"When the Wine Runs Out" - Who is Jesus? - John 2:1-11; Pastor Jason Fritz

have a seat Chris worship team thank you guys so much I yeah I get me yeah absolutely I didn't realize it until it was stated but I'm really looking forward to having my house trashed didn't know that was gonna happen so that's exciting we are in the book of John chapter 2 John continues his writing telling us answering the question who is Jesus and I want to remind us at the beginning here like I typically do John has one purpose in mind for you his reader and that is this that she would know Jesus and that by knowing Jesus you would believe in him and that by believing in him you would have eternal life now if you've ever met someone who has absolutely and totally transformed and changed your life you know what it feels like that inward compulsion to tell everybody you know about that person this is John this is what's happening John John says I met Jesus and my life will never be the same in fact he goes on to say I spent three years with Jesus I saw the miracles I heard his teaching and I was an eyewitness I had a front-row seat to his life and I can tell you this when I was around him it was like participating in and experiencing the glory of God but don't just take my word for it consider the testimony of the great John the Baptist he looked at Jesus and said behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world but don't just take my word for it don't just take John the Baptist word for it consider the testimony of the early disciples they were all convinced that Jesus was who he claimed to be that he was the son of God sent by God to save the world to redeem mankind that's chapter 1 chapter 2 begins with a miracle which makes sense because if you're answering the question who is Jesus you don't just give verbal testimony you want to give witness to what Jesus actually did that he commanded nature and so in chapter 2 we read of this incident that occurs in this tiny little town not really even a town of village the village of Cana John includes only eight miracles done by Jesus so we kind of have to ask the question well why these eight we'll get to that in a minute within these eight miracles Jesus will reveal everything he wants to reveal about himself to his followers now you would think maybe these miracles would take place in front of large crowds right huge audiences but that's not what Jesus wants to do it's going to take place in front of a select few and even the people who get to experience this very first miracle is not it's not the people that you would expect to experience it but the point of the miracle is that his disciples would see and that they would believe further evidence that's what John is doing he's compiling the evidence he's putting together the evidence and he's presenting it to things now you have to deal with this all right you have to deal with who Jesus said he was and the miracles are further proof of who he claimed to be Jesus did many other things outside of these miracles in fact in John chapter 20 verse 30 John writes this therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book in other words miracles were a daily experience for those who followed Jesus so for the for the last 30 years of Jesus life the fact is he's been living in total obscurity until this moment until this moment where he's invited to a wedding in Cana we pick it up in chapter 2 verse 1 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 Jewish rites of purification each holding twenty or thirty gallons Jesus said to the servants fill the jars with water and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast so they took it 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 okay so let's step back in time and put ourselves in this scene this is a wedding this is a massive immense party weddings didn't happen often you were perhaps invited to a wedding maybe once or twice a year and it would be the highlight of your year know that in the first century AD it was a very difficult existence life was harsh and so you needed something to look forward to and a wedding would certainly be something you would look forward to and so what would happen is you you depended on others for your survival right you grew your own food and you sold what you had left over and you depended upon the community and surrounding community so if you have a wedding you're going to invite everybody in the surrounding communities now Cana was very small its melons to be again not considered a town but a village and then Nazareth was not too far outside of Cana so it would make sense for Jesus and his mother since that's where they they lived in Nazareth and they were close to Cana it would make sense for them to be invited to this wedding so if you can imagine it lasting for days there is eating there is drinking there is singing there is celebrating it is just a massive week-long party it was also a year in the making this is the culmination of what ancient Jews had as their betrothal period where the couple was essentially considered married but they didn't consummate their marriage until after that year-long waiting period that year-long waiting period was very important especially to the groom and here's why it was his responsibility to do everything necessary to provide for his wife once they were together this would involve either buying or building a home very often the home was built as an addition to his father's house and so what would happen is at the end of that patroller period you would go and travel with your entourage to your fiance's house knock on her door and essentially you would say everything is ready everything is ready all the preparations have been made additionally it was the groom's responsibility to ensure that everything necessary was provided for the wedding ceremony itself herein lies the problem the wine has run out and if the wine runs out you know what it communicates the husband was not prepared the husband doesn't have what it takes to be a good husband to provide what is necessary for his bride now you're living in Cana perhaps no more than 50 60 people live in this little village you are born and you die we travel all over the world in this day and age but back then you barely traveled outside your clan your tribe imagine the shame the embarrassment this is a deep and gross humiliation and it is reflective of the groom's ability to provide so if you can imagine Mary finding out there's no more wine there's no more wine so the tone of her voice is she is she tells Jesus Jesus there's no why there's no more they've run out now at this point we can't be certain that she expects something out of Jesus like Jesus I expect you to fix this problem although at this point it appears that Joseph his has died and Mary would be used to turning to Jesus for the solution to her problems I mean you've got the wisest most intelligent man who's ever lived and she's been with you for 30 years and you might want to turn to him and so she's this is a problem this is a big problem and then Jesus responds but his response is kind of cryptic right I mean you read it in Psych is you know what's going on here is is you having a bad day Jesus are you just having one of those days I mean this is a party right is this what he says woman what does this have to do with me my hour has not yet come before we get into the details of his response so I make a little footnote here let's talk about drinking understand that as Christians we don't want to condemn what the Bible doesn't condemn because if you condemn what the Bible doesn't condemn that leads to legalism does the Bible condemn the drinking of alcohol no what does the Bible condemn drunkenness additionally the Bible says the Apostle Paul encourages us to display Christian maturity the Apostle Paul actually says you need to think about what those around you need from you at any particular moment that is the mark of a mature Christian you see a mature Christian will actually impose limitations self-imposed limitations to his or her Christian freedoms for the blessing and benefit of another and we have an example from Paul himself in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 he says this therefore if food makes my brother stumble I will never eat meat lest I make my brother stumble now all you vegans calm down a little bit let me tell you what Paul is say see back in the day if you were invited to have dinner with a friend and they were serving meat there's a good chance that that meat bought from a butcher had been sacrificed to that butchers pagan gods in the form of some some act of idolatry and so then you had Christians coming to faith in Christ and they were really struggling with this you know I don't feel good about eating meat that's been sacrificed idols I don't feel good about doing that and what Paul says is if eating meat causes my brother or sisters conscience to falter if that's something they struggle with he says then I'll never eat meat around them again what's he doing he's taking the high road self-imposed limitations for the benefit and blessing of your brothers and sisters in other words what what he's saying is this I'm asking the question constantly what do the people around me need from me that is a mark of great Christian maturity when you're able to do that and then to say you know what I'm gonna add stain so if you're at a dinner party and you understand it's a gathering of folks from Alcoholics Anonymous you're not gonna serve wine okay right you're not going to drink wine why because of what others around you need from you now having said that let me say this there are some who condemn the drinking of alcohol and what Paul would would say is this you actually have the weaker conscience you might think you're taking the Christian high road and displaying maturity but you're condemning what the Bible doesn't condemn and you actually have the weaker conscience not the stronger one so now we put this in our context right put it in a broader context wherever we go whatever we do I love the Apostle Paul when he says you know what I am I'm an ambassador you're an ambassador is an ambassador's a goodwill representative of some other place everything that we do Christian everything we do is so that the glory of God can be seen through us and that might include you putting some self-imposed limitations on your own Christian freedoms for the blessing and benefit of others so Mary finds out the wine has run out which by the way may be an indicator that she has some important role in this wedding she may even be one of the hosts or the primary host of this wedding because she learns there's no more wine and she approaches Jesus and tells him and Jesus responds with a woman and you kind of like wait a minute Jesus this is your mom's this anyway you talk to your mom right woman literally he says lady what so what's happening here Jesus are being rude but at the same time this is not a term of endearment and then he goes on to say well what does this have to with me literally it reads what do you and I have in common in other words he's saying your concern is not the concern that I share we don't have the same concern in common what is he thinking he tells you in the very next line he says my hour has not yet come what hour is he talking about well if you read through the New Testament the hour that he's talking about is the hour of his death see in other words Jesus is now becoming singularly focused on the plan that God the Father has for him knowing that when he performs this miracle you know what's going to happen the lid is going to be taken off there's no more disguising who Jesus is for the last 30 years he's been in obscurity but when he performs this miracle it's a total GameChanger people will begin to understand people will begin to talk hey this Jesus of Nazareth it's not just the testimony of John the Apostle or the early disciples or even the great John the Baptist word is spreading this guy commands nature now this is an oral tradition oral Society and when something happened word would spread Jesus understands this and so in this statement he's actually beginning to separate himself from his family again he's not being rude it's just that he understands that with this miracle the larger plan of God for his life will come to fruition with his death on the cross in Matthew chapter 12 Jesus is speaking to a large crowd and he's told that his mother and his brothers are outside and they want to see him and Jesus responds with who is my mother who are my brothers those that do the will of God you want to you know you ever wonder why Jesus never asked for advice on anything in life it's because every moment of his life he was firmly committed to carrying out the will of the Father he was in step with the father this is Jesus setting his face toward the mission that God has for him and I love Mary's response you know let me just say this you mom's you really know your boys you mom's really know your boys because after Jesus days she has his conversations with Jesus she turns to the servants and says you do whatever he tells you do whatever he tells you Mary understands that Jesus wisdom his association with God the Father she's in tune with all of that you say well when did it begin probably was a virgin birth probably safe to say that you know and when she gets pregnant having right it's like you know there's gonna be something really special about this boy you know Jesus was kind of that kid who he was just the greatest kid he was totally obedient you know loved hanging out with his friends loved to laugh of the play love to have fun he made the best mud pies but every once in a while he would stare off in the heavens you know with this contemplative look on his face he was a young boy but with a very old soul when he's 12 years old it takes a trip to Jerusalem of his parents when it's time to leave Jerusalem you know when they travel they would travel and you know with all the relatives and people from your village and you'd all travels together and kids would be running back and forth up and down somebody at the front of the line in the back of the line and didn't think much about it and so a couple days later they're getting back seen Jesus hey where's Jesus you know I think they're looking through everybody's passing by on the way of the village and he's not there so they go back into town and where do they find Jesus he's in the temple his 12 year old boy he's in the temple asking questions his mom dad her freaking out like how could you do this to a son how could you do this we were worried sick about you and Jesus responds don't you know don't you know that I I have to be where what's he say in my father's house Jesus was on point his entire life even the 12 year old boy but now this is the this is the beginning of the fulfillment of God's plan for his life so if Jesus looks off in the distance every once in a while he has this contemplative look on his face this is why he knows it's all going to end in his death by crucifixion on the cross he's making a break with family not in a rude way but in a very focused way does Jesus care about his mom absolutely remember Jesus is hanging on the cross he's hanging on the cross and he has the love compassion concern to look at John and say John take care of my mom take care of my mom now what's Jesus going to do mom says do whatever he tells you to do and Jesus does it why out of deference to his mom not so much it's because this miracle actually fit God's timetable for the inauguration and the beginning of his public ministry there are six stone water pots and they're big each one holds what's the text say 20 to 30 gallons of water and they're for purification they have nothing to do with wine if we see the Jews were they were religious about their purification ceremonies and rituals you washed your hands at various points during the meal you wash the plates you wash the utensils that's what these so you go about 120 right to 180 gallons worth of this water used for purification and Jesus says go ahead and fill them to the top fill them with water so the servants are filled up with water and then Jesus says go ahead and draw out the water so the servants reaching draw out the water in oh my oh my and they're looking at each other like now this is really what's really cool about this who are the very first ones to experience this miracle nobility princes Kings know people who are working the party they're not even invited to celebrate in the party their job is to work the party and they only gave each other go on okay boy do we have a story to tell this is best party ever and so they're taking us on and they bring it to the head waiter and what does the head waiter do he tastes it now if you can imagine drinking wine created by Jesus this is the best wine ever Jesus makes at least a hundred and twenty gallons of wine and the head waiter tasted he says ok this is not normal because typically what happens is we serve all the best wine first and then when that's all gone then we give people the leftovers so he calls the groom in and he says just need to let you know that you have saved the best wine for last what does Jesus done he's taken this man's humiliation and turned it into what this guy just threw the most legendary wedding party ever because he saved the best wine for last nobody does that question why would Jesus choose this miracle to usher in the beginning of his public ministry you either we have to ask this well why would John include this as one of only eight he had many many miracles why why this one you know you would think let's let's heal a blind man okay let's let's heal a leper let's raise a dead man yeah that was I mean imagine the effect of that step back and ask what is the effect of this miracle what is what is the effect of this miracle you know what it is just a few people know about it but everybody hey the party's still going the party is still going Jesus first miracle is actually one of Perpetual joy you know the Old Testament wine is associated with gladness Psalm 104 15 wine makes the heart merry ancient rabbis actually had a saying when the wine runs out the party is over the joy is gone and so what's remarkable about this is that Jesus first miracle is a demonstration of himself as the source of all true and lasting joy so we all need joy joy is the thing you look forward to do the things that you love give you joy you remember the first time you fell in love and do you remember what that felt like when another person felt the same way as you right and you had these immense and feeling feelings inside of you and you all you just thought about that person you couldn't wait to be with them remember remember when you graduated from college and you got your first job right and maybe you had the little little little nameplate on the desk I did it I did it the beginning of my entire future remember the first time you bought a home and the joy is like yes I did it an accomplishment all of that is temporary you know you realize that even the best marriages they're not always joyful you know that that job that you had and that boss ended up being a jerk yeah that new home eventually needed repairs see among other things this is Jesus saying don't settle for cheap wine don't settle for cheap wine because anything you try to fill in that place of ultimate joy will eventually let you down and so Jesus says let me just show you what I'm capable of I will give you your greatest joy now this is so relevant for our time because in our day people often look at Christians and think I could never be a Christian because I like to have fun right I mean their view of Christianity Christians are known more for what they stand against than what they stand for they view Christians you know God is like saying okay everything that's fun in life God calls sin and everything is boring God calls good feeling I could never live it that kind of joyless existence well here's the thing Jesus isn't asking you to give up your joy what he's asking you is to replace that cheap wine you've been drinking with the best wine imaginable do you what happens at the end of the age the book of Revelation there's a party and it's a wedding party and there's a groom and there's a bride and the groom is Jesus you know who the bride is you you the bride is his church now remember Jesus is the groom with that what does that tell you it's his job to provide so the wine never runs out the food never runs out the joy never ends but you have to realize this in order for this party to happen Jesus is going to have to die in order for you to experience true joy Jesus is going to have to die he's gonna have to die and so if during this time he has these contemplative moments if during these times he looks at his mom and says woman it's not my time what does this have to do with me you can understand he has the cross on his mind his blood has to be shed in order for us to participate in that joy you see again he's the groom the groom provides for everything you cannot get to eternal life without the groom providing for you man she a good provider so later Jesus will be with his disciples and he'll be participating in the Last Supper and as part of that wine is involved but he takes that wine and he applies it to himself and he says this is a new covenant I'm doing something completely and totally new and new don't we all know it's so much better than older and what Jesus is replacing is so much better than what came before and that's what he wants to do in our lives he wants to replace all that we tried to cram into our lives to be that source of joy that was so temporary but yet we were so fixated on it that we actually ended up becoming undone and I love Mary's response it's the perfect response because she says to the servants do whatever he asks you to do and when you and I take those words to heart when we are obedient to Jesus we enter into his joy and so let me let me ask you what is the cheap wine in your life well what it what is it that you've been sipping on that you think will provide you what you want only to realize it's fleeting and it's temporary when the realization is made I have a secure future I have a new identity I have one who loves me more than I love myself who knows me better than I know myself who was so committed to the pursuit of my personal joy that he's willing to give up his life for it in Jesus parable of the faithful steward he says well done good and faithful servant then you know what he adds he says enter into the what the joy of your master so we're gonna remind ourselves of what Jesus had to go through to give us that joy so I'm gonna ask the men and women if they would come forward I'm gonna ask you to bow your heads close your eyes I'm just gonna pray for us if you haven't participated with us in the Lord's Supper here's what happened you'll come forward you'll take the elements you'll go back to your seat then when we have all been served I'll come back up and lead us Father first of all forgive us for the pursuit of those joys in our humaneness we pursue those earthly things whether they be relationships material objects they serve their place but to give them the ultimate priority is is to be unfulfilled so father the more we reflect on who you are and what you're capable of doing in our lives and establishing our identity freeing us from those temporary things of this world looking forward to that day when we sit around that table and we share that meal together and and what kind of joy we will enter into you give us the opportunity to enter into that joy even here and now the Father I pray that is we receive the elements you would continue to impress upon our hearts the importance of your death burial and resurrection we ask you to your name Amen

Channel: Illuminate Community

Views: 27,592

Rating: 4.5852842 out of 5

Keywords: John, Water to wine, Jesus, First miracle, ministry, scottsdale, arizona, illuminate community, jason fritz

Id: ox8rf_-2fAc

Length: 33min 10sec (1990 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 26 2018