John 2 - Part 1

Read John 2

John’s gospel doesn’t take us from the Jordan to 40 days in the wilderness.  Instead, Jesus and his disciples are in Cana for a wedding.  His mother is also there.  Then the unthinkable happens.  The host runs out of wine.

The people have surely been drinking freely, that is they probably already had more than they would at a meal in their own household, but hey, it’s a wedding.  Except for the fact that the wine is about to stop flowing.

The bride and the groom are probably not worried about the wine.  Their day has come and wine is probably the least of their thoughts and concerns.  In fact, the groom probably remembers the story of Jacob and wants to make sure that he doesn’t drink too much.  But for the guests, it’s a big deal.

So, Mary comes to her son who also happens to be the Son of God, but most don’t know that part yet.  She explains the situation, but Jesus replies, what’s that got to do with me?

Jesus was not the family logistics specialist.  He was on a mission and performing a miracle did not seem to be on his Plan of the Day.  He noted that his hour has not yet come.

His mother does not argue with him.  He is a grown man and that would not be appropriate even if he were not the Son of God.  She simply tells the servants to do what he says.

Moms, you’ve got to love ‘em. 

Jesus commands the servants to fill six very large stone jars used for water.  We think that they would collectively hold 120-180 gallons of water. 

After they had done this, Jesus told them to draw out a little of the water and take it to the master of the banquet, who we can only speculate was a little stressed at the moment.  They did.

The master of the banquet was amazed.  He noted that most people bring out the good wine followed by the cheap stuff.  It makes sense.  After a few glasses, folks are not apt to notice that the quality has gone down a little.

But here the wine presented is the best of the day.  Jesus turned water into wine and it was the best ever.

I have told people that I know if they ever find a bottle of wine that can be authenticated from Cana, AD thirty-something to buy it.  I’m good for it.

This was not so much about wine as it was about Jesus doing more than any person could do.  He had begun his ministry calling disciples and now they knew they were following no ordinary Rabbi.  At least one had already professed him to be the Son of God.

It did not seem that Jesus wanted to reveal this much about himself at this time, but surely, his schedule had been accelerated.  With this miracle, his ministry jumped into full gear.  There was no mobilization or ramp-up period. 

It was Game On!

The ministry of our Savior and our Lord had begun.

Amen.