Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 2:1-12 (Ep. 04)

Episode Date: April 2, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 2:1-12 and highlights two things.Jesus brings purification and transformationJesus is a God of joy and celebrationWatch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hi, my name is Johnny Artavanis, and this is Dial In. In our previous episode, we saw that Jesus calls his disciples, and we saw that the disciples that Jesus calls are not the most educated, nor the most eloquent, or the most prestigious. They're likely teenage fishermen. And Jesus tells Nathaniel at the end of chapter 1, you're going to see awesome things. And we're going to read one of those accounts today

as we look at Jesus' first miracle. John, the gospel writer, actually refers to it as a sign. We're going to talk about why he calls it a sign and more today in John chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. 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, 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 his 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. After this, he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. Okay, so first things first, let's remember John's goal for writing the Gospel of John in the first place. He wants you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, but he also wants us to share in the privilege of verse 14, chapter 1, which says that the Word became flesh and dwelt

amongst us, and we beheld his glory. John wants you to see the glory of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. And if we look back at verse 11 of chapter 2, it says that Jesus performed this first sign, the disciples believed in him, and they saw his manifest glory. Now, John repeatedly refers to the miraculous works of Jesus as signs instead of miracles. This is because these signs point to something else that is significant about what Jesus is doing. These signs point not only to Jesus' power, but to his purpose of ushering in the kingdom of God. Remember, John the Baptist in chapter 1 shows up on the scene

and he's proclaiming and preaching that the kingdom of God is at hand and it's here. And Jesus' signs provide accreditation to that reality. The kingdom of God is at hand and it's here. And Jesus' signs provide accreditation to that reality. The kingdom of God is here. Now, a couple things about the wedding party that we find ourselves at in chapter two. These weddings were way different than the weddings that you and I have been a part of in the 21st century. These were week-long ragers. They knew how to party and the host of the wedding would not have been the bride's parents. It would have been the groom himself and the whole town would have been there. Jesus' family

and friends are there. And we see in verse three that there is a big problem. It says the wine ran out and the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine. Now this is a big deal because the father of the bride would have questioned the groom's ability to provide and would have rebuked his poor planning and preparation. But not only that, culturally, the bride would have questioned the groom's ability to provide and would have rebuked his poor planning and preparation. But not only that, culturally, the groom could have been sued for this embarrassment. So Jesus' mother comes up to him and says, Jesus, do something. The wine's all gone. And he responds and says, woman, my hour has not yet come.

Now, a couple things about the response of Jesus. Maybe you're wondering if it was rude or disrespectful for him to respond and call his mom woman. You don't do that, and I don't do that either. But we know that it's not disrespectful or dishonoring because honoring your father and mother is a biblical command, and Jesus obeys and fulfills the law in all areas. But potentially, what Jesus might be setting up is that his earthly relationship with her no longer provides her with privilege in the kingdom of God. No familial earthly connection provides heavenly rapport. And Jesus might begin to make this distinction here with his mother.

Then he says, my hour has not yet come. Now, that's not referring to his performance of a sign because we see that he does perform the sign. But what it does refer to always is the hour of his death. And we see this in John 7, verse 30, John 8, verse 20, and multiple verses in John 12. His hour always refers to his death where he will make final purification for sins.

So at this wedding, Jesus says, the hour of my death has not arrived, but what I will do is perform a sign that points towards and signifies my death, the new covenant, and the ushering in of the kingdom of God. It is essentially a parable of what his death provides and what his death means. Now, if you've ever read through the Gospels whenever Jesus wants to use an illustration of what the changes will be in the new kingdom he uses an illustration that everyone at the time would have understood new wine and we see this in Matthew chapter 9 Luke chapter 5 and Mark chapter 2 now in

verse 6 we start to understand why Jesus might have performed this miracle in the first place or as John refers to it, a sign. It says that there were six stone jars there for the Jewish rites of purification. If you go to Israel today, most of the pots that are used are made out of mud. That's why they're called earthen vessels. But in addition to those mud-made vessels, there are also special jars that are made out of stone. This is because the stone water pots wouldn't contain any of the contaminating bits of mud and dirt that the earthen vessels would possess. And these stone pots were used strictly for the ritual of purification for the Jews.

This was really, really important to them. And everybody in attendance at this wedding would have had to purify at least their hands and their feet before attending the wedding. You could not be admitted to the party until you had gone through ritual purification. And all of this points back to the Old Testament. We see that even in Luke chapter 11, Mark chapter 7, and Matthew 15. The Pharisees get mad at Jesus for not washing his hands. This isn't because they're germophobes, but because he wasn't abiding by their purification rituals and traditions. So let's continue.

Jesus tells them, take these large stone water pots, fill them back up with water to the brim, it says, and take it over to the master of the feast. Now, by the time the master of the feast tasted what was within the pots, it had become delicious wine. The master of the feast goes from there, grabs the groom, and says, normally people serve the best wine first and the cheap wine later on,

but you have saved the best wine for last. The disciples watched in awe as Jesus turned water into wine. They believed in him and saw his glory. That's John's goal, to see the glory of God. Jesus doesn't do unintentional tricks. He wants you to see his glory and, like the disciples, believe in him. So what's this passage ultimately about? If it's a sign, what does it point towards and what does it signify?

Number one, Jesus brings purification and transformation. To the Jews, there was almost this constant paranoia of ceremonial cleanliness and attempting to be clean, both in dishes they used and cups and pots. But Jesus comes and he fulfills the law and replaces this old method of perpetual purification with a new method that is much, much better. The once and for all purification that he himself brings by his blood. We're going to talk about this more when we get to John chapter six, but we also see this idea clearly represented in Hebrews chapter 10 in verse 11 through 14, which says, and every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had

offered for all time, a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. Verse 14, I love this. For by a single offering he has perfected or purified for all time those who are being sanctified. First John 1.7. The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. His hour that Jesus refers to will be the final, decisive, and ultimate purification for sins. No ceremony or ritual will be required for purification, only believing in Jesus Christ. You don't need to turn to a ritual, Jesus says. You need to turn to me. You need to turn to me.

I love that. One commentator remarks, how appropriate that God used wine to signify the Passover feast in Israel because it was both bitter and because it was the symbol for that which brings joy. And this idea of joy brings us to point number two. Number one, Jesus brings transformation and purification. And number two, Jesus is a God of joy and celebration. The Jews saw wine as a gift from God, and it had the ability to make the heart glad. It was an essential ingredient of all celebration. And here, Jesus shows us that maybe our ideas about him are incorrect. He eats with tax collectors and sinners and prostitutes, Even here, the expectation would be for Jesus to respond and say,

well, that's your fault for not planning wisely. Serves you right. But that's not the way he does respond. He responds by making more wine. He responds in a way that shows the abundance of his grace and kindness. We see in Isaiah chapter 25 and verse 6 that in the new kingdom, there will be a great banquet full of rich food and well-aged wine. This is a sign of his generosity and the provision of the banquet host, Jesus himself.

We see this idea clearly in one of my favorite chapters in the Gospels, in Luke chapter 15, when Jesus shatters the misconceptions of the Pharisees, and he tells them three consecutive stories. Number one, there's a lost sheep that is found, and then a celebration occurs. Number two, there's a lost coin that is found, and a celebration occurs. And then a familiar story, there's a lost coin that is found, and a celebration occurs. And then a familiar story, there's a lost son that is found, and then a great celebration occurs. And in that story of the prodigal son, the son comes home, and then there is a great feast.

And then the father says, we had to celebrate. And I love that passage, and it reminds me of Revelation 19. In the marriage supper of the lamb, there's a great feast that happens where the host, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and our bridegroom is worshipped. And the angel says in Revelation 19, how blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb. And the requirements of entry to that feast in Revelation 19 are to be purified, not by water from stone pots,

but by the once and for all blood of Jesus Christ. You and I have been extended that same invitation to be a part of his kingdom, to be transformed by him, to be purified by him once and for all through the blood of Jesus Christ. I love it. Stay dialed in.