6. An unstoppable faith

Jesus. All About Life

18 October 2009

John 2: 1-11 and John 1:12

At Wesley Mission, we have been sharing together with other Christian Churches across Sydney and New South Wales in the Jesus. All About Life campaign … and have sought to retrace the importance of the coming of Jesus into the world and how it impacts us today.

Members of our large staff have been sharing their stories of faith with each other and we have engaged in a short period of eight days of mission and outreach.

Two thousand years since the coming of Jesus Christ, the message continues to be shared, the community of faith in many parts of the world continues to grow and his grace is received by ever-increasing numbers of people. This faith is unstoppable – not in that triumphalistic ‘we are better than you’ kind of way – but this coming, his message and the truth of his kingdom is ever meaningful.

We read in the Prologue of John, following a section that tells of those who refused his message: ‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave…’

He who gave … continues to give today.

I turn to the first sign of Jesus at Cana in Galilee. Let me first of all say that the miracle at Cana in Galilee is probably not a Methodist minister’s favourite. You wouldn’t say turning water into wine has been our strong point! Many would much prefer the reverse procedure.

At the close of the first sign in John are these words:

‘What Jesus did here in Cana in Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their trust in him.’ (John 2:11)

Jesus was no mere miracle worker. He did perform miracles, but the real use of power was to transform … and he has always been doing that. It is at the point of transformation that Christianity discovers its most convincing evidence.

John is not seeking to prove that Jesus can turn water into wine. Had that been the case, far more details would have been given … and more information about what the steward and servants saw would have been presented. The setting is an unhappy moment at a time of presumed happiness. It results in happiness flowing from a most disappointing horizon.

This opening miracle in John is in every sense ‘a sign’ which tells us that Jesus Christ shares in the real things of human life. In a context of family, joy and communal happiness, we see that Jesus transforms the mundane … and, in doing so, we observe:-

Jesus sanctifies joy with his presence

There are times when it appears that the Christian Church and its adherents have been almost what you might call ‘killjoys’ in terms of how people have understood our contribution to life. We have often been known more for what we are against, rather than what we are for!

An old Christian saint wrote about her sadness at ‘gloomy people’ and prayed to be delivered from ‘frowning saints’. I have great sympathy with that approach. Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana endorses the importance of marriage and his concern for human relationships; he is the upholder of all that is good in life.

Before we look at the marriage at Cana, let me suggest three things that may be true:-

Many religious people wouldn’t have been at such a wedding.
Many religious people would have struggled to see any purpose in providing good wine for the celebration.
Many religious people would have questioned the wisdom of being drawn into such an incident.

We are told this is the ‘first sign’. Such signs play an important role in the public ministry of Jesus … they don’t serve to tell us what he can do, but rather point to who he is.

Jesus is no ‘wet blanket’ … he enjoyed a good party. Indeed it follows that he was criticised for his nature and he was later falsely accused of being ‘a wine bibber’.

The opening words ‘On the third day …’ (2:1) may well by now have become an established code for ‘the day of resurrection’. The symbolism of such a link, though difficult to determine, is essential to acknowledge.

This picture of Jesus, who transforms life, brings positive meaning into all the regular aspects of life and is an indication of what he might look for in his followers. His presence brought joy to everyone who shared his company – could that be said of his followers?

This confirms that his ministry has begun

In John, the public ministry of Jesus begins and ends with a story involving his mother. Either side, there is introductory material and vital concluding material, but the person of Mary is the key.

The reaction of Mary to the hiatus at the wedding is interesting. Mary comes to Jesus not with a request, but rather a statement … ‘They have no wine’ (2:3). We can only read between the lines that people went to her with the problem.

Martin C Scott writes, ‘It appears ... that she is the one who knows where to go when the wine runs out.’

The main thrust of this incident is not actually in the miracle itself, but the fact that Jesus is associated with such an event.

In the Synoptic Gospels, he comes from the John the Baptist ministry into the Galilee, preaching the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ (Mark 1:14). Here Jesus appears at a wedding … an occasion of joy which lasted for days and was certainly an event of infectious happiness for Jewish people.

This contrasts with the austerity of John the Baptist

The joy of a wedding is so fundamentally different from the ministry of John the Baptist … after which the ministry of Jesus follows.

Simple food       … but here wedding fare.
Solitary identity    … but now gregarious engagement.
Calling from life     … but, in Jesus, a calling to life.

The picture of Jesus at this wedding contrasts with the picture that many Christians have of him. The serious ‘pale Galilean’ will not stand the test of scrutiny.

Arthur J Gossip wrote, ‘The main lesson is the glory that Christ brings with him and offers to anyone who will accept it from him – a life that is an abundant life, a peace that passes understanding, a fullness of joy that only he can give, and that produces an astonishment in its recipients …’

This conveys the heart of the message of Jesus

The joy we meet in Jesus is true to the whole of his ministry. It becomes a characteristic note of the New Testament:

It is a joy that Jesus affirms as part of life.
It is a joy that Jesus confirms we always seek.
It is a joy that Jesus develops in the life of his followers.

This joy is both infectious and transformative. John Bailie, in his wonderful Diary of Private Prayer, wrote about being prepared to leave his life in the hands of God.

Jesus manifested his glory through the signs he performed. This sign speaks of joy … and wine has a clear link to that theme. Jesus had talked about new wine requiring new wineskins (Mark 1:22). Members of the Christian community today must find ways in which we perform … or are signs to manifest God’s glory.

Jesus is not afraid to face up to a potentially embarrassing situation

We sometimes lose touch with the intimacy of a ‘wedding occasion’ when we study John 2. It is not just that they ran out of wine, but they did so on the one occasion when they desired to be as hospitable as possible. The words, ‘They have no more wine’ (v.3) come in the midst of a joyous wedding occasion. It has all the potential of great embarrassment, because it was a sacred duty to provide ample refreshment for all the guests. Some writers have suggested that there might have even been a lawsuit if the wine ran out.

This would have been seen as inhospitable

We probably need to take the embarrassment point a little further and suggest it could be perceived as an insult to the guests. It is important to note that the situation in the ancient world was rather different from the one we would face.

Wine was not an expensive drink in the way it is today, but a regular part of a family’s diet and lifestyle. One reason for this is that water supplies were often contaminated and, therefore, unsafe to drink.

This picture of wine at the wedding speaks of a wholesome, joyful, healthy and happy occasion. To run out of wine is to put the guests at risk if they were to resort to drinking water on such an important occasion.

This would have been a moment which exposed everyone present

There must have been embarrassment at all levels –

The host family … we have let our family down.
The guest family … we feel this is sad for our family.
The general guests … what do you say?

There is a remarkable carving to be found in a wooden choir stall in the thirteenth century cathedral of Notre Dame in Amiens, France. It depicts a long rectangular table on which are baked goods and cups. At the centre of the table stand the bride and groom and Mary with Jesus. Something apparently is wrong. One man at the table has his cup turned upside down, indicating that it is empty. Mary is portrayed as looking at Jesus with an open hand turned upward.

Such a piece of art only serves to indicate what a crisis this would have been – on what should have been a happy and festive occasion.

This would have been an experience which they would never forget

The occasion of a wedding is always remembered by those most meaningfully involved, but this has the potential of being recalled for all the wrong reasons. We can only begin to imagine what an impact this incident had upon the disciples who, especially in the early days of their following, would be watching every step he took and every action he instigated, both public and private.

The insipid water of poor religion will be replaced by the rich wine of the new way that he brought into lives. This makes sense of a whole series of events that would follow which, in effect, contrast the new Christian way with what preceded it within Jewish law.

Jesus astounds the onlookers

It is the mother of Jesus who calls the failure of the wine to the attention of Jesus. She knew he could do something about the situation.

We know she carries within her the mystery of his birth.
She had watched him grow and ‘pondered’ much in her heart.
The boy who was lost at the Temple is now One who is about to act.

Servants and Stewards alike would not understand

Jesus directs the stewards to do what would have seemed ridiculous. The crying need was for wine, but he ordered the servants to fill six jars with water! We don’t know how it happened but, by the time the jars are carried to the party, the water was wine.

It is significant that John tells us that neither the steward (or head of the banquet) nor the servants understood what had happened. He points out that the servants knew where it had come from, but both were left without real understanding. The significance is linked to the underscoring of faith in v.11.

Jesus turns things upside-down

In one small sentence, Mary’s instruction to the servants says it all: ‘Do whatever he tells you!’ If the servants had ignored what Jesus instructed them to do, there would have been no sign. For the miracle or sign to take place, Jesus needed to be obeyed … and that remains so today. The obedience is not to follow a heavy, fearful delivery of instructions, but listening to the careful instructions of One who knows best.

Jesus can take the flat and non-drinkable ‘dishwater’ and make it the very best wine. This is what he is always doing. For people who struggle with temptation, for those who live in despair and for people who have never faced up to the challenge of what it means to believe, change is always possible.

Mary and the disciples would be brought to a new place

Jesus is no longer living under the roof of Mary. Roger L Frederikson has helpfully written, ‘The time of her authority has passed, so her concern has no final claim on Him. Jesus has moved out in obedience to His Father, and all His times are set by the higher Authority. He must await the hour fixed by His Father.’

We might have at least some understanding of how easy it is for parents to put pressure upon children … and how they can live their lives through them. The gift of parenthood is meant to set free for a greater purpose than our own plans.

There is a deeper meaning here in v.11, as we see this as the first sign. We see the authority of Jesus pointing to something more. The impoverishment of the Old Covenant, the cry for help, and the yearning for something more is met by fresh new wine.

The old wine of the law … was restrictive.
The old wine of the law … was without taste.
The old wine of the law … was without strength.

A new age of grace has come which has brought liberty, taste and strength. Through this act, Jesus has opened the door to a new way of living life to the full … and we are told the ‘disciples believed in him’.

At what one writer described as ‘a simple rustic’ wedding, Jesus transformed the scene. Whenever Jesus comes into our arena of activity, he changes everything.

No wonder we talk of this faith being unstoppable! From a scene that speaks of the impoverishment of the Old Covenant, we see the yearning for the new wine that God will graciously provide.

The strongest message about this unstoppable faith is that he will meet us at our point of human need. Running out of wine did not – nor ever will – prevent God’s gracious love and care from being shared with all people!

Everything about this first sign points to God’s approval of feasting, good fellowship, the celebration of life and simple pleasure. Is the Christianity we practice life-enhancing or life-inhibiting? The answer to that question will tell us whether our faith is an unstoppable reality or the means of stopping faith!

A small boy was asked what he had learnt at Sunday school and his reply was, ‘We learnt how Jesus went to a wedding and made water into wine.’ He was then asked, ‘And what did you learn from that story?’ After thinking for a moment, the lad answered, ‘If you’re having a wedding, make sure Jesus is there!’

If we are to live our lives in the fullest sense, we would best do this in the presence of Jesus Christ. The wine that Jesus offers is never stale and bitter, but bright, bubbly and good tasting. This is the Jesus of whom we can say … He is ‘All About Life!’

Christian Life