1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,633 In the name of Jesus, the Lord of glory, 2 00:00:04,633 --> 00:00:08,366 amen. The text that engages us is the 3 00:00:08,366 --> 00:00:10,866 gospel reading from John chapter 2, the 4 00:00:10,866 --> 00:00:13,533 account of Jesus changing the water into 5 00:00:13,533 --> 00:00:19,166 wine. You may be seated. Several years 6 00:00:19,166 --> 00:00:25,533 ago, I decided to endeavor to make my own 7 00:00:25,533 --> 00:00:28,833 wine. We had been growing grapes in our 8 00:00:28,833 --> 00:00:31,933 backyard and harvesting them and I 9 00:00:31,933 --> 00:00:34,400 decided I'm going to start with the 10 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,333 grapes and crush them and get the juice 11 00:00:37,333 --> 00:00:40,700 and get it into a bottle and make it into 12 00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:43,266 wine. And so I bought all the 13 00:00:43,266 --> 00:00:46,366 apparatus and the ingredients, the yeast 14 00:00:46,366 --> 00:00:49,533 and the citric acid and so forth. I got 15 00:00:49,533 --> 00:00:53,000 onto the internet and read about how to 16 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,666 make wine and watch some YouTube videos 17 00:00:56,666 --> 00:01:00,300 on that. I thought I was all set and I 18 00:01:00,300 --> 00:01:04,133 undertook to squeeze the grapes and to 19 00:01:04,133 --> 00:01:07,300 collect the juice in a bottle and added 20 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:10,833 the ingredients, put on the apparatus and 21 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,433 I watched and waited and watched and 22 00:01:15,433 --> 00:01:20,733 waited. Of course, wine takes time and so 23 00:01:20,733 --> 00:01:23,200 was waiting and watching but as I was 24 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,000 watching I noticed that what was in that 25 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,566 bottle was becoming more and more 26 00:01:29,566 --> 00:01:33,866 discolored and what was kind of easing 27 00:01:33,866 --> 00:01:37,333 out of the spout there was not smelling 28 00:01:37,333 --> 00:01:40,700 all that good either. It was kind of 29 00:01:40,700 --> 00:01:44,366 putrid. And so I gave it more time but 30 00:01:44,366 --> 00:01:48,133 the more time the worse it looked and 31 00:01:48,133 --> 00:01:51,366 the worse it smelled. And so to be honest 32 00:01:51,366 --> 00:01:54,666 with you, I didn't even venture to taste 33 00:01:54,666 --> 00:01:57,833 it in the end. I just dumped it out and 34 00:01:57,833 --> 00:02:01,066 said from here on out I'm not going to 35 00:02:01,066 --> 00:02:03,366 all that bother and mess and trouble. 36 00:02:03,366 --> 00:02:05,833 I'll just buy it at the store, buy my 37 00:02:05,833 --> 00:02:09,866 wine at the store. I had failed at 38 00:02:09,866 --> 00:02:14,433 winemaking. Well that's my story but 39 00:02:14,433 --> 00:02:18,033 that's not this story. This story of 40 00:02:18,033 --> 00:02:22,066 winemaking is one of great success, of 41 00:02:22,066 --> 00:02:26,333 great abundance and quality of wine and 42 00:02:26,333 --> 00:02:30,833 it's done instantaneously. You may have 43 00:02:30,833 --> 00:02:35,866 watched but not had to wait. It was a 44 00:02:35,866 --> 00:02:41,733 miracle. Jesus' first public miracle. But 45 00:02:41,733 --> 00:02:45,566 the question we ask about this account is 46 00:02:45,566 --> 00:02:49,166 why? Why did Jesus do this miracle of 47 00:02:49,166 --> 00:02:53,366 changing water into wine? Well it's very 48 00:02:53,366 --> 00:02:57,433 clear from the very start the surface 49 00:02:57,433 --> 00:03:01,300 reason is because they needed wine. The 50 00:03:01,300 --> 00:03:05,366 wine had run out at this wedding feast, 51 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:09,733 a small town of Canaan. The community had 52 00:03:09,733 --> 00:03:12,733 gathered and the wine ran out. 53 00:03:13,066 --> 00:03:17,766 That's a social faux pas. That is a great 54 00:03:17,766 --> 00:03:22,100 disgrace that the bridal couple, the 55 00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:26,300 families, had not planned for enough 56 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:30,466 wine. And so Jesus shows compassion. He 57 00:03:30,466 --> 00:03:31,300 helps 58 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:34,600 them so that there isn't dishonor here 59 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,900 and the marriage feast can continue. 60 00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:43,833 That's the first and perhaps the surface 61 00:03:43,833 --> 00:03:48,366 reason for this miracle. But John in his 62 00:03:48,366 --> 00:03:52,066 commentary on the narrative says this was 63 00:03:52,066 --> 00:03:55,233 the first of the signs that Jesus 64 00:03:55,233 --> 00:03:59,733 did to manifest His glory. This was a 65 00:03:59,733 --> 00:04:04,600 sign. So there's significance to this. 66 00:04:05,033 --> 00:04:08,600 There's a deeper meaning behind what is 67 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,333 going on here and what is that meaning? 68 00:04:13,500 --> 00:04:17,466 Well throughout the Old Testament wine 69 00:04:17,466 --> 00:04:21,233 was a symbol of God's blessing and 70 00:04:21,233 --> 00:04:24,433 especially abundant wine is a symbol of 71 00:04:24,433 --> 00:04:27,966 God's abundant blessing to His people. It 72 00:04:27,966 --> 00:04:31,133 was a blessing that would bring joy to 73 00:04:31,133 --> 00:04:34,133 them. And so in much of the poetic 74 00:04:34,133 --> 00:04:37,766 literature of the Old Testament wine was 75 00:04:37,766 --> 00:04:41,700 associated with joy. For example in Psalm 76 00:04:41,700 --> 00:04:46,266 104 verse 15 it says, God you give food 77 00:04:46,266 --> 00:04:50,933 from the earth and wine to gladden the 78 00:04:50,933 --> 00:04:56,066 heart. Wine gladdens the heart. It brings 79 00:04:56,066 --> 00:05:00,833 joy. The ancient rabbis even said if 80 00:05:01,433 --> 00:05:05,133 there's no wine there's no joy. Wine is 81 00:05:05,133 --> 00:05:08,733 associated with joy. And so as Jesus 82 00:05:08,733 --> 00:05:12,400 comes now he comes to bring joy. As we 83 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:16,433 sang during the Christmas season, joy to 84 00:05:16,433 --> 00:05:19,366 the world the Lord has come. Or as we 85 00:05:19,366 --> 00:05:22,533 sing now in the Epiphany season, Jesus 86 00:05:22,533 --> 00:05:27,100 has come and brings pleasure eternal. But 87 00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:31,833 there's more to it than that because the 88 00:05:31,833 --> 00:05:36,233 Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and 89 00:05:36,233 --> 00:05:40,633 Joel and Amos all looked to a coming 90 00:05:40,633 --> 00:05:44,700 time in which the Messiah would arrive 91 00:05:44,700 --> 00:05:48,666 and the sign of His coming would be 92 00:05:48,666 --> 00:05:52,400 abundant wine. Abundant wine at the 93 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:56,733 feast. Wine that would flow through the 94 00:05:57,033 --> 00:06:03,000 valleys of the desert. And so this sign 95 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:08,666 signifies to the people Messiah has 96 00:06:08,666 --> 00:06:13,866 come. It manifests, it epiphanies His 97 00:06:13,866 --> 00:06:19,900 glory as Messiah and Lord. As I read this 98 00:06:19,900 --> 00:06:22,433 story there are two characteristics of 99 00:06:22,433 --> 00:06:25,300 the wine that especially stand out to me. 100 00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:30,466 The quantity and the quality. First of 101 00:06:30,466 --> 00:06:36,166 all the quantity. Jesus had the servants 102 00:06:36,166 --> 00:06:40,266 fill six jars full to the brim and these 103 00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:44,500 jars the text says each contained 20 to 104 00:06:44,500 --> 00:06:48,166 30 gallons. So if we average that out to 105 00:06:48,166 --> 00:06:51,766 25 gallons times six that's a hundred 106 00:06:51,766 --> 00:06:57,133 and fifty gallons of wine. Quantity. A 107 00:06:57,133 --> 00:07:03,066 couple of years ago I visited a woman at 108 00:07:03,066 --> 00:07:06,666 her home who had been recently widowed 109 00:07:06,666 --> 00:07:10,600 and she invited me to take home with me 110 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,633 a jar of wine that her husband had 111 00:07:13,633 --> 00:07:17,100 produced and he was very good at that 112 00:07:17,100 --> 00:07:21,333 unlike me. And so she took me down to the 113 00:07:21,333 --> 00:07:24,933 cellar and pointed out the jar of 114 00:07:24,933 --> 00:07:30,100 wine. She said that's the one I can't 115 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:35,866 lift it. This is the size of the jar of 116 00:07:35,866 --> 00:07:40,600 wine. I was expecting a liter. Five 117 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:46,033 gallons of wine. Believe me this isn't 118 00:07:46,033 --> 00:07:50,366 the jar it's still at our home and it's 119 00:07:50,366 --> 00:07:53,933 you know still got a ways to go. 120 00:07:53,933 --> 00:07:55,266 Abundance 121 00:07:55,266 --> 00:07:59,166 of wine. But this is five gallons. Jesus 122 00:07:59,166 --> 00:08:03,266 made a hundred and fifty gallons. Thirty 123 00:08:03,266 --> 00:08:07,700 times that amount. Abundance, fullness of 124 00:08:07,700 --> 00:08:12,000 blessing and joy. And then there's the 125 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,933 quality. The servant took out a sample 126 00:08:14,933 --> 00:08:17,800 and brought it to the master of the 127 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,466 feast and the master of the feast the 128 00:08:20,466 --> 00:08:23,166 maitre d' who would be a steward and 129 00:08:23,166 --> 00:08:26,866 connoisseur of wine tasted it and he said 130 00:08:26,866 --> 00:08:30,266 wow! Well no that wasn't in the text 131 00:08:30,900 --> 00:08:34,966 but he said this is good. This is better 132 00:08:34,966 --> 00:08:39,166 than what was before. This is the best. 133 00:08:39,166 --> 00:08:45,666 This is great quality. And Jesus comes to 134 00:08:45,666 --> 00:08:51,533 bring to us quantity and quality of 135 00:08:51,533 --> 00:08:59,900 blessings. The best. Later on in John, 136 00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:09,166 John chapter 15, Jesus says these are my 137 00:09:09,166 --> 00:09:15,133 full. These words. It is the words of 138 00:09:15,133 --> 00:09:21,266 Christ that bring to us His joy, the 139 00:09:21,266 --> 00:09:26,033 quality of joy. Not as the world gives 140 00:09:26,033 --> 00:09:30,966 does He give of joy. And that our joy 141 00:09:30,966 --> 00:09:35,633 might be full to the overflowing. This is 142 00:09:35,633 --> 00:09:40,100 what He has come to bring to us. This 143 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:44,500 joy and it is through His words He says. 144 00:09:44,500 --> 00:09:48,933 The words that bring forgiveness, life 145 00:09:48,933 --> 00:09:54,033 and salvation. And today that word 146 00:09:54,033 --> 00:10:00,066 attached to wine and bread. That feast 147 00:10:00,066 --> 00:10:02,966 that we now share. The great wedding 148 00:10:02,966 --> 00:10:06,100 feast and the foretaste of that feast 149 00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:09,633 that we gather around here today to 150 00:10:09,633 --> 00:10:12,966 receive of His presence, of His 151 00:10:12,966 --> 00:10:18,200 forgiveness, of His life, righteousness, 152 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:23,300 His blessing, His salvation. Rich and 153 00:10:23,666 --> 00:10:29,566 full quality and quantity that fills us 154 00:10:29,566 --> 00:10:35,600 with joy. This was the first sign that 155 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,733 Jesus did that manifested His glory and 156 00:10:40,733 --> 00:10:46,366 His disciples put their faith in Him. And 157 00:10:46,366 --> 00:10:49,800 maybe that's the greatest transformation 158 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,333 of all. Not from water to wine but from 159 00:10:53,333 --> 00:11:00,233 unbelief to belief. From sinner to saint. 160 00:11:00,233 --> 00:11:07,300 From fallen to follower of the Lord. And 161 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:11,866 that's the transformation that He does to 162 00:11:11,866 --> 00:11:16,200 you and in you. As you receive of His 163 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,400 words and receive of His meal He 164 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:25,766 transforms you. And we behold His glory 165 00:11:26,866 --> 00:11:31,666 and we believe. In the name of the Father 166 00:11:31,666 --> 00:11:36,333 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.