Please turn in your Bibles to the book of John. I'll be reading from John 2, verses 1-12, and then from John 1, verses 14-16. John 2, beginning in verse 1. This is God's Word. On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine. And Jesus said to her, woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water. And they filled them to the brim. And then he said to them, now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. And 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 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. After this, he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. And then from John 1, verse 14, 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 bore witness about him and cried out, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me. For from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace. Let us pray. Our Father, Lord, we do pray that you would open the eyes of our heart that we might see Jesus, and that we might experience the grace of salvation. For from Jesus is grace upon grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Chapter 2 marks the first division in the Gospel of John. Chapters 2 through 11 have typically been called John's Book of Signs. In these chapters, Jesus reveals his glory, not only by what he says, but by what he does. In these chapters, John gives us seven signs, seven miracles to display Christ's glory. Jesus walks on the water. He heals a man born blind. He heals a lame man. And in chapter 11, to conclude this section, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The point is, John is showing us who Jesus is and why he came. John makes it clear in chapter 20, verses 30 and 31, exactly what he's trying to do throughout the Gospel, but especially In these verses, chapters 2 through 11, John writes, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. And so we have to view this miracle in Chapter 2 in this context. The issue is believing in Jesus for salvation to eternal life. And that's why John included this miracle from among the many, many that he could have chosen, he included this miracle. Why? Because the issue is belief. belief to salvation and to eternal life. And thus the issue is, who is Jesus? And why, why did he come? And by the way, we notice that in verse 11, that this miracle of turning water into wine is not called a miracle. It's called a sign. a sign points to something else. And so part of our task is to discover what this sign specifically points to. And John tells us the results of this sign. It was that his disciples believed in him. And I think we can conclude that John intends you and I who read this passage to believe in Jesus, to salvation. And so I want to do three things. First, I want to consider the passage itself, and then I want to consider what it teaches about Jesus' character, and then what it teaches about Jesus' mission. So firstly, let us consider this passage. It says, on the third day, Well, first question, third day from what? From the first day of the week? Well, maybe. According to the Jews' accounting, that would be Tuesday. And we know from Jewish writings that all Jewish weddings occurred on Wednesday. Okay, so it wasn't from the beginning of the week. The pillar commentary gives us a hint. It points out that John is the most careful of all the Gospels concerning time. It is from the Gospel of John that we know that Jesus' ministry went on for three years, because John kept careful track of the feasts. Not so in the other Gospels. And so using the phrase, the next day, and counting backwards, We find that this wedding is on the seventh day from the first testimony of John the Baptist. And that is important. So hang on to that. Second, we see that Jesus was invited to a wedding with his disciples and with his family. He didn't just show up. This was planned. Clearly his family had some connection to the couple being married. The wedding was in Cana. Cana is about nine miles from Nazareth. And it would not be strange for all the surrounding country to gather for a wedding. Friends and friends of friends would gather for the event. So even though it's nine miles, that's not strange. The countryside would gather together because this was a wedding. It was an occasion of great celebration. Weddings were a very big deal in Israel. They were always an occasion to gather for a great celebration. And many commentators have said that these wedding celebrations could last for as long as a week. I think probably three days was the norm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday was the Sabbath. Besides the holy days in Jerusalem, weddings were the local occasion for a community party. In verse three, we read that Mary said to Jesus, they have no wine. Now, why did Mary do this? certainly because of her compassion and her connection to the wedding couple, and certainly because she still remembered the events surrounding Christ's birth. I'm sure she remembered the wise men, she remembered the angels. She knew that Jesus was set for the rise and fall of many in Israel. And we read that Jesus answered, woman, what does this have to do with me? Now, let me just say, I don't think we can read this as a rebuke of Mary, as so many do. Jesus was 30 years old at the time in Israel. Men could serve in the military at the age of 20. priests assumed their duties at the age of 30. In other words, Jesus is addressing Mary, not as a child, but as an adult woman. And then, it says, What does this have to do with me? Now let me just say that the exact literal translation of the Greek is this. What to me and to you? And I don't know how to put that into English. And I just don't think the translators do either. Clearly, these words indicate some form of a shared interest. One thing we can say, or one thing we can't say, is that Jesus is telling Mary, you're pushing the timeline, it's not time yet for a miracle, don't do that. Why? Well, because Jesus immediately set out to do the miracle, to resolve the lack of wine. Jesus is not going to say one thing and do something else. He's not going to deceive his mother, and he's not going to bow to pressure. He's not going to later say, well, okay, I guess I'll do that. Besides, if Jesus just told Mary not to involve him, she is not going to ignore Jesus' words either. She's not going to just tell the servants, go do whatever he tells you to do. It's not, okay, he'll come around eventually. He'll do something, I'm sure. Jesus and Mary are not talking past one another, ignoring one another. There is a shared interest, what to me and to you. And so we need to look a little closer. Jesus says what is perhaps the key phrase for this whole narrative. He says, my hour has not yet come. And it's very important he does not say, my time has not yet come. He says, my hour has not yet come. And the word hour is very specific and always refers to the hour of Jesus' death and resurrection to glory. Jesus just said, it is not yet time for my death and resurrection. Which leaves us to conclude that this miracle must have something to do with his hour of death and resurrection. And so Jesus told the servants to fill the water jars that were used for ceremonial cleansing And these were not just any water jars. They were specifically jars set aside for the legal ceremonial cleansing. The Jews would draw out water and pour over their hands in order to be ceremonially clean. And take note, there were six jars, each between 20 and 30 gallons. And that is a lot of wine. And then he instructed the servants to take the water, now become wine to the master of the feast. And the master of the feast would be an important person of the community, perhaps someone like a mayor. And it was his job to oversee the celebration. And apparently, he recognized immediately that this was no ordinary wine. It was the good wine. It was the best wine. And I'll just add here, there is no justification for claiming that this was watered down wine. It was the very best of wine at the feast. And this is what the text says. Now secondly, let me just try to pull some of these elements together to see if we can discern just what John is communicating about Jesus. First of all, this whole narrative together reveals Jesus' glory. And it's easy to see that Jesus is the Lord over all creation. He can rearrange creation however He wants. however he chooses to his purposes. And thus it is easy to see that Jesus is indeed God. And this is glory. It's easy to see that Jesus receives his disciples' faith in him as the Messiah, as God himself. This is glory. But there is a predominant theme as to who Jesus is in this passage. Running out of wine is not the greatest tragedy. Well, it's a significant problem for the groom. You can imagine having a wedding reception and you get halfway through the line and then you run out of food. The family probably would not want to do that. But it's not like raising Lazarus from the dead. It's not like healing a lame man. And so what I want you to see is the compassion that Jesus shows right here. He doesn't make a big deal out of pointing to himself. Only his disciples and the servants knew what happened. But he answers the need in abundance. Now, let me just ask, when you go to Jesus, with needs and concerns in your life, is Jesus going to say, that little concern? Don't you know I'm dealing with world peace over here? No. There is no need, there is no concern in your life that Jesus is going to say, it's too small. There is no concern that Jesus will not respond with compassion, understanding, and action. And Jesus is not going to let you just sort of squeak by. Well, that ought to hold him for a while. No, Jesus answers in abundance. John 10.10, Jesus says, I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Romans 8.32, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Luke 11, 13, if you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? And I think we need to read this, pour out the Holy Spirit in abundance. Luke 6, 38, says essentially that you can be generous in your life because God is generous with you. It says, give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. And you can picture shaking, pressing down, adding some more, till it's overflowing. This is the picture of God's gracious giving into your life. It's abundant. Let me put it this way. Jesus wants your faith to be so secure in him as your gracious Lord and Savior that you can live fearless in a world of chaos. Jesus did not skimp at this wedding feast, and he does not skimp in your life. You know, I was remembering the many thanksgivings this last Wednesday evening, and oh, our lives overflow with the generous blessings of our Heavenly Father, and it is good. At this wedding feast, Jesus gave a gift that overflowed with the generous goodness of God. You know, I can remember many young people and talking to them about faith. And they say something like, why would I join Christianity? I want to enjoy life." You may have heard that. Not realizing the abundant, generous goodness of God. Jesus is the true Lord of celebration. Psalm 1611. You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. And by the way, is that verse only true in heaven? Or is it true in this life on this earth as well? It says, in your presence, and that is His presence here with you now, as well as for all eternity in heaven. Now, thirdly, I want to consider specifically this statement. My hour has not yet come. Why did Jesus perform his first sign to reveal his glory at a wedding? I think clearly because Jesus is looking to the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven. He knows what's coming. And why was John so careful to count seven days from John the Baptist's testimony until this wedding. And I think clearly because the seventh day is the day of entering into God's rest. John begins with creation. All things were made through him. All things. And there was not anything made that was made that was not made through him. But Jesus is not just the creator, he is the redeemer. And that means he is the bridegroom. And he will take his bride into God's perfect rest. John 3.29, John's disciples are telling John, the one you bore witness to, look, all are going to him. And John answers. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, and I must decrease." John says, Jesus is the bride. He, I'm sorry, the bridegroom. He has the bride, his church. All who call upon him are his bride. Well, Jesus calls himself the bridegroom. When the Pharisees said, wait, why don't your disciples fast like we do? Luke 534, Jesus said to them, can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. And then, in those days, they will fast. And, you know, this is an awesome picture of salvation. Jesus didn't go to the Pharisees and ask, okay, how many days do you fast? Oh, that's good, you're in. No, Jesus went to the lowly of the earth. He went to the fishermen. And he called his disciples. And this is the picture of salvation in your life. Jesus didn't say, okay, how many days have you been fasting? He didn't say, show me your good works. No, he called you with an irresistible call. And he suffered and died. that your sins might be forgiven. He gave you the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of eternity. In other words, salvation is of the Lord. Revelation 19.6, the great marriage feast of the Lamb. John writes, Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exalt and give Him the glory. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. It was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, write this, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God. And it is a blessing. to be invited, to be called with Jesus' irresistible call, to be given faith to respond, and to look forward to being in God's presence at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Revelation 21.2, And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. This is the picture of God's church with her God as a bride with her husband. Now, let me just ask, did this idea of the Messiah as a bridegroom and the church as his bride just pop up in the New Testament? And the answer is no. Isaiah 62. For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. And a few verses down. You shall no more be termed forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed desolate, but you shall be called My delight is in her. And how is that for a title for God's people? My delight is in her. and your land married. For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. These are beautiful pictures of God's love, close and intimate. And when that day comes, there shall be great feasting and celebration. Isaiah 25, O Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you and I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine. of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all the peoples, the veil that is spread over the nations. And he will swallow up death forever. And the Lord will wipe away tears from all faces. The covering of dread, death itself, that is cast over all the people, will be gone. For where, O death, is now thy sting? Death has been swallowed up in victory for our champion. The Lord Jesus Christ has conquered even death. He died to redeem his bride from the pit. He has won her hand, and he is gone before her. These are beautiful pictures of what God has in store for his people. John 14, let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also." So are you getting the picture of why Jesus chose a wedding for his first sign to reveal his glory? Jesus knows the wedding that is coming, and we need to keep in mind that John wrote his gospel long after the price was paid, long after the victory was won. John is writing to you and me right here so that we can put all this together, so that we can see Jesus' purpose. His message is clear. Jesus is the Lord of celebration. And let the rejoicing go on. Let the people celebrate. For the covering of dread has been lifted. The bride is secure. She is his and he is hers. And in his presence, his fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Now, let me conclude with this. I have been to many, many weddings, and every one was a celebration of great joy. For a man and a woman have been taken out of loneliness and given a companion for life. To love and to cherish, to care for, in sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, for better, for worse, Another person crafted by God to be a perfect fit for you, to encourage you, and that you might rejoice together. You know, the joy of new life of a baby is pretty amazing. But throughout time and in all cultures, the greatest celebrations are always reserved for weddings. Life is changing forever for two people in love. He who finds a wife finds a good thing. And have you ever wondered, I wondered, How much joy God must have felt when he brought Eve to Adam. Yeah, it is not good that a man should be alone. God says, I will make him a helper perfectly fit for him. And God got to see the joy in Adam's face. At last, this one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman. And the man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall be joined, so that the two shall become one. You see, even then, in the Garden of Eden, the end was in view, the great wedding feast of the Lamb. God knew that in the fullness of time, when Jesus' hour had come, then will the Bride of Christ, the Bride of the Son of God, be rescued from sin and death and hell forevermore. and there shall be a great celebration, a great feast in heaven, the wedding feast of the Lamb. Let the food and the wine flow in abundance, for the dwelling place of God is with man, and he will be their God, not as a distant, abstract God, but personal, close, as a father with his children, as a husband with his wife, You know, it says the disciples believed because Jesus performed a miracle. It was supernatural. But I think they had no idea of the joy that was in store for them. And I think we have only the slightest hint of the joy that is in store for us. Behold your God. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, it is good to see you as you show compassion, as you care for your people. It is good to see you as you are victorious over the grave. And it is good to know that you have taken our sins upon yourself, that you have cleansed us from all unrighteousness. And Lord, that we might be clothed in your righteousness, garments pure and white, for they come from you. And Lord, we pray that we might at all times be thankful, that we might take great joy in you, that we might rejoice in this life and the next, and that that joy might spread the aroma and the fragrance of Christ. In Jesus' name, amen. And all God's people said, amen.