Study in John’s Gospel

Study in John’s Gospel Presentation 05

They Have No Wine Chap 2:1-11 Presentation 05

Introduction Imagine you are a fly on the wall during the G 8 summit. The hotel’s air conditioning breaks down and each world leader is informed of the problem. How will they react? One might say, “It’s not my problem. Tell the management”. And another “I’ve come to discuss world changing issues and not domestic trivia”. A third might say, “Why tell me, I never broke it?” In each case they’re saying, “You are telling the wrong person, its…not my problem, not my area of expertise, not my fault”. It’s a common response, by people not wanting to be drawn into problems that are not of their making. Presentation 05

Introduction At the outset of his public ministry Jesus was drawn into a domestic crisis. It was not life threatening but it was socially embarrassing for those who were managing the wedding reception [including, Jesus mother Mary]. There is no wine left! We are not told the cause. Had they miscalculated the number of guests attending? Had a delivery donkey not turned up? Had there been an accident in the wine cellar leading to a substantial spillage? We don’t know. For the Jew, wine was a symbol of joy. The rabbis said, "Without wine there is no joy." And so, to run out of wine would almost have been the equivalent of admitting they were in for a miserable time. Jesus’ mother brought the problem to him. How would Jesus react? Presentation 05

Jesus - Where The Need Was First, notice that Jesus was where the need was. He was a guest at what may have been a family wedding. Jesus was always welcome among those, who were having a good time. He was at home in such company. He did not frown upon fun or celebration. Some Christians go through life with long faces. If someone else is having a good time, then they believe that, what they are doing must either be, illegal, immoral, or fattening! Jesus did not condemn those who were enjoying themselves. And so, he was welcome at their gatherings, and those who invited him listened to his teaching. Presentation 05

Jesus - Where The Need Was Some Christians try to live a kind of monastic life, withdrawing from all social activities that might ‘contaminate them’. But by so doing they remove themselves from situations where they might otherwise be God’s answer to real human need. Remember something like 80% of people, who come to faith, do so as a result of friendship evangelism. The Gym, the golf club, the tennis club, the school P.T.A., etc. are all places of need, where God can use the Christian witness of his people. Presentation 05

Wine Shortage How are we to understand the initial reluctance of Jesus to provide the help that Mary was looking for? Clearly she was not saying, ‘run down to the supermarket and bring back a few cases of wine’. That was not an option! Mary was hoping for intervention of a quite different kind. She knew the purpose of Jesus’ birth. Had Mary detected a change in Jesus' life since his return with at least five disciples? Perhaps she thought, "Now is the time to declare Himself openly." Of course that was not a decision for Mary to make. Jesus would certainly not be manipulated. Presentation 05

Wine Shortage And yet - and this is a wonderful part of the story - Jesus didn’t want those organising the party to be embarrassed or the guests to be let down. And so we read of this miraculous provision of wine. It was common practice to keep the poorer wines till the end of the celebrations, when guests were not so discerning about what they were drinking. The master of ceremonies had never tasted wine as good as the wine Jesus had provided by transforming water into wine! He was bowled over by its quality. It was of such quality that it would draw in the crowds at a wine auction! Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign Now John is very selective in recording Jesus’ miracles. And he uses a special Greek word, translated as ‘sign’, to describe them because he recognises they have a deeper spiritual significance. They are a visible expression of a spiritual reality. If ‘signpost people’ pointed others to Jesus, then the ‘sign miracles’ filled out their understanding of him. What then is the significance of the water that is turned into wine? What does this sign tell us about, who Jesus is and why he came? Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign First, wine in the O.T. is used as a symbol of joy. And that is what God wants for his people, ‘unspeakable joy’. When Jesus’ birth was announced the shepherds were told of one, who would bring ‘great joy’ Lk. 2v10. Jesus himself promised his disciples that his ‘his joy would be in them and that their joy would be full’Jn. 15.11. On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was given to the church, such was the disciple’s joy - the product of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling - that some confused their behaviour with drunkenness! Acts 2.13. During the wedding feast, when men ran out of wine then the real ‘Joy-Maker’ stepped in and took over. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign Indeed, John is suggesting that, apart from Jesus, the joy that men experience is limited and will inevitably be depleted. It does not last, nor does it fully satisfy. The comedian Lenny Bruce once commented on life as follows: "Look, you have only sixty-five years to live. Before you're twenty, you can't enjoy anything because you don't know what's going on. After you're fifty, you can't enjoy it either, because you don't have the physical energies. So you only have around twenty-five years, and I'm going to swing.“ Lenny Bruce died of an overdose of morphine at 40 years of age. And he did so before discovering that Jesus is the real Joy-Giver. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign In contrast a Christian, called Billy Bray, was legend for his sense of the joy of the Lord. He was a miner and a Methodist lay preacher from Cornwall in the U.K. and one of the most ebullient and joyful Christians of his age. Life was far from easy for him but his joy was irrepressible. When asked, what he’d do if those, weary of his joyful spirit and faithful gospel preaching were to put him in and barrel and roll him down the hill, he replied, ‘Why I’d shout ‘Hallelujah’ through the bunghole’. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign Secondly, the volume of wine produced was between 120-160 gallons, or 1000-1300 bottles! Far more than was needed? Jesus always does more than is necessary, [when he fed crowds of 4000 and 5000 there was food left over]. What do these signs teach? Quite simply, we cannot exhaust the grace of God. Human need can never outstrip God’s ability to satisfy it. Human resources are finite! The earth’s resources are finite! But God’s resources are infinite. It’s impossible to come to God for help and hear him say, like old mother Hubbard, ‘the cupboard is bare!’ Jesus said, “He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” Jn. 6v35. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign Thirdly, think of the quality of the wine that Jesus produced. It was the best that had ever been tasted. Why not provide a mediocre wine? Quite simply, because God is committed to giving the best. When God looks at his broken vandalised creation he is not content to do a patch up job and stick a plaster on it. He is committed to a painstaking restoration work which will restore in man the broken image of God. That involves him in giving of his best. He gave us his only Son, Jesus. And Jesus gives us not ‘a joy’ but ‘his joy’ a joy that can outstrip anything that the world can offer. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign The world’s joy always runs out because it is linked to circumstances. People will experience happiness, when things are going according to plan. But when circumstances change, when they lose their job, or illness strikes, or they start hooking the ball on the golf course - happiness vanishes . In contrast, the joy that Jesus gives does not ebb and flow precisely because it is not linked to circumstances. Jesus said, ‘my joy shall remain in you’, Jn.15v11. He is the glorious new wine. He is the source of joy. To ask, ‘How was that wine produced?’, is to ask the wrong question. We should ask, ‘Who produced it?’ We must fix our attention, not on the winemaking method but upon the Winemaker for he is the real joy-giver. Presentation 05

The First Miraculous Sign For John, those empty water-pots used for ceremonial washing and associated with Jewish religion were symbolic. The lack of wine describes the emptiness of the formal Judaism of Jesus’ day. It failed to satisfy or minister comfort to thirsty souls. Judaism had degenerated into a cold, formal, mechanical routine that was utterly destitute of joy. And clearly, apart from the joy that Jesus brings, religion is comfortless, joyless and often hardening human personalities. If all we have is ‘religion’ there is nothing to be gained by it. Christ alone can quench the spiritual thirst of our heart and provide true and everlasting joy. Presentation 05

Conclusion John finishes this story by telling us that as a result of Jesus manifesting his glory; “his disciples believed him" v11. This event did not create faith in their hearts but it confirmed and strengthened the faith that was already there. It deepened their confidence in him. They saw Jesus to be the real Joygiver. Have you discovered Jesus to be a Joygiver, who satisfies your heart’s deepest thirst? He longs to satisfy that appetite if you will let him! Presentation 05

Conclusion Perhaps you once knew this joy but know it no longer. Can a person who has put their faith in Christ as Saviour at times find themselves empty of joy? Yes! Is that because Christ has failed them? No, he will never do that! How then is such a situation to be explained? The most common cause is that the believer has drawn away from Jesus! Often by imperceptible degrees! And the dryness and joylessness in their souls is often a signal for them to return to the One who said, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst“. In returning to him lay hold of this glorious truth, Jesus is able to supply all your need "according to his riches in glory" Phil. 4v19. Presentation 05

Study in John’s Gospel