The Gospel of John | The New Wine of Grace – John 2:1-11
Jesus provides for His people by His grace and takes the consequences of our sin and humiliation.
John begins the telling of Jesus’ ministry with the first recorded miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. The pacing John presents gives the impression that things are moving rather quickly. After the previous chapter 3 days have gone by and Jesus has been invited to a wedding. Given the culture and context, it is likely that Jesus knew the bride or groom in some regard and rejecting to come to the wedding would have been a cultural slight against the host. While there, an issue arises where the host runs out of wine to serve the guests. Mary, the mother of Jesus, asks Jesus to step in. With what at first seems to be a rebuke of Mary, Jesus gives his first sign miracle by turning water into wine. We are not given the specific mechanics of how the water turned, all we know is that Jesus did it. Signs must point to something and the sign of the miracle of turning water into wine points to the coming new covenant with Jesus Christ.
At the end of this telling of the miracle, John concludes with “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11, ESV). The disciples experienced Jesus Christ doing the miraculous. Yet, for them, this would be only a mere taste of what would be to come. We have the privilege of knowing where the story goes, we know what the disciples will see and how it will forever change their lives. Here, Jesus gives a taste of the good wine that comes from the new covenant He is instilling. John uses the wedding at Cana to prepare us for the future miracles that Christ will perform. While the idea of making wine may seem inconsequential at first, this provides us with the first glimpse of the Gospel in understanding why Jesus Christ came. The turning of water to wine, while a miracle, is a microcosm of the Gospel and New Covenant to come.
Jesus Above All, Even His Mother
Initially, as people of the current day read this passage, we tend to be drawn to Jesus’ use of the term “woman.” Our gut reaction views this as a slam against Mary, with a sign of disrespect to the woman who birthed Him. Had Jesus been speaking in our current modern day, we would be absolutely correct. However, as you read through the text and the contextual usage of the term, something different is going on. By the way Mary responds to Jesus, without offense but rather continually affirming of Christ’s Lordship to those around her. She exhorts the people to do as Jesus says without question or hesitation. Furthermore, we know that Jesus, as fully God (a central theme in John’s Gospel) would not act in disobedient to the law from heaven in a manner dishonoring of His parents. We would expect that Mary would become offended at Jesus’ statements if they were offensive, yet the way Mary responded demonstrated that she understood the mission of Jesus Christ to an extent, but most likely not the overall scope. The miracles of Jesus would far exceed providing for any wedding celebration.
A Brief Note on Biblical Interpretation. As we read the bible, we want to hold it with the delicacy and reverence that comes from it being word of God, breathed out by the Spirit, “and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV). Yet, we must also understand that we are viewing the words through our own cultural lens. Everyone comes to scripture with some form of bias and understanding. There are three questions, asked in order, that form the backbone of biblical interpretation. 1) What does the text say? 2) What does it mean? 3) How should I apply it? Our temptation is to jump directly to application, but to do so easily run the risk of making the word about us instead of about the glorious acts of God’s work in the world saving His people. Before you apply the word, we must first understand its meaning, and before we understand its meaning we must first understand what it says.
Jesus, rather than being disrespectful to His mother, instead is showing His grace to her as well. Jesus, being fully divine, rightfully inherits the throne of God as the Son of God. He comes as the perfect Savior to die for the sins of the imperfect people in order that they might be fully restored and brought home to live in eternity with Him. This includes Mary. We may not ever fully understand the nuances of Mary’s relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet, we know that Jesus died even for her sins. Mary needs the same forgiveness that we all need. In Jesus’ treatment of Mary, we see the Divinity of Jesus at work simultaneously through his fully human nature. Where some would seek to elevate Mary above Jesus or use her as an intercessor to Jesus, this scripture would openly refute that idea. Jesus acts as our intercessor. Mary and ourselves all approach God with the same enthusiasm that comes from our Savior who bids us to approach Him with grace and strength.
- How does Jesus’ response to His mother and to the situation demonstrate His grace and provision?
The Foreshadowing of Grace
For Mary’s prodding and the relationship between her and Jesus, we become acutely aware of the timing of Jesus Christ. Mainly, this is not the moment of the culmination of Christ’s work. His rebuke of Mary comes in the form timing. The more Jesus makes himself known, the closer He comes to that moment on the cross. In fact, it is the raising of Lazarus from the dead that sets in motion the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Timing, even of good things is still important in the eyes of God. We, like Mary, should be willing to wait on the divine timing of the Lord. God, being fully sovereign and omniscient, knows best.
The question, then, why would Jesus perform this miracle. During that particular era, weddings were seen as spectacles that people would have once in their lifetime. They went beyond a simple day and marked by celebration beyond throughout the town. The wedding represented a unifying of two persons celebrating their marriage together. The bridegroom bore the weight of needing to provide for the wedding festivities. Thus, providing wine would be solely on the shoulders of the groom. Running out would be a dishonor and humiliation of the groom and the master of the feast. Yet, here, Jesus takes the burden of the humiliation upon Himself. He acts in the place of the groom and as the master of the feast. He provides and rules over the festivities and bearing the weight and responsibilities of someone else’s actions. This first miracle is nothing short of a foreshadowing of grace.
- Describe the conversation between the master of the feast and the bridegroom. Who received the benefit of the new wine? Who committed the work to provide it?
Jesus Christ came to bear the humiliation of mankind on our behalf in order that we would not need to bear it ourselves. The cross became an act of humiliation, an innocent man dying a sinners death. Yet, this mission is precisely the purpose that Christ came. Simply put, Christ bore the humiliation of our sin to provide for us during our time of need. The miracle at Cana represented the first foreshadowing of Christ coming to save and redeem His people for their own good. He provides for our needs and for our celebration, counting the victory of Christ on our behalf. He gives us grace and forgives us from our sins.
The New Wine
The final note comes in the form of the wine itself. When the wine is presented to the master of the feast, he quickly notes the superior quality of the wine. Normally, it was customary to serve the best wine first. Yet, in this case, the wine produced by Jesus was noticeably different from the wine that the groom could initially offer. It drew the attention of the master of the feast and the guests who drank from it. There would be no comparing between the two.
The Old Covenant rely on the works of mankind to provide the means and path to salvation. The law required that man offer up sacrifices for their sins annually. The people adhered to strict ceremonial standards that would pave a path for mankind to reside with God. Yet, with Jesus Christ, God would choose instead to reside with man. The new wine also paints the picture of the New Covenant that Christ initiated. People would be saved by faith beyond the confines of the nation of Israel. The effects would far exceed the Old Covenant. The wine of the New Covenant would be noticeably different from the Old Covenant and would serve as a blessing to all who are in attendance of the wedding. We all have the invitation to join the wedding. We can enjoy the wine of the New Covenant as we allow Jesus Christ to bear the weight of our choices and provide for our every blessing.
Discussion Questions
- How does Jesus’ response to His mother and to the situation demonstrate His grace and provision?
- In what way does the wine represent the Old and New Covenants? What similarities do you see between them?
- When have you needed to weight on the timing of the Lord? Why is timing so important to our faith?
- Jesus died to bear the weight of our humiliation upon Himself. What does this reveal about the purpose of Christ’s coming? What kind of blessings does Christ provide for us?
- How should we respond to Christ bearing our burdens and providing us with abundant blessing?
