Jesus Performs His First Miracle
John 2:1-12
This story begins with the words “On the third day,” that is to say just three days after His baptism in the river Jordan, and His identification as the Lamb of God by John (John 1:33-34), Jesus performs His first recorded miracle. Jesus performed His first miracle, not at a funeral but at a wedding; not in the temple but in a private home.
The occasion of the miracle was a village wedding feast to which Mary, the mother of Jesus had been invited. I find it fascinating that the earthly ministry of Jesus began at a wedding and all of human history will culminate with a wedding (Rev 19:9).
Weddings are always special, but Eastern wedding are far different from what we in the West are use to! In Western weddings the bride is the star of the show, the groom just shows up and tries not get in the way. When she enters, dressed in bridal white the whole congregation stands as the organ plays, “Here comes the Bride.” But in Eastern weddings, it is the groom who is the featured one. And here is something to send a shutter down the spine of all the parents of boys in the congregation. Not only is the groom the featured person but he also pays for the entire affair.
Another key difference is that instead of the couple leaving immediately after the wedding for a honeymoon, they had open house for a week.
The setting for Jesus’ first miracle is given in verses one and two, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. (2) Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
This morning I want you to notice three things with me about this miracle.
First, The Reason For the Miracle. (2:3-5)
The Request of Mary (v. 3)
“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
Apparently, the amount of wine needed for the wedding feast has been underestimated. As the pastor I understand the dilemma of trying to estimate how many people will be at any particular function. There is the ever present fear that supplies will run out before everyone has been served.
The problem is that the wine has run out and there appears to be no solution. Either there is no more wine available or there is no money to purchase more wine. So Mary takes the problem to Jesus. This in no mere report and although we really have no way of knowing what Mary’s expectations were when she made this statement to Jesus, she informs Him with the hope that He might do something about the situation. Some suggest that she is hinting that He and the disciples need to leave, but I hardly think this is likely. J. Vernon McGee suggest that Mary is asking for is that He at last vindicate her reputation that He is indeed the Son of God. But since He had not yet performed any miracles, this was probably not asking for something super-natural, she just wanted His help. [Warren Wiersbe. Classic Sermons on the Miracles of Jesus. Ch 1. “Empty Waterpots.” (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1995) p.8]
Mary is very careful not to tell Jesus what to do, but it seems clear that she hopes he will do something.
The Response Of Jesus (vv. 4-5).
“Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
Although in English Jesus’ use of the term “Woman” in addressing His mother seems harsh and abrupt, it was in fact a common term. It is the same form of address He used with the woman at the well (John 4:21) and with the woman taken in adultery (John 8:10) and with Mary Magdalene at the Tomb (John 20:15). It is also the same form of address He uses from the Cross to commend her into the Apostle John’s care (John 19:26). There is no harshness in his voice on any of those occasions.
Jesus goes on to say, “What does your concern have to do with Me?” (v. 4). A literal translation of the Greek phrase would be, “What to me and to you!” Jesus is asking his mother just what has caused her to think the problem was His problem as well as hers. It is as though Mary has said, “Jesus, they are out of wine and WE need to do something!” There is probably not a man in this congregation that can not identify with his wife saying, “WE need to do this or that” but what she really means is “you need to do something!” Jesus responds in like matter with “Ma’am what do you mean we!” Jesus is asserting that not only is he a grown man no longer under the authority of his mother but he is the Messiah! Jesus’ response seems to be setting new parameters in his relationship with his mother. For many years (Jesus is now 30 yrs old) she has raised Jesus as her son. It is perhaps a gentle reminder that she could no longer view him as other mother’s viewed their sons.
Catholics and non-Catholics strongly disagree on the meaning of this verse. Catholic scholars in an effort to support Mary as an intercessor with Jesus are convinced that Mary uses her influence on Jesus to get him to do what he would not otherwise do! The text seems to tell us just the opposite however. The Lord neither abruptly nor arbitrary turns down the request, he does not say, No but neither does he say, Yes. He simply reminds His mother that there has been a change in their relationships.
The only time that Mary is ever recorded as asking something of Jesus, she ends up simply turning to the servants and In verse five says, “….Whatever He says to you, do it.” That is still good advice!
Jesus adds, “My hour has not yet come.” This must surely mean it is not yet time for me to act. Not until the till the wine was completely exhausted would his hour have arrived. All other help must fail before the hour for a miracle has arrived.
Notice Not Only the Reason for the Miracle but…
Second, The Reassurance of This Miracle (2:6-8)
“Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. (7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. (8) And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.”
There were six stone water-pots that were used by the people who attended the wedding for ceremonial washing (according to Jewish customs people’s hands had to be washed before a meal), each of these pots would have held 20-30 gallons. Multiply 20-30 gallons by six and you have some 120-180 gallons.
Jesus does not wave his arms over the water-pots nor does He speak some magical incantation, there is no hocus-pocus no mumbo-jumbo in which he commands the water to become wine. It appears that He never even touched the water in the pots. The water simply becomes wine. We do not even know for sure at what point it became wine. Somewhere between the water pots and the master of the feast the water became wine.
It should perhaps also be noted that perhaps many miracles today occur in ways that seem so natural that they are not even recognized as miracles.
Four Things We Can We Learn From this Miracle.
•This Miracle Assures Us That Jesus is even Concerned About the Little Things In Life.
It is encouraging to note that the Lord’s first miracle is one that many would consider non-essential. A shortage of wine at a wedding may not seem like a big deal but Warren Weirsbe points out that it was necessary for the groom in those days to have adequate provision at the wedding. It would be extremely embarrassing for him and his family to run out of food or wine. If the supplies had run out at a wedding feast, the family and the young couple would never have lived down the shame. Leon Morris points out, “If one gave a feast of such and such a quality (and quantity!) when his son was married, he was entitled to an equivalent when his neighbors son married. If the neighbor did not provide it, he could be taken to court and sued; a wedding feast was not simply a social occasion, but it involved a legal obligation.” [Leon Morris. “Reflections on the Gospel of John”(Peabody, Mass: Henrickson Pub, 1988) p. 70]
It is unlikely that Jesus would have performed a miracle just to save someone from a minor social embarrassment. What Jesus did was He rescued this young couple from a financial liability which had the potential to cripple them financially for years.
•This Miracle Assures Us That When God Takes Something That Is Ordinary He Makes It Into Something Wonderful.
John specifically points out the water pots were “for the Jewish purification rites” (v. 6). To eat with unwashed hands was an act of defilement. Therefore whenever guest arrived, water from these pots was poured over their hands in a ritual cleansing. Jesus took the water from these water-pots and turned it into fine wine, the finest that the master of ceremonies had ever tasted. Nothing is ordinary after Jesus has touched it.
By the same token, the Lord takes some very fallible vessels, men like James, and John, Peter and Andrews, Philip and Nathanael and makes them in men who ultimately turned the world upside down.
•This Miracle Assures Us That With God
The Best Comes Last!
We are assured that the best comes last. The devil however, gives his best first. He lures us into sin with promises he cannot and does not intend to keep and doles out his trinkets up front. Whatever passing pleasures he does hand out in this life will be best that will ever be experienced. The devil never shows you where he is taking you; he only shows you the next enticing step.
“But for those who know Christ as Savior is as bad as it ever will get. Sometimes our heavenly Father gives us a bitter cup to begin with, perhaps the cup of conviction of sin, but its purpose is that we might take the cup of salvation. Sometimes He gives us the cup of loneliness that we might drink from the cup of His presence. Or we are asked to drink from the cup of failure that we might remember that we serve Him alone. But the day is coming in which our fortune will be reversed: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) The best is yet to come.” [Erwin W. Lutzer. “Seven Convincing Miracles.” (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999) p. 48.]
•This Miracle Assures Us That God’s Provision is Always Abundant.
Jesus created over 120 gallons of fine wine, this is certainly more than was needed for the wedding. Yet I think the amount is literal and that Jesus intentionally produced the wine in abundance. The young couple would be able to sell the excess and start their married life with an asset instead of a crippling liability.
Not Only Notice the Reassurance of this Miracle but…
Third, The Results of the Miracle. (2:9-11)
“When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. (10) And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" (11) This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
In verse eleven, John says “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” The Greek word (semeion) translated here as “sign” occurs 77 times in the New Testament, and is used to identify an act which calls for the exercise of supernatural power (John 20:30-31). The miracle stories confront us with the question of whether the power of God was or was not revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. They compel us to say Yes or No!
The effect on the disciples. The disciples had already believed in Jesus as least to the extent that they understood him. The disciples had only recently begun to follow Jesus and it was only two days before the wedding in Cana that Philip and Nathanael had been called to follow Him. What the miracle in Cana did for them was to deepen their existing faith rather than to bring them to faith. They already believed in Jesus, but their faith grew and was strengthened.
When John tells the story of the wedding in Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle he wants us to believe in Jesus and the Father who sent him. And if we already believe he wants our faith to be strengthened.
This story begins with the words “On the third day,” that is to say just three days after His baptism in the river Jordan, and His identification as the Lamb of God by John (John 1:33-34), Jesus performs His first recorded miracle. Jesus performed His first miracle, not at a funeral but at a wedding; not in the temple but in a private home.
The occasion of the miracle was a village wedding feast to which Mary, the mother of Jesus had been invited. I find it fascinating that the earthly ministry of Jesus began at a wedding and all of human history will culminate with a wedding (Rev 19:9).
Weddings are always special, but Eastern wedding are far different from what we in the West are use to! In Western weddings the bride is the star of the show, the groom just shows up and tries not get in the way. When she enters, dressed in bridal white the whole congregation stands as the organ plays, “Here comes the Bride.” But in Eastern weddings, it is the groom who is the featured one. And here is something to send a shutter down the spine of all the parents of boys in the congregation. Not only is the groom the featured person but he also pays for the entire affair.
Another key difference is that instead of the couple leaving immediately after the wedding for a honeymoon, they had open house for a week.
The setting for Jesus’ first miracle is given in verses one and two, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. (2) Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
This morning I want you to notice three things with me about this miracle.
First, The Reason For the Miracle. (2:3-5)
The Request of Mary (v. 3)
“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
Apparently, the amount of wine needed for the wedding feast has been underestimated. As the pastor I understand the dilemma of trying to estimate how many people will be at any particular function. There is the ever present fear that supplies will run out before everyone has been served.
The problem is that the wine has run out and there appears to be no solution. Either there is no more wine available or there is no money to purchase more wine. So Mary takes the problem to Jesus. This in no mere report and although we really have no way of knowing what Mary’s expectations were when she made this statement to Jesus, she informs Him with the hope that He might do something about the situation. Some suggest that she is hinting that He and the disciples need to leave, but I hardly think this is likely. J. Vernon McGee suggest that Mary is asking for is that He at last vindicate her reputation that He is indeed the Son of God. But since He had not yet performed any miracles, this was probably not asking for something super-natural, she just wanted His help. [Warren Wiersbe. Classic Sermons on the Miracles of Jesus. Ch 1. “Empty Waterpots.” (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1995) p.8]
Mary is very careful not to tell Jesus what to do, but it seems clear that she hopes he will do something.
The Response Of Jesus (vv. 4-5).
“Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
Although in English Jesus’ use of the term “Woman” in addressing His mother seems harsh and abrupt, it was in fact a common term. It is the same form of address He used with the woman at the well (John 4:21) and with the woman taken in adultery (John 8:10) and with Mary Magdalene at the Tomb (John 20:15). It is also the same form of address He uses from the Cross to commend her into the Apostle John’s care (John 19:26). There is no harshness in his voice on any of those occasions.
Jesus goes on to say, “What does your concern have to do with Me?” (v. 4). A literal translation of the Greek phrase would be, “What to me and to you!” Jesus is asking his mother just what has caused her to think the problem was His problem as well as hers. It is as though Mary has said, “Jesus, they are out of wine and WE need to do something!” There is probably not a man in this congregation that can not identify with his wife saying, “WE need to do this or that” but what she really means is “you need to do something!” Jesus responds in like matter with “Ma’am what do you mean we!” Jesus is asserting that not only is he a grown man no longer under the authority of his mother but he is the Messiah! Jesus’ response seems to be setting new parameters in his relationship with his mother. For many years (Jesus is now 30 yrs old) she has raised Jesus as her son. It is perhaps a gentle reminder that she could no longer view him as other mother’s viewed their sons.
Catholics and non-Catholics strongly disagree on the meaning of this verse. Catholic scholars in an effort to support Mary as an intercessor with Jesus are convinced that Mary uses her influence on Jesus to get him to do what he would not otherwise do! The text seems to tell us just the opposite however. The Lord neither abruptly nor arbitrary turns down the request, he does not say, No but neither does he say, Yes. He simply reminds His mother that there has been a change in their relationships.
The only time that Mary is ever recorded as asking something of Jesus, she ends up simply turning to the servants and In verse five says, “….Whatever He says to you, do it.” That is still good advice!
Jesus adds, “My hour has not yet come.” This must surely mean it is not yet time for me to act. Not until the till the wine was completely exhausted would his hour have arrived. All other help must fail before the hour for a miracle has arrived.
Notice Not Only the Reason for the Miracle but…
Second, The Reassurance of This Miracle (2:6-8)
“Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. (7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. (8) And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.”
There were six stone water-pots that were used by the people who attended the wedding for ceremonial washing (according to Jewish customs people’s hands had to be washed before a meal), each of these pots would have held 20-30 gallons. Multiply 20-30 gallons by six and you have some 120-180 gallons.
Jesus does not wave his arms over the water-pots nor does He speak some magical incantation, there is no hocus-pocus no mumbo-jumbo in which he commands the water to become wine. It appears that He never even touched the water in the pots. The water simply becomes wine. We do not even know for sure at what point it became wine. Somewhere between the water pots and the master of the feast the water became wine.
It should perhaps also be noted that perhaps many miracles today occur in ways that seem so natural that they are not even recognized as miracles.
Four Things We Can We Learn From this Miracle.
•This Miracle Assures Us That Jesus is even Concerned About the Little Things In Life.
It is encouraging to note that the Lord’s first miracle is one that many would consider non-essential. A shortage of wine at a wedding may not seem like a big deal but Warren Weirsbe points out that it was necessary for the groom in those days to have adequate provision at the wedding. It would be extremely embarrassing for him and his family to run out of food or wine. If the supplies had run out at a wedding feast, the family and the young couple would never have lived down the shame. Leon Morris points out, “If one gave a feast of such and such a quality (and quantity!) when his son was married, he was entitled to an equivalent when his neighbors son married. If the neighbor did not provide it, he could be taken to court and sued; a wedding feast was not simply a social occasion, but it involved a legal obligation.” [Leon Morris. “Reflections on the Gospel of John”(Peabody, Mass: Henrickson Pub, 1988) p. 70]
It is unlikely that Jesus would have performed a miracle just to save someone from a minor social embarrassment. What Jesus did was He rescued this young couple from a financial liability which had the potential to cripple them financially for years.
•This Miracle Assures Us That When God Takes Something That Is Ordinary He Makes It Into Something Wonderful.
John specifically points out the water pots were “for the Jewish purification rites” (v. 6). To eat with unwashed hands was an act of defilement. Therefore whenever guest arrived, water from these pots was poured over their hands in a ritual cleansing. Jesus took the water from these water-pots and turned it into fine wine, the finest that the master of ceremonies had ever tasted. Nothing is ordinary after Jesus has touched it.
By the same token, the Lord takes some very fallible vessels, men like James, and John, Peter and Andrews, Philip and Nathanael and makes them in men who ultimately turned the world upside down.
•This Miracle Assures Us That With God
The Best Comes Last!
We are assured that the best comes last. The devil however, gives his best first. He lures us into sin with promises he cannot and does not intend to keep and doles out his trinkets up front. Whatever passing pleasures he does hand out in this life will be best that will ever be experienced. The devil never shows you where he is taking you; he only shows you the next enticing step.
“But for those who know Christ as Savior is as bad as it ever will get. Sometimes our heavenly Father gives us a bitter cup to begin with, perhaps the cup of conviction of sin, but its purpose is that we might take the cup of salvation. Sometimes He gives us the cup of loneliness that we might drink from the cup of His presence. Or we are asked to drink from the cup of failure that we might remember that we serve Him alone. But the day is coming in which our fortune will be reversed: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) The best is yet to come.” [Erwin W. Lutzer. “Seven Convincing Miracles.” (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999) p. 48.]
•This Miracle Assures Us That God’s Provision is Always Abundant.
Jesus created over 120 gallons of fine wine, this is certainly more than was needed for the wedding. Yet I think the amount is literal and that Jesus intentionally produced the wine in abundance. The young couple would be able to sell the excess and start their married life with an asset instead of a crippling liability.
Not Only Notice the Reassurance of this Miracle but…
Third, The Results of the Miracle. (2:9-11)
“When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. (10) And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" (11) This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
In verse eleven, John says “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” The Greek word (semeion) translated here as “sign” occurs 77 times in the New Testament, and is used to identify an act which calls for the exercise of supernatural power (John 20:30-31). The miracle stories confront us with the question of whether the power of God was or was not revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. They compel us to say Yes or No!
The effect on the disciples. The disciples had already believed in Jesus as least to the extent that they understood him. The disciples had only recently begun to follow Jesus and it was only two days before the wedding in Cana that Philip and Nathanael had been called to follow Him. What the miracle in Cana did for them was to deepen their existing faith rather than to bring them to faith. They already believed in Jesus, but their faith grew and was strengthened.
When John tells the story of the wedding in Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle he wants us to believe in Jesus and the Father who sent him. And if we already believe he wants our faith to be strengthened.
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