1

A WEDDING IN CANA

If you ever go to a church, and the preacher begins the sermon by saying

something like: “This morning we are going to talk about the parable that’s given

at the beginning of John, Chapter 2. . .” Before he says another word, grab up

your Bibles and make a break for the door. And if you can, press your hands

against your ears as you are running. Then jump in the car, and squeal away

from there as quickly as you can, and never go back. The reason is that if he or

she preaches that John Chapter 2 begins with a parable, then it borders on

blasphemy. John Chapter 2 is the Scriptural passage that describes Jesus

attending a wedding in Cana—and it’s the wedding during which He changed the

water into wine. It’s not a parable. It’s a true story. Jesus attended that

wedding just as certainly as you are attending this church this morning. And

Jesus changed that water to wine just as surely as you are inhaling and exhaling

air as you sit here.

IT IS REAL, AND IT MATTERS! So, let’s read this passage and then consider

what we can learn from it. 1 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. 3 And when they ran out of wine,

the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 Jesus said to

her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour

has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He

2

says to you, do it." 6 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. 9 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. John 2:1-11 (NKJV)

This is one of those parts of the Bible that some people feel thoroughly

familiar with; so familiar that they tend to digest it like this: Jesus came to a

wedding. The folks ran out of wine. Jesus changes some water to wine. It was

His first miracle. And the people believed in Him. . . next! And they move on

and take very little else with them. But there is so much more that we can find

here, if we just take the time and look for it. So let’s do that—let’s see what is

happening here and why it matters to us today as Christians.

First of all, this wedding takes place at Cana. Its exact location is much

debated, but it was probably a little village on the west side of the Sea of Galilee

3

about 8 miles northeast of Nazareth. Whenever there was a wedding, it was

always considered as a big event in these small villages. So probably all the

villagers in Cana and the wedding parties’ friends and family from the all of the

surrounding areas would have been invited. Thus, Mary—who may have been

related to one of the wedding families—was there. No mention at all is made of

Joseph, Mary’s husband—so it is likely that he was deceased by this time. Jesus,

being of Mary’s family, was naturally invited as well, and it appears that five or

more of his disciples had come along with Him.

We don’t know a lot about how weddings were actually performed in

Palestine during the 1st century, but most scholars believe that there was a great

feast that could go on as long as a week. In those times, hospitality was essential

to maintaining one’s social standing, so it would be an absolute disaster for the

family giving the feast if they ran out of wine. And in this particular instance,

that is exactly what had happened—only the most of the guests were not yet

aware of this. But, this problem does come to Mary’s attention. So she

approaches Jesus and simply says, “They have no wine.” But the context and

manner in which this was stated probably came across more like this: “Jesus,

Look! They are out of wine and I think that it’s up to you to do

something about it.”

And in response to that, we hear something that is a little discomforting,

because the Greek words of Jesus’ reply literally say: “What (is it) to me and

to you, woman? Not yet has my hour come.”1 To our ears, it may seem like

Jesus has given a fairly short or even rude reply to his mother. And because of

4

that, we tend to rush on by and want to simply ignore this. Look—any time you

come across Scripture like that—Scripture whose wording seems troubling—it’s

usually an indicator that this passage has something special to say. So don’t hide

from it. Delve into it. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, for revelation. These

difficult passages are often God’s golden nuggets that we can mine from His

Word. And that’s the case here.

So, when Jesus said: “What is it to me and to you, woman?”—what in

the world did He mean? And what does it teach us? Well, first of all, what Jesus

may be asking Mary indirectly is this: “What do you mean that ‘I ought to do

something about this?’—What do you think that I am?—Some kind of magician?

Is that all that I am to you? Don’t you remember what the angel Gabriel told you

about me when he spoke of me and said: 32 “He will be great and will be

called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne

of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;

his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:32-33 (NIV) And don’t you remember the

dream that Joseph told you about in which an angel appeared before him while

you were still pregnant and revealed that your Son—i.e. Me—would save the

people from their sins.2 I came to save the world, not to perform magic tricks.”

Now when Jesus conveyed that message to Mary, He wasn’t being rude or

disrespectful. He was stating a plain fact about Himself. He didn’t come into this

world to perform tricks just to get people out of their jams in life. Rather, Jesus

came to offer true life, and to offer it so abundantly, that those who accept His

5

lifestyle, His Way, would have salvation. So that is the very first thing that we

can learn from this.

The second thing that we can learn from this short exchange between Mary

and Jesus is also important—and it has to do with the way that we approach

Jesus. It’s something that we need to be mindful of in our prayer life. Too often

we’ll have some problem in our lives—something that is painful, something that

needs fixing. It can be anything from a broken bone, to a broke relationship, to a

broken spirit. And we pray to Jesus and tell Him to do this, or to do that, to fix

whatever it is that has befallen us. And that’s the way Mary approached Jesus

here at this wedding. The wine ran out—so she approaches Jesus telling him to

fix it by giving them more wine. But what we are being taught here is that God

knows what needs to be done in our lives far better than we do. In fact, later in

His ministry, Jesus specifically says that “Your Father knows what you need

before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8 (GW) The same is true for Jesus, of course. We’d

do well to remember that. Rather than asking that our will be done, we need to

ask that His will be done in our lives—no matter what the crisis may be or

whatever needs fixing in our lives.

But, as we know, Jesus did take action here—and that action happened to

be miraculous: He changed ordinary water to wine. But, why did He do that?

After all, He had just told Mary that this wine shortage was no problem of His.

So, why did He do it? Well, the answer lies in that other curious statement that

Jesus made to Mary—the one when Jesus said: “My hour has not yet come.”

The “hour” that Jesus is referring to is actually that time period when He would

6

be “glorified.” So, what does it mean for Jesus to be “glorified”? And, when

was that supposed to happen? Well, it refers to a series of events that were yet

to occur. His glorification refers to Jesus’ death on the Cross, His Resurrection

from the grave and it is capped by His Ascension into Heaven.3 Jesus would refer

to this “hour” many times during His earthly ministry. Jesus knew that He was

on a divine time-table that God had set up even before the foundation of the

world had been laid.4 And that time-table led to the Cross—a time when His

blood would, indeed, flow like wine.

It was a time that the prophets of the Old Testament had long predicted.

Do you know what they said this time would be like? Jesus knew. He knew it

very well. He knew that the Prophet Jeremiah had called it a time of when

people would rejoice in the flow of “new wine.”5 Likewise, the Prophet Hosea

called it a time when the Messiah “will blossom like a vine, and his fame

will be like the wine from Lebanon.” 6 And, finally, the Prophet Amos

declared that a time was coming—referring to Jesus—when “New wine will

drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”7 It’s the same wine

that Jesus would one day tell His disciples about when He had His final supper

with them. Jesus told them: 28 “This is my blood, which seals God’s

covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I

tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new

wine with you in my Father's Kingdom.” Matthew 26:28-29 (TEV) What Jesus

7

intended to do at this wedding was an indication of a greater wine pouring that

was to come.

But, why did Jesus go ahead and turn the water into wine? In doing this,

Jesus is telling them—and us: “Let me give you a foretaste of what my wine is all

about.” Jesus is saying: “Today that wedding wine will bring joy to meets today’s

thirst, but I will offer up the wine of my blood that brings everlasting joy to all

who will partake of it!”

And with this, I think that Mary actually appreciated Jesus’ response and

accepted it knowing that He was right—she had no business implying that she

could tell Him what to do. She acknowledges that Jesus is always in charge—not

us. So, Mary teaches us a lesson when she turns to the waiters and tells them:

“Whatever He says to you, do it.” That’s good advice. I have to admire the

waiters because when Jesus tells them to draw water from the well to fill the

ceremonial stone jars, they apparently obey without questions and without

grumbling. As Mary advised, they just “did it”—they obeyed Jesus. And it was

no small amount of work on their part. These six stone jars held a total of

somewhere between 120 to 180 gallons of water—and they filled them to the

very top. And then Jesus gives them another command—draw some out and

give it to the head-waiter. Again, following Mary’s advice—that’s exactly what

they did. But, I wonder how we would have reacted to Jesus’ command? I am

afraid that many Christians today would have hesitated—maybe said something

like: “Wait a minute. Our boss—the headwaiter—is expecting wine. How can

you expect us to give him water? He’ll be furious if we do.” But, no—these

8

waiters simply obeyed—somehow they sensed that Jesus really was in charge.

And because of that they trusted Him that something more was about to happen

here. And we find that what the headwaiter tasted was, in fact, wine. So, here

we have Jesus’ first miracle—He changed the water to wine.

Nobody had done such a thing. About the only thing it could be compared

to was a miracle that Moses and Aaron collaborated upon. Do you remember

what that was? Moses and Aaron, through God’s power, changed water to

blood.8 As Dr. Vernon McGee has pointed out: “The Law was given by

Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. What a contrast!”9

That’s not a small point. In fact, this is exactly the point that Jesus was

making in performing this miracle. And Jesus chose this wedding setting to do it

because it so perfectly reflected what is coming for all humankind. You see, this

wedding in Cana pointed to another wedding that is yet to come. It is the

wedding that Jesus talked about upon His Second Coming. Jesus tells us about it

in the Book of Revelation when He describes a mighty roar in Heaven like the

sound of thunder proclaiming: “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.” Revelation 19:7 (ESV) And then an angel explained the significance of

being named on that wedding list. The angel said, “Blessed are those who are

invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the true words of

God.” Revelation 19:9 (ESV) By implication, if you are not on that wedding list—if you

miss that feast, well I am afraid that you will be left out—in the eternal sense

9

that is. The Bride that is being referred to here is the true Church—those who

have believed in Jesus and lived their lives accordingly. Yes, Jesus began His

earthly ministry at a wedding, and “He will conclude it, as far as the church is

concerned, with a wedding.” 10

And finally, of those five disciples who came to the wedding with Jesus,

there is no question that one of them was John. John’s Gospel is the only one

that covers this event, and the great detail offered confirms that he must have

been an eye witness at this wedding. Notice how John begins and ends this

report. He starts by telling us that this occurred on the 3rd day—which on the

surface appears to refer to the previous chapter and is talking about the 3rd day

after Philip and Nathanael joined Jesus as part of His disciples. But of all the

Gospel writers, John has a knack for narrating things in a way that have a much

deeper meaning than what first appears. Jesus’ miracle at Cana foreshadows the

Greatest Miracle of all Time—it was a miracle that also occurred on the “3rd day”

when early one morning a group of women visited a tomb of their friend only to

find it empty—vacated by the Resurrected Christ. I wonder what “3rd day” John

really had on his mind when he starts his narration here Chapter 2? I doubt that

it had anything to do with Philip or Nathaniel.

John also gives a profound ending when he states: “This beginning of

signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His

disciples believed in Him.” Interesting that it limits those believers to “His

disciples”. Does that mean that those five or so disciples who had followed Him

there were the only ones who could see what had happened and, thus, believed?

10

Or were additional followers added to the group of disciples? It’s hard to say,

but I would have thought that the waiters, at a minimum, would have come to

believe—maybe, maybe not. Maybe this too is a foreshadowing of things to

come—not just during Jesus’ ministry, but right on up to today. So many people

are willing to handle the wine—even partake of it—yet unwilling to actually

commit to following the winemaker. They love to say, “I have tasted the wine,”

but fail to actually make the new wine of Jesus’ blood a lasting part of their lives.

It is not enough just to taste—a mere taste alone will not do. You must drink in

the cleansing blood of Jesus and make it a part of your life on a continuing basis.

There is no such this as a “part-time” Christian.

We have to ask ourselves how those at the wedding could have failed to

believe when such a miracle was performed right in their presence. And yet, the

Greatest Miracle of all—in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ—has been presented

to us. What then is your excuse?

Let us pray.

1 Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause, The College Press NIV Commentary – John, ed. Jack Cottrell, Ph.D. and Tony Ash, Ph.D., (Joplin, Missouri: College Press Publishing Co., 1998), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 72. 2 Matthew 1:21 (NIV) She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 3 Geoffrey W. Bromiley, ed., International Standard BIble Encyclopedia, Revised Edition – Volume Two: E-J, (Chicago, IL: Howard-Severance Company, 1915; repr., Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1979), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 480. 4 MacArthur Study Bible: John 2:4. 5 Jeremiah 31:12 (NIV) 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. 6 Hosea 14:7 (NIV) Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.

11

7 Amos 9:13 (NIV) "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.” 8 Exodus 7:20 (CEB) Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded. He raised the shepherd's rod and hit the water in the Nile in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 9 J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 2". 10 J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 2".