No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. - 1 Timothy 5:23
This morning we are beginning a new sermon series titled “The Miracles of Jesus”. Over the next several months we are going to study 46 distinct occasions during Jesus’ earthly ministry when He performed a miracle or miracles. Many of these are described explicitly with great detail while others are mentioned more generally. We will address these occurrences chronologically, with the first taking place just days after Jesus’ baptism and the last a few weeks before His ascension into Heaven.
The miracles that Jesus did during His life on earth are recorded in the 4 gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some of them are found in only 1 of these books, while others are documented in multiple gospel accounts. As we encounter each of these miracles, we will highlight what type of miracle it was, the manner in which Jesus performed it, and the purpose for which it was done.
The first miracle of our series is found in the gospel of John. There are only 7 of Jesus’ miracles discussed in detail in the gospel of John - far fewer than are found in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. These 7 are commonly referred to as Jesus’ “categorical miracles”. Also, unlike the other gospels, John never uses the word “miracle” to describe any of Jesus’ supernatural deeds. Instead, he uses the word “signs”. His word choice reveals that Jesus’ miraculous works were never intended to be an end unto themselves, but were “signs” that pointed to a greater truth.
I. A PROBLEM ARISES (v1-4)
Just days after His baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness, Jesus and the first few of His apostles attended a wedding in the small village of Cana. Cana was located in Galilee, approximately 8 miles northwest of Nazareth - Jesus’ hometown. Jesus’ mother Mary was at the wedding and may have been helping conduct the event. She was likely a relative or a friend of the family. The implication is that Jesus and His disciples were invited because of their ties to Mary.
A Jewish wedding ceremony only takes about 20-30 minutes, but the celebration afterwards typically lasts for several hours. The host family is responsible for providing dinner and drinks for the guests. During the wedding at Cana, a major problem arose - as the party went on the hosts ran out of wine! This may have happened because they couldn’t afford enough wine or maybe they hadn’t planned properly. Either way, had this deficiency become known to the guests, the wedding party and family would have been disgraced and embarrassed.
Mary approached Jesus privately and informed Him of the situation. She obviously didn’t want the host family to be embarrassed and she knew that Jesus could do something about it. However, He seemed reluctant to act because the time had not yet come for Him to publicly launch His ministry. During their brief interaction, Jesus said in effect, “Woman, this is not our problem.” Some theologians suggest that He used the title “Woman” to identify her as the New Eve, the mother of the One who would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).
II. A SOLUTION IS FOUND (v5-10)
Despite His initial hesitance, Mary trusted that her son Jesus would intervene and so she told the servants to do whatever He said. The fact that the servants obeyed her suggests that she was assisting with the wedding and they had been placed under her charge. Following His mother’s lead, Jesus instructed them to fill 6 stone water pots that were used for the Jewish custom of purification with water. Each of these large pots held 20-30 gallons. The servants did as Jesus requested, filling all of them to the brim.
Then Jesus told them to draw some from a pot and take it to the headwaiter. They did so, and when he tasted it the water had been turned into wine! He didn’t even know that a miracle had taken place, but assumed that this was just more of the wine that had been set aside for the wedding. Only the servants, Mary, Jesus, and His disciples knew what had happened. The headwaiter complimented the bridegroom for saving his best wine until last, which indicated that Jesus’ water into wine was better tasting than the wine that had been served previously. The celebration continued with disruption.
Jesus made no effort to call attention to this miracle. In fact, according to the text, most of the people at the wedding never knew a miracle had taken place. And, rather than the host family being embarrassed and scorned for a major social misstep, they were likely praised for conducting such a great event and providing such wonderful wine. Except for a few insiders, Jesus was able to keep His identity mostly hidden from those present.
III. A REASON IS GIVEN (v11)
Why did Jesus perform this miracle? Well, He didn’t do it so that the guests could enjoy high quality wine, though they certainly did. He didn’t do it to spare the host family from shame, although they were spared. He didn’t do it to promote Himself or His ministry, but rather kept it concealed from most of the people present. In the end, I believe that Jesus turned the water into wine simply out of respect and love for His mother. Mary asked Him to do it, it wasn’t out of line with God’s will, so He did. Ask and you shall receive. But, beyond the miracle, what happened that day at Cana was a sign of something even more wonderful.
This was the first of Jesus’ many signs to come. By performing this miracle, Jesus manifested His glory making it apparent that He was no mere man. He was declaring His identity as the divine Son of God. Although His first few disciples didn’t fully grasp who Jesus was at this point or understand the scope of His redemptive mission, nevertheless they believed that was the promised Messiah who was worthy to be followed. This was just the beginning of a spectacular journey to come!
CONCLUSION
The miracles of Jesus can be divided into 4 categories. He performed healing miracles, demonstrating His ability to cure the human body. He performed natural miracles, exercising His power over creation, its elements, and the forces of nature. He performed exorcisms, revealing His authority in the spiritual realm over evil, demonic forces. And He performed resurrections, demonstrating His power over physical death. Turning water into wine can be categorized as a natural miracle.
We will discover as we progress through this series that Jesus performed His miracles in a variety of different ways. He didn’t follow any routine or formula. In the passage we read today, there is no indication that Jesus said any “magic words”, nor did He wave anything over the water, touch the water, or put anything in the water. Rather, He simply told the servants what to do and as they obeyed, He willed that the water be turned into wine. Amazing!
There is so much more we could say about this miracle, but our time is short. Therefore, let me offer a final thought. I suspect that many of the guests who attended this wedding never knew the truth of what actually happened. They simply believed that the bridegroom’s family had waited to serve their best wine until last. This story always makes me wonder… How many times has God done a miracle in my life that I was and am unaware of? In what hidden ways has He intervened “behind the scenes” for my protection, provision, and well-being? Thank you Lord for your miraculous works!
Next week, will we continue our new sermon series with 2 more instances of Jesus’ amazing signs and wonders. I hope you’ll join us… and bring a friend. Until then, may God bless you and may you bless Him.
This morning we are beginning a new sermon series titled “The Miracles of Jesus”. Over the next several months we are going to study 46 distinct occasions during Jesus’ earthly ministry when He performed a miracle or miracles. Many of these are described explicitly with great detail while others are mentioned more generally. We will address these occurrences chronologically, with the first taking place just days after Jesus’ baptism and the last a few weeks before His ascension into Heaven.
The miracles that Jesus did during His life on earth are recorded in the 4 gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some of them are found in only 1 of these books, while others are documented in multiple gospel accounts. As we encounter each of these miracles, we will highlight what type of miracle it was, the manner in which Jesus performed it, and the purpose for which it was done.
The first miracle of our series is found in the gospel of John. There are only 7 of Jesus’ miracles discussed in detail in the gospel of John - far fewer than are found in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. These 7 are commonly referred to as Jesus’ “categorical miracles”. Also, unlike the other gospels, John never uses the word “miracle” to describe any of Jesus’ supernatural deeds. Instead, he uses the word “signs”. His word choice reveals that Jesus’ miraculous works were never intended to be an end unto themselves, but were “signs” that pointed to a greater truth.
I. A PROBLEM ARISES (v1-4)
Just days after His baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness, Jesus and the first few of His apostles attended a wedding in the small village of Cana. Cana was located in Galilee, approximately 8 miles northwest of Nazareth - Jesus’ hometown. Jesus’ mother Mary was at the wedding and may have been helping conduct the event. She was likely a relative or a friend of the family. The implication is that Jesus and His disciples were invited because of their ties to Mary.
A Jewish wedding ceremony only takes about 20-30 minutes, but the celebration afterwards typically lasts for several hours. The host family is responsible for providing dinner and drinks for the guests. During the wedding at Cana, a major problem arose - as the party went on the hosts ran out of wine! This may have happened because they couldn’t afford enough wine or maybe they hadn’t planned properly. Either way, had this deficiency become known to the guests, the wedding party and family would have been disgraced and embarrassed.
Mary approached Jesus privately and informed Him of the situation. She obviously didn’t want the host family to be embarrassed and she knew that Jesus could do something about it. However, He seemed reluctant to act because the time had not yet come for Him to publicly launch His ministry. During their brief interaction, Jesus said in effect, “Woman, this is not our problem.” Some theologians suggest that He used the title “Woman” to identify her as the New Eve, the mother of the One who would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).
II. A SOLUTION IS FOUND (v5-10)
Despite His initial hesitance, Mary trusted that her son Jesus would intervene and so she told the servants to do whatever He said. The fact that the servants obeyed her suggests that she was assisting with the wedding and they had been placed under her charge. Following His mother’s lead, Jesus instructed them to fill 6 stone water pots that were used for the Jewish custom of purification with water. Each of these large pots held 20-30 gallons. The servants did as Jesus requested, filling all of them to the brim.
Then Jesus told them to draw some from a pot and take it to the headwaiter. They did so, and when he tasted it the water had been turned into wine! He didn’t even know that a miracle had taken place, but assumed that this was just more of the wine that had been set aside for the wedding. Only the servants, Mary, Jesus, and His disciples knew what had happened. The headwaiter complimented the bridegroom for saving his best wine until last, which indicated that Jesus’ water into wine was better tasting than the wine that had been served previously. The celebration continued with disruption.
Jesus made no effort to call attention to this miracle. In fact, according to the text, most of the people at the wedding never knew a miracle had taken place. And, rather than the host family being embarrassed and scorned for a major social misstep, they were likely praised for conducting such a great event and providing such wonderful wine. Except for a few insiders, Jesus was able to keep His identity mostly hidden from those present.
III. A REASON IS GIVEN (v11)
Why did Jesus perform this miracle? Well, He didn’t do it so that the guests could enjoy high quality wine, though they certainly did. He didn’t do it to spare the host family from shame, although they were spared. He didn’t do it to promote Himself or His ministry, but rather kept it concealed from most of the people present. In the end, I believe that Jesus turned the water into wine simply out of respect and love for His mother. Mary asked Him to do it, it wasn’t out of line with God’s will, so He did. Ask and you shall receive. But, beyond the miracle, what happened that day at Cana was a sign of something even more wonderful.
This was the first of Jesus’ many signs to come. By performing this miracle, Jesus manifested His glory making it apparent that He was no mere man. He was declaring His identity as the divine Son of God. Although His first few disciples didn’t fully grasp who Jesus was at this point or understand the scope of His redemptive mission, nevertheless they believed that was the promised Messiah who was worthy to be followed. This was just the beginning of a spectacular journey to come!
CONCLUSION
The miracles of Jesus can be divided into 4 categories. He performed healing miracles, demonstrating His ability to cure the human body. He performed natural miracles, exercising His power over creation, its elements, and the forces of nature. He performed exorcisms, revealing His authority in the spiritual realm over evil, demonic forces. And He performed resurrections, demonstrating His power over physical death. Turning water into wine can be categorized as a natural miracle.
We will discover as we progress through this series that Jesus performed His miracles in a variety of different ways. He didn’t follow any routine or formula. In the passage we read today, there is no indication that Jesus said any “magic words”, nor did He wave anything over the water, touch the water, or put anything in the water. Rather, He simply told the servants what to do and as they obeyed, He willed that the water be turned into wine. Amazing!
There is so much more we could say about this miracle, but our time is short. Therefore, let me offer a final thought. I suspect that many of the guests who attended this wedding never knew the truth of what actually happened. They simply believed that the bridegroom’s family had waited to serve their best wine until last. This story always makes me wonder… How many times has God done a miracle in my life that I was and am unaware of? In what hidden ways has He intervened “behind the scenes” for my protection, provision, and well-being? Thank you Lord for your miraculous works!
Next week, will we continue our new sermon series with 2 more instances of Jesus’ amazing signs and wonders. I hope you’ll join us… and bring a friend. Until then, may God bless you and may you bless Him.