A Different Take on turning Water into Wine

—Part 3: John 2:1–11

  • Andrew Fountain – Sept 29, 2019

 
 
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Goal:
To engage with Jesus today like those those first followers did.

Quick Recap

  1. The extraordinary poem hidden in the first 18 verses of John [1:1–18]
  2. Why the very first believers were so drawn to Jesus [1:19–51]

Water to Wine at a Wedding

  1. A close reading of the story
  2. Some beautifully woven details
  3. The main point, and how it speaks to us

John 2:1–11

Water to Wine at a Wedding

  1. A close reading of the story
  2. Some beautifully woven details
  3. The main point, and how it speaks to us

v.1 Third day

  • New Creation allusion
  1. Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.”
  2. Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?”
  3. But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body.

Eve and Mary

  • Calling her “woman”
  • Mary is actually the one promised to Eve
  • Just as Eve was the first to sin, Jesus allows the woman to be the initiator in this first new-creation miracle
  • This lifts up womankind in the New Creation

Bridegroom: John 3

  • Wedding imagery linked to the new creation
  1. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.

The Kingdom: Joel 3:18

On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,

and the hills will flow with milk.

Isaiah 25:6–9

  1. 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.
  2. And he will swallow up on this mountain
    • the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    • the veil that is spread over all nations.
  3. He will swallow up death forever;
    • and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    • and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
      • for the Lord has spoken.

Links to John’s prolog (1:1–18)

  • Joh 1:14 We saw his glory — the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.
  • Joh 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

Water to Wine at a Wedding

  1. A close reading of the story
  2. Some beautifully woven details
  3. The main point, and how it speaks to us

Themes in John

  1. The life of God has come down to earth, so we can partake in the divine
  2. Not a re-hash of the old, but a totally new creation
  3. This life is received by faith—believing in Jesus. How does that happen?

John 20

  1. Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”
  2. Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
  3. But these are recorded 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.

How do you respond today?

  • Are you with Mary?
  • Are you offended by God? (as she could have been)
  • Remember what her faith looked like: “Whatever he tells you, do it.”
  • In other words, give your problems to him in total trust, not demanding, but believing he is good!