Water to Wine

Introduction

In the Lord of the Rings, whenever the hobbits get an opportunity to hear about the history of Middle Earth, the general idea is that everything was much brighter and glorious in the past and things are gradually getting worse. As Middle Earth declines, the elves leave which make things much less glorious for people like Samwise. Compare that with Lewis in his Chronicles of Narnia. He wrote each book to display its own particular beauty. And the repeated refrain in The Last Battle is Aslan commanding everyone to go “further up and further in.” For Tolkien, the best is in the past. For Lewis, it always keeps getting better. 

The main idea of this chapter is that Jesus renews and improves the blessings of the old age and the older covenant. With Jesus, the best is always yet to come. 

Today, I’ve organized my sermon a little differently than what we are accustomed to. First, I will zoom the camera in and go through both stories: The wedding at Cana (vv.1-12); and Jesus at the temple (vv.13-25). Second, I will zoom the camera out and look what both stories say together. Finally, I will turn the camera toward you for the application, which will also serve as my conclusion

Jesus, the Bridegroom (2:1-12)

The story begins with Jesus and his disciples going to a wedding in Cana (v.2).. But notice verse 1 begins with “on the third day.” John puts details like this in his gospel to remind us of the resurrection throughout. On the third day, Jesus, the bridegroom rose from the dead. And on the third day, Jesus the bride groom attends a wedding.[1]

The scene at the wedding begins with Mary telling Jesus that there’s no more wine at the party (v.3). Culturally, the bridegroom was responsible to ensure there was enough wine for a week-long party. Mary cares for the groom’s reputation and social standing so she goes to her reliable son. Keep in mind, after Joseph apparently passed away, Jesus has been the man of the household. Mary knows Jesus can solve this problem; she also knows God didn’t send Him to merely solve these kinds of problems.

Which is why Jesus responds with, “woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come (v.4).” Think of “woman” more like a title and less like distant insult. Mary was the woman of the house. Jesus did not break the fifth commandment. However, He did rebuke His mother. Mary responds to her son’s rebuke with faith. It’s up to Jesus if He will help or not. So, Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says (v.5). 

Then, John focuses our attention on the 6 stone water pots for purification. Priests were required to wash their hands in the bronze basin before serving in the temple (Ex 30:18-21). It’s likely that these washing rituals in the NT were born from a desire to sanctify Israel (Mk 7:1-23). The fact that there are 6 jars should bring expectation to our minds. Man works for 6 and rests on the seventh. The 6 jars are incomplete. What the party needs is Sabbath rest and renewal. 

So, Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars with water to the brim and then to draw out some of the water and take it to the “master of the feast” or “head steward” (vv. 7-8). He was likely the owner of the property where the party was hosted. This building could have been the local synagogue, so his opinion mattered in the community. At some point between the servants drawing the water and master drinking, the water had turned to wine (v.9). The master was so impressed by the quality of the wine that he praised the bridegroom (v.10). Apparently, it was popular at parties for the bride groom to serve worse wine as the guests became more inebriated. Jesus made wine of such high-quality that he made the bridegroom who didn’t pack enough wine look like a generous host. Keep in mind, there were close to 50 cases worth of wine in those jars—600 bottles. 

This scene ends with Jesus, his mother and brothers, and the disciples leaving Cana for Capernaum (v.12). John explains that this miracle was the first sign in Jesus’ ministry (v.11). In the first 11 chapters Jesus performs 7 signs. John tells us in verse 11 that these signs point to Jesus’ glory and grow the faith of His disciples.   

Jesus, the Temple (2:13-25)

The Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem (v.13). While visiting the temple, He found in the temple those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves with the money changers seated (v. 14). Keep in mind, the Jews were scattered all throughout the Roman empire. So, when they went to Jerusalem for a festival, they brought money with them in order to buy what they need in the city. This amount of money in one city attracted merchants. 

Also, in order to worship in the temple, Jewish men 20-years-old and older were to pay a temple tax (Ex 30:11-16). However, they had to use a specific Tyrian currency, which required money changers to convert the money. These money changers charged for their services. According to some sources, it’s also likely that they increased the exchange rate to even further line their pockets. The Temple is a place of convenience. Imagine walking into church expecting to hear singing and praying but hearing the hustle and bustle of an indoor-mall.

After seeing the busyness of the temple, Jesus made a whip, drove the men and animals out of the temple, and overturned all their tables (vv.15-16). He does not want His father’s house to be a house of business. After the resurrection, the disciples remembered this event fulfilled Psalm 69 (v.22). The main source of the psalmist’s frustration is his enemy’s failure to understand his commitment to the temple. The psalmist’s zeal for God’s house made him enemies just like Jesus’ zeal for God’s house made Him enemies. 

Since John places this at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, I believe this was the first time Jesus examined the temple. The second time is recorded in the synoptics (Matt 21:12-16). He visits twice because the temple is leprous (Lev 14:33-57). In the OT, if the Lord marks a house with leprosy, the priest empties the house and examines it (Lev 14:36). He then waits to see if the leprosy spreads before his second visit (Lev 14:39). If so, the entire house is to be demolished (Lev 14:45). Jesus, the true High Priest (Heb 10:11-12) comes to Jerusalem in John 2 to examine His father’s house for the first time at the beginning of His ministry (Mal 3:2-4). He finds it filled with leprosy, with sin. At the end of His ministry, He enters Jerusalem a second time and examines it again (Mark 11:11). This time he finds that the leprosy has become worse, which is why Matthew, Mark, and Luke include Jesus prophesying the destruction of the temple (Matt 24:2). Jerusalem became a city of commerce, not a city of worship (Rev 18; Zech 14:21), which is why it was destroyed in AD 70, just liked Jesus said it would be. 

When the Jews finally confront Jesus, they don’t care if Jesus is right about the temple; they just want to get Him on a technicality. They want to see His credentials. Jesus responds to this bureaucratic assault with a challenge (vv.18-19). “Destroy the temple and I will raise it up in three days.” His statement has a double meaning. Obviously, Jesus has the power and authority to raise the temple if the Jews were to destroy it. That is the meaning the Jews heard (v.20). They think Jesus is crazy to say He can rebuild a building in three days that took 46 years to construct. But the second meaning was the one Jesus meant; He was talking about His body as the temple (v.21). 

He’s essentially giving a challenge between two temples. Which temple can be brought back to life in three days? Herod’s temple or Jesus the Temple. Jesus is the temple that will endure (Rev 21:22). He is the glorious temple that can die and rise again. 

The scene ends with many believing in Jesus after seeing the signs He was performing (v.23). However, Jesus did not trust them because He knew the heart of man (v.24-25). Jesus knows many people just want the sign, they don’t want what it points to (6:26). 

Water to Wine

While Moses was on Mt. Sinai, He desired to see the glory of God (Ex 33:18). God agreed to give Moses a glimpse, but Moses could not see God’s face (Ex 33:20). God hid Moses in a cave and turned His back to Moses (Ex 33:22). In that moment, Moses could not see God’s face but heard God’s word (Ex 34:6-7). 

John begins His gospel by saying, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Jesus always works to add glory on top of glory.

In our passage today, we saw two examples of Jesus glorifying, enriching, and advancing. He makes better wine and He is the better temple. 

Jesus baptizes us with water and nourishes us with wine. Those who come to Jesus thirsty, He gives them water to drink, and He also makes them into springs of living water (7:37-38). God the Spirit plants us in our baptism, waters us with His word, and grows us into a fruit tree (Gal 5:22-23). He then crushes that fruit, lets it die, and resurrects it into a new wine. This is why older godly saints with decades of trials and faithfulness minister to us like wine. Jesus makes us better. He transforms us from baptized babies into faithful saints who bring joy to the church. He makes all baptized Christians into individual temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). He also is building up one holy temple and using you and me as the stonework (1 Pet 2:5). The Jews were proud of their little temple that Herod built them. Jesus is assembling a temple from every tribe and nation and from every generation that will cover the whole world. Jesus makes everything better. 

Conclusion

Hope that Jesus will Glorify your Life and Death. For a good part of last century up until the 2010s, most evangelical churches were obsessed with going to heaven when you die. When I was a boy, most of the sermons ended with “if you were to die today, do you know where you would go?” Now, since the 2010s, I think most churches have moved away from that kind of emphasis for good reason. The Church needed to address other things. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that Christians rarely speak with hope and expectation about our lives after our deaths. I believe this lack of personal hope results in increased anxiety and short-sightedness, among other things. So, this week, the next time you notice yourself doomscrolling on your phone, stop and meditate on all the glories you will experience after the resurrection in the next age. Use your imagination. Consider the glory of better beer and potato chips. Imagine sunsets that always seem better than the last one. Consider that after centuries of practice, you finally learn how to sing in harmony. Imagine how beautiful our singing will be when Jesus keeps making us better. Meditate on conversations you will have that never get boring or steer into sin. Give it your best because I promise you, what Jesus has in His cellar is better. 

In the name of the father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit. 

[1] Another interesting point to consider is how meticulously John recorded the sequence of time in chapter 1. I can go into the details later for anyone interested. But I believe if you count the first 18 verses, which resemble day 1 in Genesis 1, as the first day in John, then the wedding would be the start of a new week. The wedding would be day 8.