1/26/03 E-3 INI John 2:1-11

What in the world is our Lord doing at a wedding changing water into wine? Just a few weeks before he was starving in the wilderness and refused to change stones into bread! Could it be that what Christ would not do for Himself, even though He was hungry, yet at Cana He would do for the sake of others? Exactly! As John tells us in v. 11, it was the result of this "beginning of signs" or miracles in Cana that He "showed forth His glory; and His disciples believed in Him." In other words, our Savior

MUST BE ABOUT HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS:

Without question the Lord Jesus Christ is glorious in His holiness. But can you imagine inviting Jesus to your wedding if He had come to earth shining with the glory of God's holiness? The brightness of His perfection would kill every one who looked upon Him, for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) But "He did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved." (Jn. 3:17) He did not come to hover above us, or hold Himself away from us, but to dwell with us in the glory of His grace and truth!

Therefore we should not be surprised to see the Lord of life enter upon His public ministry by attending a wedding and performing His first miracle there. We see here the glory of His grace -- His desire not only to become flesh, but to dwell with us. He brings His heavenly presence into our earthly circumstances, so that He may apply His heart-changing, life-changing power to all our needs.

He comes to us in our marriages, in our family relationships, in our work or play -- wherever we are at. When we are afraid, when we have sinned, when we are in need of daily bread or healing, or when we yearn for inner peace and joy, what does Jesus say to us? Does He say, "Climb every mountain, search high and low"? Does He say, "Run to a psychiatrist," or even "run to a temple made with hands"? No! He only says:

"I have come to be with you in grace and truth. Through the power of my Gospel of forgiveness I have come to be with you wherever you are. Through my word I would bring you forgiveness, healing, guidance and joy in every scene of your life. I once came to purchase you from the power of the devil. All the way from heaven to earth I came, and then to hell itself, in order to make you mine. Now isn't it a very small thing for me to travel with you on earth from morning till evening in order to keep you for myself after all that I've gone through to get you?"

By coming to us and dwelling with us, our Savior is about His Father's business in bringing us to glory!

But while coming to us He must draw us to Himself. Many would think that Mary of all people was so very close to Jesus that He would not need to draw her closer. In a sense, Jesus had been a part of her life since He was conceived in her womb. But just because Mary was "blessed among women" she was in danger of forgetting that she must recognize Jesus not as her son, but first as her own Savior from sin.

Mary's remark to her son, "they have no wine," appears to be innocent. But Jesus' answer shows that Mary must have been addressing Him as her son rather than as her Savior. He says, "Woman, what Have I to do with you?" This was a rebuke of Mother Mary the Meddler! But it was meant to draw her to her Savior, not drive her away. By addressing His mother as "woman," Jesus was not putting her down. From the cross He also called her "woman" in tender love as He committed her to the care of John. Yet if His beloved mother were to obtain the blessing of eternal glory with Him, then she must ever cling to Him not as a mother to her son, but as a sinner to Her Savior.

So today, as the Son of God , our Savior goes about doing the Father's business through the preaching of the gospel. He cares nothing for "Good Buddy" relationships between Him and His fellowmen. He does not know them who merely say, "Lord! Lord!" yet do not preach His Word faithfully. Remember the woman who listened to Jesus preach, and then cried out: "blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you." And remember our Lord's immediate response: "rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Lk. 11:28)

Jesus cares nothing for relationships which hold Him up as a great Teacher of morals so that sinners may know how to produce their own righteousness.

The only relationship which brings glory to sinners is that of a poor heart which clings in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ! Through His gospel He would draw us and keep us to Himself; not to membership in a church, but to His body of believers of which He is the Head!

When He comes to us with His blood and righteousness, He does not want us to wear them only for special occasions, like a new dress or suit. Jesus draws us to Himself by causing us to wear His blood and righteousness as our everyday dress as if we had nothing else, needed nothing else, and wanted nothing else!

It was not because Jesus had been unaware or did not care that the wine was running out. He had not acted sooner because "His time had not yet come." Not until the wine was completely gone did His hour come. Mary was told this in order to encourage her to wait patiently in hope. WE ourselves are to learn from these words. Our Savior is not sleeping, or unconcerned so that He does not hear our cries in time of need or want. We are reminded that He who came at exactly the right time to be our Savior (Rom. 5:6), will also provide for our needs and even our wants at precisely the best time, according to His own perfect will and wisdom.

Jesus must be about His Father's business of bringing many to glory. The Father's way is to let us become empty of ourselves, empty of our own righteousness, even at times bringing us to the brink of despair, before He fills us with the glory of His grace and truth, restores our joy, or grants us healing! So Jesus does not perform His miracle at the wedding until it is clear that no one can help himself to more wine. Jesus would produce no wine until HIS time!

When our Lord does perform His saving, healing, restoring work in our lives according to His own timetable, the result is even better than we expected! The governor of the wedding feast was greatly surprised to find that the wine brought to him by the servants was better than the wine served at the beginning.

His words and surprise point up the difference between the giving of the world and the giving of Christ in bringing many to glory. The world offers to those who worship it the best wine in the beginning. When men have filled themselves with the pleasures and riches of the world, their spiritual palate becomes dulled. When they have lost the ability to distinguish at all between right and wrong, moral and immoral, THEN the world comes with more and more perversions! Like those who are drunk already, men take the bitter wine and perish in a drunken stupor!

But when our Savior has accomplished what He will in our sorrows, when He has DRAWN US to Himself again, and when patience has had its perfect work in our trials, THEN, at the RIGHT TIME, He comes with His best wine! We may fill our waterpots with water -- even the tears of penitence and sorrow by His working and command. But then Christ turns our water into a better wine than we have ever known before! In this way He draws us ever closer to eternal glory. We may be as poor as the beggar Lazarus in this world -- without the wine of the rich man. But the day will come when, along with Lazarus, we shall be eternally DRUNKEN with the pleasures of eternal glory. Because Jesus keeps the best wine 'til last. Amen.