Wine
Jesus the Winemaker, John 2:1-11, 27 May 2012
Big Idea: Jesus’ first miracle saves a wedding reception and offers are preview of another salvation
John 2:1-11
Introduction
If you were writing a fictional account of Jesus, you would never choose this to be His first miracle.
Why did Jesus do this miracle this way for His first one?
Who He came to be?
(8-9) The master of the banquet is like the toastmaster or master of ceremonies or the emcee, the hired life of the party. The party is about to crash and Jesus saves it, revealing that He is the real LORD of the feast, the real master.
He created about 150 gallons of amazing wine to keep the party alive. He comes to be the LORD of the feast. As
Isaiah 25: in that day..feast...wipe away tears...
Of all of the things Jesus could show and tell, He came to bring festival joy.
Why are most people not worshipping God this morning? Many would say they want to enjoy themselves and have fun and Christianity is anything but, right?!
Jesus is LORD of the feast to make the world run with wine. There are reasons to reject Jesus, but boredom is not one of them!
What He came to do?
(4) Woman is not “dear” or “mom” but He is upset. He is harsh and His troubled response shows us He is thinking about something else. He didn’t just change His mind and do the miracle.
The God of the Bible does not want to merely relate to us as king/subjects, shepherd/sheep, or even father/children but husband/wife. He wants to know us, love us, and unite with us. The image is of the bridegroom.
Matthew: why don’t your disciples fast? bridegroom
John 3 at end: John the Baptist: the bride is for the bridegroom
John at end of revelation: then I saw the holy city...bride...husband...wedding feast of the Lamb
Jesus is thinking about His wedding day. The ultimate union/consummation/embrace will be at the wedding feast of the Lamb
Jesus literally says “my hour has not yet come.” “Hour” in (John 8:20; 12:23) John means the hour of His death.
Jesus says, “It’s not my time to die yet.” He is looking into the future at which the present is a parable/pattern. He’s not talking about this wine or this wedding feast (He doesn’t have to die for that) but He realizes the only way for Him to unite with His bride is to die.
Moses once turned water into blood as a curse. Egypt died because water became blood.
Jesus sees wine and thinks of His blood as a blessing.
Jesus is sipping the coming sorrow because He can’t think about giving the cup of joy without thinking about what He will have to drink.
If He is going to feast with us, He has to go through the hour.
“Let this cup pass from me” He said.
If you don’t understand hell, you don’t understand God’s love.
Don’t fear the destruction of your body, but the destruction of your body in hell.
Physical torture is nothing compared to be rejected by God.
The only way Jesus can get to His wedding day is to go through the hour
He came to give His water/blood as our wine.
What does He offer?
Powerful sensation and complete reception.
Powerful sensation. Salvation is wine.
The Bible frequently uses sensory language to describe relationship with God
Ps 34:8, taste and see
Ps 119, open my eyes that I might...
Why does the Bible continually insist on using sensory language? You are not invited to anything less than this, to experience God, to receive a new sensory ability. The Bible pushes you beyond knowing to tasting.
“There is a difference between believing that God is holy and gracious, and having a new sense on the heart of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. The difference between believing that God is gracious and tasting that God is gracious is as different as having a rational belief that honey is sweet and having the actual sense of its sweetness” - Jonathan Edwards
You are not invited to sign a list of rules but to a feast.
The difference of knowing and tasting is like a blind man asking you the difference between red and blue. It is like the difference between a trumpet and an oboe? Not really.
The wine that Jesus offers creates a hunger for it.
The first step is a hunger and thirst for it.
Then you begin to delight. They ravish you. They become sweet.
They begin to satisfy.
Jesus offers you wine; a feast.
Complete reception. Feast in heaven.
When He says He’s the king/shepherd/father He tells us something about us.
If you’re the best man or groom, you see the bride coming at you. The only person that sees that repeatedly is us ministers. No matter what that woman looks like in reality, she is ravishing. Bridal style/ornaments/garments will make you ravishing no matter what you look like in reality. As she comes down, the groom is amazed. He’s never seen her look like this before.
When Jesus says He is the groom, He is saying we are ravishing and He can’t wait!
To become a Christian,
a. You can go to Him with little things. Why would Jesus use His power on such a small thing. He used His power to wipe the egg off of the face of teenagers.
You have power over your joy.
Jesus’ first miracle was not as a boy, but as a man.
Moses’ first miracle was turning water into blood.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine.
Credits: many ideas for this message taken from Dr. Tim Keller.
You can listen to the podcast here.
John 2:1-11
Introduction
If you were writing a fictional account of Jesus, you would never choose this to be His first miracle.
Why did Jesus do this miracle this way for His first one?
Who He came to be?
(8-9) The master of the banquet is like the toastmaster or master of ceremonies or the emcee, the hired life of the party. The party is about to crash and Jesus saves it, revealing that He is the real LORD of the feast, the real master.
He created about 150 gallons of amazing wine to keep the party alive. He comes to be the LORD of the feast. As
Isaiah 25: in that day..feast...wipe away tears...
Of all of the things Jesus could show and tell, He came to bring festival joy.
Why are most people not worshipping God this morning? Many would say they want to enjoy themselves and have fun and Christianity is anything but, right?!
Jesus is LORD of the feast to make the world run with wine. There are reasons to reject Jesus, but boredom is not one of them!
What He came to do?
(4) Woman is not “dear” or “mom” but He is upset. He is harsh and His troubled response shows us He is thinking about something else. He didn’t just change His mind and do the miracle.
- If you are single and go to a wedding, you tend to think about your own wedding. You are thinking about the future. If Jesus was thinking about His wedding, it would have stirred Him far deeper than it stirs us.
The God of the Bible does not want to merely relate to us as king/subjects, shepherd/sheep, or even father/children but husband/wife. He wants to know us, love us, and unite with us. The image is of the bridegroom.
Matthew: why don’t your disciples fast? bridegroom
John 3 at end: John the Baptist: the bride is for the bridegroom
John at end of revelation: then I saw the holy city...bride...husband...wedding feast of the Lamb
Jesus is thinking about His wedding day. The ultimate union/consummation/embrace will be at the wedding feast of the Lamb
- Many singles find wedding troubling because they don’t know if they will ever marry. Jesus knows, though. He’s not only thinking about His wedding but what it will take for Him to provide wine for His wedding feast.
Jesus literally says “my hour has not yet come.” “Hour” in (John 8:20; 12:23) John means the hour of His death.
Jesus says, “It’s not my time to die yet.” He is looking into the future at which the present is a parable/pattern. He’s not talking about this wine or this wedding feast (He doesn’t have to die for that) but He realizes the only way for Him to unite with His bride is to die.
- ceremonial washing; wash before entering the presence of God; sign of our sins that need to be cleansed
Moses once turned water into blood as a curse. Egypt died because water became blood.
Jesus sees wine and thinks of His blood as a blessing.
Jesus is sipping the coming sorrow because He can’t think about giving the cup of joy without thinking about what He will have to drink.
If He is going to feast with us, He has to go through the hour.
“Let this cup pass from me” He said.
If you don’t understand hell, you don’t understand God’s love.
Don’t fear the destruction of your body, but the destruction of your body in hell.
Physical torture is nothing compared to be rejected by God.
The only way Jesus can get to His wedding day is to go through the hour
He came to give His water/blood as our wine.
What does He offer?
Powerful sensation and complete reception.
Powerful sensation. Salvation is wine.
The Bible frequently uses sensory language to describe relationship with God
Ps 34:8, taste and see
Ps 119, open my eyes that I might...
Why does the Bible continually insist on using sensory language? You are not invited to anything less than this, to experience God, to receive a new sensory ability. The Bible pushes you beyond knowing to tasting.
“There is a difference between believing that God is holy and gracious, and having a new sense on the heart of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. The difference between believing that God is gracious and tasting that God is gracious is as different as having a rational belief that honey is sweet and having the actual sense of its sweetness” - Jonathan Edwards
You are not invited to sign a list of rules but to a feast.
The difference of knowing and tasting is like a blind man asking you the difference between red and blue. It is like the difference between a trumpet and an oboe? Not really.
The wine that Jesus offers creates a hunger for it.
The first step is a hunger and thirst for it.
Then you begin to delight. They ravish you. They become sweet.
They begin to satisfy.
Jesus offers you wine; a feast.
Complete reception. Feast in heaven.
When He says He’s the king/shepherd/father He tells us something about us.
If you’re the best man or groom, you see the bride coming at you. The only person that sees that repeatedly is us ministers. No matter what that woman looks like in reality, she is ravishing. Bridal style/ornaments/garments will make you ravishing no matter what you look like in reality. As she comes down, the groom is amazed. He’s never seen her look like this before.
When Jesus says He is the groom, He is saying we are ravishing and He can’t wait!
To become a Christian,
- Admit that you’re out. You are empty.
- Let Jesus fill you and get credit for what Jesus has done (the Master ran out of wine and got the credit for good wine)
a. You can go to Him with little things. Why would Jesus use His power on such a small thing. He used His power to wipe the egg off of the face of teenagers.
- b. Submit to His timing. He will tell you to do things that don’t make sense and seem counter-productive. Mary says, “Do whatever He says.” She remembers the angels who told her He was the Messiah.
- c. Some of you are disappointed about your marital status, married or single. There has never been a wedding like the marriage between us and Jesus. This relativizes the need for a perfect marriage because the ultimate marriage lies ahead.
You have power over your joy.
Jesus’ first miracle was not as a boy, but as a man.
Moses’ first miracle was turning water into blood.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine.
Credits: many ideas for this message taken from Dr. Tim Keller.
You can listen to the podcast here.