There was a wedding in Cana

John Farley
Pastor Teacher
Sunday,
March 21, 2021

 

There was a wedding in Cana

John 2:1-11

 

Jesus is going to perform His first miraculous sign at this wedding feast.

Remember, a sign is more than a miracle. It is a miracle with a meaning.

SIGN =

Miracle
+
Meaning

In the Jewish culture of that time, this would be a huge breach of hospitality.

The old wine had run its course.
It proved to be insufficient.

The gist of it is, “you and I are not on the same page with this.”

But she has no concept of the ramifications of what she is asking.

He will do it at the precise moment that His Father tells him to do it.

His hour - the phrase tracks the forward progress toward His glorification,

which would culminate in His death, resurrection, and ascension.

JOH 12:23-24

JOH 2:6-8

This was a Jewish ritual to ensure a clean body. It was an outward cleansing.

Jesus came to institute an inward cleansing.

LUK 11:39

JOH 2:9-10

This made him an unbiased expert witness.

He served to attest to the superior quality of this new wine.

The old wine ran out. The good wine has been kept back until now.

Things move from the action of the miracle to the meaning of the sign.

JOH 1:17

The water used for the purification rites is replaced by the new wine of grace.

HEB 8:7,13

MAT 26:27-29

For Israel, the wedding feast, with the best wine, portrays the coming kingdom.

ISA 25:6

Jesus compared the kingdom to a wedding.

MAT 22:1-2

In the Old Testament, an abundance of wine is associated with ….

the abundance of joy that will come when the Messiah sets up His kingdom.

JER 31:12

By providing the abundant new wine for the wedding feast,

Jesus declares that He is the Messiah of Israel.

JOH 2:11

The sign was meant to lead people to understand who Jesus is -the Messiah.

And the Son of God. Jesus is the Lord of all creation. He is omnipotent.

JOH 1:14

An abundance of wine reveals the abundance of grace.

His glory could only be seen by those who believed in Him.

This beginning of signs comports with the Prologue.

It also contributes to the overall purpose of this gospel.

JOH 20:30-31