Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Saving the Best for Last | New Testament | John 2

Episode Date: December 4, 2023

Maybe you're at a point in your life that you feel spiritually, emotionally or even physically empty. Do you believe God is still looking out for you? In today's episode, Keith shares the story of Jesus turning water into wine in John 2. In what ways is God still working in your life? Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: John 2

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. We are in the middle of an election season right now, and all the candidates are trying to position themselves in the field by contrasting themselves with the people who are running against them. You can learn a lot about a presidential nominee by their campaign announcement. Each nominee puts a lot of thought into exactly what they will say and how they'll say it, because they know they're introducing themselves to the country. so they make sure they get to the point to tell people what their campaign is all about. The announcement sets the tone and lets the voters know their agenda and their hopes for the future of the nation. Donald Trump said he was on a mission to make America great again.

Joe Biden said that the upcoming election was a battle for the soul of the nation. You can think about Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine as his campaign announcement. In that miracle recorded in John chapter 2, he's telling us what his campaign is all about. But Jesus isn't running for president of the United States. No, he's assuming a position far more important and far more powerful. He is claiming that he's the Messiah, the rightful king over all creation. What kind of king is Jesus? What kind of kingdom will he rule over? Let's pick up the story in John 2, verse 1. On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.

Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, They have no more wine. Woman, why do you involve me? Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. In a culture where hospitality meant everything, running out of wine at a wedding would communicate more than having a bad wedding planner.

This would have been a public disgrace to the bride, the groom, and both their families, because they would have been viewed as not being generous hosts for their guests. Fortunately for them, their guest list included the Son of God. And that's exactly what Mary realized as well. She might not fully get who Jesus is at this point in the story, but she knows that he can do miracles. Now, the interaction between Mary and Jesus is interesting. Mary approaches Jesus and lets him know that the wedding has run out of wine. He understands that what

she's really saying is that she wants him to create more wine, to do one of those miracles she's seen him do in the past. So Jesus responds, my hour has not yet come. That seems weird. What's Jesus talking about? Is he going to turn into a bartender when the clock strikes 12? Throughout the rest of the Gospel of John, we will see Jesus refer to his hour a handful of times. What we eventually realize is that for Jesus, his hour refers to the time for his death on the cross. So let's see if that helps make sense out of this passage. Mary approaches Jesus and tells him that the wine is run out. Jesus responds by saying, it's not time for me to die yet. While this conversation between Jesus and Mary still seems confusing, it actually becomes the key to unlocking the meaning of the rest

of the story and the rest of John's gospel narrative. See, just like any other young single person at a wedding. Jesus is picturing his wedding. But the wedding that Jesus is picturing is a wedding we find in the book of Revelation, where John describes what it will be like when God returns to earth to restore his creation. Here's what it says in Revelation 21. Listen for the wedding analogy. And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with him and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. See, the story of the Bible ends with a wedding. But this time around, Jesus isn't just a guest. He's the bridegroom and his church is his bride.

So the day when Jesus returns will be like a wedding with the best reception you can imagine. This is the wedding that Jesus has in mind. And so the story continues in John chapter 2 verse 6. Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water, so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so. And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first, and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best till now. Remember that this miracle found only in the Gospel of John is the kickoff of Jesus' public ministry. One of the things he's saying is that he's keeping the party going. Jesus' kingdom is one of joy and celebration.

Does this story fit with your view of Jesus? Is this your view of the Christian life? A lot of times Christians are tempted to think that Christianity is solely about abstaining from things, as if it's a religion of don'ts. Oftentimes, this leads to a picture of Jesus as a cold, stoic man who knew how to follow all the rules. But John paints a picture of Jesus that's a bit more complex. Yes, Jesus knows when to abstain, but his abstaining is always for the sake of the feast. The wine in this story represents more than the joyous reception at a wedding between Jesus and the church. It also represents the means by which the wedding happens.

Did you notice in the story how John specifically mentioned that the jars of water were designated by the Jews for ceremonial washing? These jars would hold water that would be used to purify the outside of a person. But Jesus was introducing a new kind of purification, not just for cleansing the outside of a person, but purifying their heart as well. On the night before he was crucified, Jesus held a feast. We call it communion, or the Lord's Supper. In Matthew 26, we read, While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, take and eat, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said to them, drink from it, all of you.

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I, I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. By his death on the cross, Jesus has offered us the abundant wine of his blood so that we might drink the abundant wine of the feast. Maybe you're at a point in your life where you feel like the families at the wedding in Cana. The wine has run out. You've lost the joy in your life. Maybe COVID was tough on you and your family and things haven't been the same since. Maybe your career isn't shaping up how you thought it would. Maybe it's been hard for you to find community and friendships. Maybe you don't have an explanation for why you're

feeling the way you are, but the reality is that you're plagued with seasons of depression and anxiety, and you don't know what you can do to fix it. Wherever you are, whatever you're going through, Jesus is offering you new wine, wine that won't run out, wine that won't let you down, wine that leads to true joy. And just like the master of the banquet pointed out, Jesus saves the best wine for last. This is what Christians remember when we take communion together. By eating the bread and drinking the wine, we remember the blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins. We also look forward to the day when we will feast again when Jesus returns. As Christians today, we live in between those two realities. We live as people of the feast and as

people of the blood. We trust that the true joy is coming, but it comes through sacrifice. We only it to the feast through the blood of Christ. We trust that love will have the victory. Greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. Jesus began his campaign, his announcement that he was the Messiah at that wedding in Cana, but his kingdom is still on the move today. If you feel as if your life has run out of wine, turn to the one who turns water to wine.