Transcript Document

Presentation 05
Presentation 05
Introduction
Imagine you are a fly on the wall during the G 8 summit. The hotel’s air
conditioning breaks down and each world leader is informed of the problem.
How will they react? One might say, “It’s not my problem. Tell the
management”. And another “I’ve come to discuss world changing
issues and not domestic trivia”.
A third might say, “Why tell me, I never broke it?”
In each case they’re saying, “You are telling the
wrong person, its…not my problem, not my area
of expertise, not my fault”.
It’s a common response, by people not wanting
to be drawn into problems that are not of
their making.
Presentation 05
Introduction
At the outset of his public ministry Jesus was drawn into a domestic crisis. It
was not life threatening but it was socially embarrassing for those who were
managing the wedding reception [including, Jesus mother Mary]. There is no
wine left! We are not told the cause. Had they miscalculated the number of
guests attending? Had a delivery donkey not turned up? Had there been an
accident in the wine cellar leading to a substantial spillage? We don’t know.
For the Jew, wine was a symbol of joy. The rabbis
said, "Without wine there is no joy." And so, to run
out of wine would almost have been the equivalent
of admitting they were in for a miserable time.
Jesus’ mother brought the problem to him.
How would Jesus react?
Presentation 05
Jesus - Where The Need Was
First, notice that Jesus was where the need was. He was a guest at what may
have been a family wedding. Jesus was always welcome among those, who
were having a good time. He was at home in such company. He did not frown
upon fun or celebration. Some Christians go through life with long faces. If
someone else is having a good time, then they believe that, what they are
doing must either be, illegal, immoral, or fattening!
Jesus did not condemn those who were
enjoying themselves. And so, he was
welcome at their gatherings, and those
who invited him listened to his teaching.
Presentation 05
Jesus - Where The Need Was
Some Christians try to live a kind of monastic life, withdrawing from all social
activities that might ‘contaminate them’. But by so doing they remove
themselves from situations where they might otherwise be God’s answer to
real human need.
Remember something like 80% of people, who come to faith, do so as a result
of friendship evangelism. The Gym, the golf club, the tennis club,
the school P.T.A., etc. are all places of need,
where God can use the Christian
witness of his people.
Presentation 05
Wine Shortage
How are we to understand the initial reluctance of Jesus to provide the help
that Mary was looking for? Clearly she was not saying, ‘run down to the
supermarket and bring back a few cases of wine’. That was not an option!
Mary was hoping for intervention of a quite different kind.
She knew the purpose of Jesus’ birth.
Had Mary detected a change in Jesus' life since his return
with at least five disciples? Perhaps she thought,
"Now is the time to declare Himself openly."
Of course that was not a decision for Mary to make.
Jesus would certainly not be manipulated.
Presentation 05
Wine Shortage
And yet - and this is a wonderful part of the story - Jesus didn’t want those
organising the party to be embarrassed or the guests to be let down. And so
we read of this miraculous provision of wine. It was common practice to keep
the poorer wines till the end of the celebrations, when guests were not so
discerning about what they were drinking.
The master of ceremonies had never tasted
wine as good as the wine Jesus had
provided by transforming water into wine!
He was bowled over by its quality.
It was of such quality that it would draw
in the crowds at a wine auction!
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
Now John is very selective in recording Jesus’ miracles. And he uses a special
Greek word, translated as ‘sign’, to describe them because he recognises they
have a deeper spiritual significance. They are a visible expression of a spiritual
reality. If ‘signpost people’ pointed others to Jesus, then the ‘sign miracles’
filled out their understanding of him.
What then is the significance of the water that is
turned into wine? What does this sign tell us
about, who Jesus is and why he came?
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
First, wine in the O.T. is used as a symbol of joy. And that is what God wants for
his people, ‘unspeakable joy’. When Jesus’ birth was announced the
shepherds were told of one, who would bring ‘great joy’ Lk. 2v10. Jesus
himself promised his disciples that his ‘his joy would be in them and
that their joy would be full’ Jn. 15.11.
On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was given to the
church, such was the disciple’s joy - the product of the Holy
Spirit’s indwelling - that some confused their behaviour
with drunkenness! Acts 2.13. During the wedding feast,
when men ran out of wine then the real ‘Joy-Maker’
stepped in and took over.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
Indeed, John is suggesting that, apart from Jesus, the joy that men experience
is limited and will inevitably be depleted. It does not last, nor does it fully
satisfy. The comedian Lenny Bruce once commented on life as follows:
"Look, you have only sixty-five years to live. Before you're twenty, you can't
enjoy anything because you don't know what's going on.
After you're fifty, you can't enjoy it either, because you
don't have the physical energies. So you only have
around twenty-five years, and I'm going to swing.“
Lenny Bruce died of an overdose of morphine at 40
years of age. And he did so before discovering
that Jesus is the real Joy-Giver.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
In contrast a Christian, called Billy Bray, was legend for his sense of the joy of
the Lord. He was a miner and a Methodist lay preacher from Cornwall in the
U.K. and one of the most ebullient and joyful Christians of his age. Life was far
from easy for him but his joy was irrepressible.
When asked, what he’d do if those, weary of his joyful spirit and faithful
gospel preaching were to put him in and barrel and roll him down the hill, he
replied, ‘Why I’d shout ‘Hallelujah’
through the bunghole’.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
Secondly, the volume of wine produced was between 120-160 gallons, or 10001300 bottles! Far more than was needed? Jesus always does more than is
necessary, [when he fed crowds of 4000 and 5000 there was food left over].
What do these signs teach? Quite simply, we cannot exhaust the grace of God.
Human need can never outstrip God’s ability to satisfy it.
Human resources are finite! The earth’s resources are finite!
But God’s resources are infinite. It’s impossible to come to
God for help and hear him say, like old mother Hubbard,
‘the cupboard is bare!’
Jesus said, “He who comes to me shall never hunger and
he who believes in me shall never thirst” Jn. 6v35.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
Thirdly, think of the quality of the wine that Jesus produced. It was the best
that had ever been tasted. Why not provide a mediocre wine? Quite simply,
because God is committed to giving the best. When God looks at his broken
vandalised creation he is not content to do a patch up job and stick a plaster
on it. He is committed to a painstaking restoration work which will restore in
man the broken image of God.
That involves him in giving of his best. He gave
us his only Son, Jesus. And Jesus gives us not ‘a
joy’ but ‘his joy’ a joy that can outstrip anything
that the world can offer.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
The world’s joy always runs out because it is linked to circumstances. People
will experience happiness, when things are going according to plan. But when
circumstances change, when they lose their job, or illness strikes, or they start
hooking the ball on the golf course - happiness vanishes . In contrast, the joy
that Jesus gives does not ebb and flow precisely because it is not linked to
circumstances. Jesus said, ‘my joy shall remain in you’, Jn.15v11. He is the
glorious new wine. He is the source of joy.
To ask, ‘How was that wine produced?’,
is to ask the wrong question. We should ask,
‘Who produced it?’ We must fix our attention,
not on the winemaking method but upon the
Winemaker for he is the real joy-giver.
Presentation 05
The First Miraculous Sign
For John, those empty water-pots used for ceremonial washing and associated
with Jewish religion were symbolic. The lack of wine describes the emptiness of
the formal Judaism of Jesus’ day. It failed to satisfy or minister comfort to thirsty
souls. Judaism had degenerated into a cold, formal, mechanical routine that was
utterly destitute of joy. And clearly, apart from the joy that Jesus brings, religion
is comfortless, joyless and often hardening human personalities. If all we have is
‘religion’ there is nothing to be gained by it. Christ alone can quench the
spiritual thirst of our heart and provide true and everlasting joy.
Presentation 05
Conclusion
John finishes this story by telling us that as a result of Jesus manifesting his
glory; “his disciples believed him" v11. This event did not create faith in their
hearts but it confirmed and strengthened the faith that was already there. It
deepened their confidence in him. They saw Jesus to be the real Joygiver.
Have you discovered Jesus to be a Joygiver, who satisfies your heart’s deepest
thirst? He longs to satisfy that appetite if you will let him!
Presentation 05
Conclusion
Perhaps you once knew this joy but know it no longer. Can a person who has
put their faith in Christ as Saviour at times find themselves empty of joy? Yes!
Is that because Christ has failed them? No, he will never do that! How then is
such a situation to be explained? The most common cause is that the believer
has drawn away from Jesus! Often by imperceptible degrees!
And the dryness and joylessness in their souls
is often a signal for them to return to the
One who said, "He that cometh to me shall
never hunger, and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst“. In returning to him lay
hold of this glorious truth, Jesus is able to
supply all your need "according to his riches
in glory" Phil. 4v19.
Presentation 05