When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.
Which comes first, learning your ABC’s or learning to read and write?
There are certain foundations for nearly everything and the Christian needs to be reminded again and again the Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
Foundational for everything that we do and everything that we are is who God is and what God does.
Then and only then we begin to know who we are and what we are to do.
What then does the miracle of the water into wine teach us about God?
Among other things, the Son of God has a mother, lives in days, get’s invited to things like weddings, and is a teacher and has disciples.
The Son of God listens to His mother’s request, but is also not afraid to rebuke His mother when she needs corrected. Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.
The Son of God turns water into wine. Really good wine. Wine was the drink of joy in the Old Testament Scriptures.
He turns water into wine and He does so in large, abundant quantities, 120-180 gallons of water.
He turns water into wine, rather than just making wine appear.
He turns water into wine, but only after the wine ran out.
He turns water into wine without revealing it to the bride and groom, master of the feast, or any of the guests.
He turns water into wine, and manifests His glory first, this the first of His signs, Jesus did at a wedding, a marriage between one man and one woman, in Cana (a very tiny and seemingly insignificant town), of Galilee.
And because of this, His disciples believed in Him.
That’s our foundation for today, teaching us our ABC’s again to remind us and teach us again who we are and what we are to do.
All fatherhood flows first from God, who protects and provides and teaches.
All motherhood flows from God, who gives life and cares for life heals and teaches.
All marriage flows from the Son of God, who loves His Bride the Church, and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her and present her to Himself without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
There is much confusion in our world about who we are,
what we are to do,
how we respond to suffering or rebuke or seeming rejection,
what marriage is,
what fatherhood, motherhood is,
what it means live as one with authority and live as one under authority,
and much of this comes because there are many, perhaps too often including us, are asking these questions as the foundational questions.
They are trying to read without first learning the ABC’s of Who God is and what He does.
They are trying to build a house without having a foundation.
So, who are we?
The broader Scriptural perspective makes it crystal clear why Jesus would choose a wedding to first manifest His glory.
Jesus is in the marrying business.
God was the One who brought Eve to Adam.
God was the One who said, “It’s not good that man is alone.”
God promises throughout the OT that He, Himself will marry His unfaithful, shame-filled, Bride.
Jesus becomes bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, and binds Himself to us.
As a bride receives everything that is her husbands’ and a husband receives everything that is his brides, so Christ receives everything that we are and have –
our sin,
our death,
our shame,
God’s wrath for our unfaithfulness,
our condemnation,
and in the most beautiful sweet swap, we receive His righteousness,
His holiness,
His life,
His status and God’s child,
and the God’s pleasure and peace in who we are and what we do.
That’s foundational for who we are and what we are to do.
He turns water into wine, so we trust He takes our suffering and tears and will turn them all into joy. Weeping may tarry through the night, but joy comes in the morning.
He turns water into wine, but He rebukes His mother that His hour has not yet come. He listens to our prayers, He hears our requests, but we cannot control Him, demand things of Him. We need to be admonished for our lack of faith.
We need to be reminded to just Do whatever He tells us.
And we ought trust more that He will answer in His hour.
And in His hour, the joys will be unspeakable, overflowing, in abundance, better than we ever could have imagined.
The goal of this miracle and every miracle and teaching of Jesus is to create or strengthen faith in Him.
So today, we hear, we receive, we are reminded of who He is and what He does, so that we can begin to be who He created, redeemed, and sanctified us to be,
in marriage, as father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, family, friend,
child, worker, hearer, preacher. He is our foundation. He is Jesus Christ, our Lord.