wedding - people liked him. He wasn’t some weirdo - strange person that people didn’t want to be around. His people skills were and are extraordinary. Haven’t you no8ced? Weddings during biblical 8mes were very big deals. They would last one to two weeks - fes8vals/par8es like nothing in our culture today. John 2:3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no Screen 11 wine.” Jesus’ mother obviously was involved in seeing the supplies for the fes8vi8es were available. Presents were given and those in charge were expected to supply plenty of food and wine. To fail in these supplies was a major embarrassment for the marriage par8es and their families. Jewish Weddings 1st Century and Today ➜➜➜ Screen 12 John 2:4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” “woman, what does this have to do with me?” - Sounds disrespechul, doesn’t it? Screen 13 Really, however, it is not. In Jesus’ culture/day it was alright to refer to a woman as “woman” if you were responsible for her. Like Ma’am today. Jesus was responsible for his mother since Joseph apparently has already passed away. !3 And also this is poli8cally incorrect. Jesus is also sta8ng here that he did not derive his significance from his mother but actually the reverse. Today, male or female, you and I derive our significance from Jesus - it’s not the other way around! The statement from Jesus makes clear that not even family rela8onships are to be Screen 14 the determining factor in Jesus’ life ➜ just as later, when his brothers tried to force his hand to go BIG, LARGE and PUBLIC in John 7:3-9. Family did not govern his ac8vity. Jesus was directed by the Father (God) not his mother and brothers… “Family first is really a lie - it’s Christ First/God First - then wife, children, vocaon, etc… (There’s a fine line here for pastors . .) “hour” - In the gospel of John the en8re life of Jesus was directed toward obeying the Father and fulfilling the ‘hour”. The “hour” points to his death and resurrec8on or as John uses his “glorificaon”/“glory”? Jesus indicates here that no one sets his agenda but the Father/God. Did Mary understand what he said/meant? Absolutely! John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Screen 15 The greatest advice and mother has ever given ➜ the “greatest sermon ever preached” by a mere human (according to Dwayne Jones). Mary, here acknowledges that Jesus is correct and that he needs to follow the Father/God and so do the servants. God’s will is more important than whether or not we get embarrassed. > The whole focus of this account shios to Jesus - where it should be. !4 John 2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of Screen 16 purifica8on, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.” “six stone jars” - not made out of poMery but carved out of rock/stone, which meant they were valuable. Jewish Purificaon ➜➜➜ Screen 17 John 2:7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them Screen 18 up to the brim. This verse shows that no one added the wine to the water, it went all the way to the brim - as that was the custom of the day (see “Smith’s Bible Dic8onary”). John 2:8-9 8 And He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master Screen 19 of the feast.” So they took it. 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 “wine” - people who try to make this sign a license to drink heavy alcoholic beverages, i.e. modern wine, beer, hard liquor, etc miss the whole point of this miracle. (We’ll discuss “biblical drinking” another day.) No8ce - “the servants knew” that the water had become wine. None of the guests Screen 20 outside the servants, Jesus, his mother and the disciples (see in verse 11) knew what had just happened. > This is a private sign - a select group only *interes8ng* John 2:10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people Screen 21 have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine un8l now.” !5 “the good wine un8l now” - no - that was the most delicious wine ever - it was the very best wine ever. Screen 22 John 2:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. The first of the seven signs in John’s Gospel. (The miracle seems so small and non- sensa8onal compared to Jesus’ first recorded miracles in MaMhew, Mark and Luke - cas8ng out demons, etc…) But it ’s awesome. This miracle provides an epiphany, a manifesta8on of Jesus’ glory. Glory in John is derived from the Old Testament idea which implies the mighty power of God evidenced in epiphanies or perceived manifesta8ons of that power (see Exodus 16:6-10; 25:15-17; 33:18-23; 40:34). In John the mighty God is to be perceived as ac8ng in Jesus. The signs therefore point to the reality that the God of the Old Testament has acted anew and afresh in Christ Jesus. No8ce and “his disciples believed in him” - not everyone in John “sees” who Jesus is. Not everyone understood who he was/is. Now, the disciples are no longer John the Bap8sts’ but are Jesus’. Some see in this sign: Screen 23 1. this jars represented for the evangelist the Jewish religion and rituals (which they did). 2. the wedding celebra8on as a predic8on of the marriage feast of the Lamb (which perhaps it is) 3.