Sermon Discussion Questions:
1. Read through John 2. What insights do you glean by comparing and contrasting the story of the wedding and the story of the temple?
2. What is the significance of the specific type of stone jars that were used for the miracle of water to wine? See John 2:6
3. John tells us that Jesus' miracle at the wedding is a sign that manifests Jesus' glory. What does this miracle tell you about what God is like?
4. What does the cleansing of the temple tell you about what God is like?
5. How does the death and resurrection of Jesus help us interpret these two (wedding and temple) stories?
6. Jesus' disciples were likely very confused by Jesus' actions in the temple. Do you ever find yourself embarassed or confused by something Jesus does, or find yourself not understanding why Jesus feels so strongly about something? What should we do about that?
Some people are speaking today of a “vibe shift” in our culture’s attitude.
The dominant narrative in our country for the past 15 years has been a posture of suspicion, exposure, and criticism*.* Cancel culture, calling people out, overturning unjust structures. **It has given us suspicion towards institutions and tradition, a mode of deconstruction that seeks to expose sacred stories and traditions as nothing more than power-plays; to see through the values and structures as really being vehicles of oppression and inequality, or just a way of duping the naive. But if you deconstruct everything, you have nothing to live in. If you “see through” everything, there is nothing to see. There is no meaning. And human beings are meaning shaped creatures. If you deny human nature the food of meaning long enough, it’s hunger pangs will eventually make itself known. And in the past few years, there has been a steadily growing interest in a move towards the traditional generator of meaning: religion.
To put this a little more crudely: for a long time, it was not cool to be religious. Now, that may be changing.
At 2020, Bible sales were at an all-time low in America. Today, they are at an all-time high, most of them being bought by Gen-Z. Joe Rogan, who hosts the most popular podcast in the world, who once was aggressively antagonistic towards Christianity, recently had a Christian apologist Wes Huff on to discuss the historical accuracy of the Bible and the resurrection. The New York Post recently ran an article on how the Orthodox Church has seen a 78% increase in converts in 2023—mostly young men—who have sought out this highly liturgical, ancient church primarily because so much of life feels unstable and malleable, they want something solid and historic. It would seem there is a growing resurgence of interest in religion in general, and Christianity in particular.
What do we do about this? Well, first we remember that dissatisfaction with progressive secularism isn’t the new birth. We need more than vibes, which are inherently imprecise and fickle. So we should be slow to figuratively baptize public figures as Christians just because they speak positively about Christianity. Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are not optional. But we should pray that the Church may take advantage of this opportunity, that we would grow in our boldness to share the gospel with our friends and co-workers as they may now have a growing openness to Christianity.
The gospel of John is a wonderful book for us to be studying right now, because it gives us an opportunity to center ourselves on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and see how people responded to Him in His day. In our text, we will see that when Jesus shows up, He does things so wonderful that would make anyone want Jesus around…and He does things that are scandalously offensive. Jesus is a fascinating person and He is worthy of your consideration today:
[Page 887]
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 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 10 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.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. Jesus Cleanses the Temple 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Jesus Knows What Is in Man 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
A Wedding
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples - John 2:1-2
Jesus arrives (with His disciples) at a wedding. His mother is already there, but there is a problem: “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3)
Weddings in Jesus’ day were extravagant affairs, usually lasting between 5-7 days, and including generally the entire village (Judg 14:12). The young couple (the groom, likely 18-19; the bride, 15-16) and their family would be expected to provide wine and sustenance for the entire week—a considerable cost. And, in a shame/honor culture, it would be deeply mortifying to run out of wine, something that would be remembered for years to come. Mary becomes aware that the wine has run out and goes to Jesus and tells Him: The have no wine.
And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” - John 2:4
If you are concerned that Jesus is speaking dismissively to His mother by referring to her as “Woman,” don’t fear, this is a common, polite way to address a female in Jewish society (similar to our “Ma’m”). In John’s gospel, Jesus’ “hour” refers to His arrest and crucifixion (7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1; cf. also 4:21, 23; 5:25, 28; 16:21, 32). Jesus knows that once He begins working signs and miracles, the countdown to His death begins.
We will return later to Jesus’ words here, but let’s turn to the miracle for now:
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 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 10 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.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. - John 2:6-11
We will come back to these verses in our final point because—like all of John—there is a lot packed in here. But let’s tease out just a couple of points from this story.
First, weddings are terribly important in the Bible. The Bible begins with a wedding and throughout the Old Testament, God speaks of His relationship with His people like a marriage—a marriage that Israel was unfaithful in. But God promised that He would establish a new marriage covenant with Israel (Jer 31:32; Hos 2:19). This is the new covenant that Jesus comes to establish. In fact, John has stylized the first chapter of his gospel to make you think of Genesis. He opens with the famous words” In the beginning…” (John 1:1). And then describes Jesus as light shining in the darkness (John 1:4-5). Then, look back at John 1:29, you’ll notice the phrase “The next day…” that is repeated again in vs. 35 and vs. 43. This almost sounds like Genesis’ “evening and morning, the first day…second day…” and so on. Nowhere else in John’s gospel does he enumerate days like this. And then, John 2:1 opens with “On the third day…” That is, the third day from the last day numbered in the previous chapter. If you count up all the days numbered, there are seven days. We will come back to this later, but what happens in Genesis after the seventh day? Adam and Eve are brought together.
What is John doing? He is showing you that Jesus has come to bring a new creation, a new Genesis, and a new people. In the next chapter of John, John the Baptist compares Jesus to a bridegroom coming out to meet His bride (John 3:29). What does Paul tell husbands? Love your wife “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” (Eph 5:25). As Jesus sits through the wedding at Cana, He has His eyes set on His own wedding to come.
In the book of Revelation, we get to read about the wedding day. After judging His enemies, Revelation depict Jesus inaugurating the great wedding feast.
Second, wine is an important image in the Bible. In the Old Testament, when the prophets look forward to coming of the New Creation, one aspect of it will be an abundance wine (Isa 25:6; Amos 9:13-15; Joel 3:18; Jer 31:12)—so abundant, that the very mountains will flow with wine. And this wine will be exquisite wine—”aged wine, well-refined” (Isa 25:6). Certainly, Jesus is tapping into both of these qualities with the super-abundance and exquisite nature of wine emphasized in the miracle: Jesus makes 120-180 gallons of wine, and it is “the good wine.” All the Dionysian tales where the rivers are running with wine—they are closer to our Lord’s intention that we may realize. Further, Jesus sacralizes wine in the final meal He will share with His disciples—both bread and wine become sacraments for the church. But listen to the words Jesus gives at that ceremony to His disciples about wine: “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom,” (Matt 26:29). For Jesus, wine serves as a heavenly symbol—or, to use John’s key word—a sign, pointing forward to the day when everything sad becomes untrue, and all heaven breaks loose.
Third, these are no ordinary jars—John, significantly, tells us that these are the stone jars for the Jewish rites of purification. John certainly didn’t need to include that detail; he could have simply told us that there were six stone jars nearby. So, by making us aware that these are specifically for the Jewish rites of purification, John wants to emphasize what he felt Jesus was emphasizing in the miracle. The “rites of purification” are likely the handwashing ceremonies that would be used to make you ceremonially clean before handling food—this was not about hygiene, but a way of trying to preserve ritual cleanness before the eyes of God. So, when Jesus uses those vessels to transform water into wine, He is making a not-too-subtle allusion that He has come to provide a new way to be made clean before God, to replace the old order of Jewish law and custom with the new wine of the new covenant (Mark 2:22).
Fourth, we are told that this is “the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.” There are many layers here. One is that this clearly evokes John’s earlier comment, which reads: “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” (John 1:14, 16-17). Jesus reveals His glory through this miracle by displaying His superior abundance of grace and truth—think of the sheer abundance of wine made—and how this wine represents the new covenant He has come to make which supersedes Moses (represented by the water in the stone jars).
But, there’s another, more intuitive layer here. When it comes time for Jesus to pull the curtains back, to manifest His true nature, the very glory of God…what does He do? He rescues a young couple from embarrassment. Jesus manifesting His glory by raising someone from the dead? That makes sense. Delivering a person from the bondage of a demon? That seems important. But, this miracle seems in contrast, relatively unimportant. If the wine ran out, it would have been very embarrassing…but not the end of the world. What does that tell us God is like? He isn’t only concerned with big problems; you can pray for Him to help you with that presentation at work tomorrow, to find a parking space, to give you wisdom in planning a date for your wife. He cares. Further, He makes really good wine. Sometimes, serious Christians can be suspicious of the pleasures of the created world—food and drink and parties and leisure. But Jesus did not make passable, okay wine—He made wine that caused the master of the feasts to comment on it’s quality. If the wine would have run out, the wedding feast would have been brought to a premature end. Jesus intervenes and says, “Let’s keep the party going.” When Jesus feeds the five thousand, we are told that the they ate as much bread and fish “as they wanted” until “they had eaten their fill” (John 6:11-12). The next time you sit down to a meal, thank God for the varied tastes and experience and community with the others at the table you share. Enjoy the gifts of food and drink God has given.
A Temple
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” - John 2:13-17
There are three festivals a year that require every Jew (who is able to make the travel) come to the temple in Jerusalem—Passover is one of those (Deut 16:16). Because the journey could be long for some, there was a business opened in Jerusalem that would sell you an animal to sacrifice, so you didn’t have to transport one with you on the journey. Further, because there was a wide variety of coinage used throughout Israel, there was a standard coin required for the temple tax, so moneychangers would exchange the various coins for the temple-approved coin. Notice, Jesus’ anger here isn’t that these businesses are cheating people, it is their location. They ought not do this in the temple.
The temple had a large outer court, about 35 acres—a massive expanse of space. It seemed natural for merchants to set up shop here, rather than the congested streets of Jerusalem or inconveniently outside of the city walls. But just because something is convenient or seems to make sense, doesn’t make it right. The holiest of all places has become common, like market, rendering the worship and implicitly the God of worship, mundane. Jesus is charged with zeal for the temple, for pure worship. Why? Because He is the God of the Temple; the Holy of holies within the Temple is where He has taken up residence, and just as God struck worshippers dead who approached casually and profanely, Jesus is incensed at the flippancy of the marketers.
The fact that Jesus is not immediately arrested shows us that Jesus did not become physically violent with any person (the whip was most likely used to drive the animals out), and it may also show that the crowds (and even temple authorities) may have actually been sympathetic to Jesus’ outrage (Finally, someone did something about this problem). Yet, the authorities cannot let a vigilante run loose without challenging Him.
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. - John 2:18-22
They ask for a sign, a proof from God for Jesus’ authority to perform such an act. And Jesus’ response is jarring: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The authorities are baffled by such a self-evidently insane comment. This temple took 46 years to construct…how could one man rebuild it in three days?
This is another moment where Jesus could have explained Himself to clear away misunderstanding. But He doesn’t. He just lets Himself sound like a lunatic. But He isn’t a lunatic. John explains that He was speaking about the temple of His body. Jesus is the Temple; His body is now the earthly habitation of God, where heaven and earth meet (John 1:14). But it is only after His resurrection that the disciples remember this. Could you imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples at that moment? The sheer shock of Jesus’ action alone would have been overwhelming; the words He speaks afterwards? Baffling.
Jesus, what are you doing?
When we encounter Jesus at Cana, He is wonderful. Who wouldn’t want Jesus there?
When we encounter Him at the Temple in Jerusalem, He seems unhinged.
It is the same Jesus. He is not safe, but He is good. And His goodness is revealed in both incidents. Both are revelations of His character. What is God like? He is a God who pays attention to our problems and brings the new wine of truth and grace. And He is the God who burns with righteous zeal when He is not worshipped rightly; who does not owe anyone an explanation for what He does. Who sees through all pretense and appearances and judges the heart for he knows what is in man (John 2:23-25).
As we think about where our culture is at this point and the new openness to religion in general, and Christianity in particular, we should do two things: (1) we should take advantage of appealing to what our culture finds inherently attractive in Jesus (He can turn water into wine! He can provide meaning and make sense of the world, etc.), but (2) without watering down what our culture may find unattractive (flipping tables over; obedience and submission to His Law, etc.)
I wonder if you have ever been left confused by an encounter with Jesus? If you aren’t a Christian here today, I wonder if you have ever been left with a sour taste in your mouth when hearing about Jesus?
A Sign
Read these two stories (the wedding and the temple) carefully and you’ll notice that John wants you to read them together.
First, you may remember that in the other three gospels, the cleansing of the temple took place in the final week of Jesus’ life. John has put it here at the very beginning of His public ministry. While it is possible that Jesus performed this cleansing of the temple twice (one at the beginning, one at the end, with John and the synoptics only mentioning one each), it seems more likely that John has moved this story forward to this point of the story on purpose: so that you would read it in contrast with the wedding at Cana.
Notice: both stories describe Jesus performing “a sign” and these signs result in His disciples believing in His name. Both reference His death: *my hour has not yet come…*and destroy this temple. And both reference “the third day.” In the temple story, Jesus says that He will raise up the temple of His body in three days (2:19), and John opens the story of Cana with: “On the third day…” There, John is doing a lot all at once. The “third day” adds up to the previous days to make seven days total—the number of days which brought about the completion of the creation. But you cannot hear “On the third day…” in the gospels without hearing a resonance of resurrection clearly evident—particularly when the immediately following story introduces (for the first time in John) Jesus’ resurrection.
Both stories center around this word “sign”—this is a critical word in John’s gospel. A sign points beyond to a deeper reality; Jesus’ miracles in John’s gospel are always referred to as “signs.” Meaning, they point beyond the phenomenon of the miracle itself to something more profound.
What is that? The heavenly rewards Jesus’ death and resurrection have won.
When Jesus cleanses the Temple, it is significant that we are told it is the Passover. Just a few weeks ago, we saw John the Baptist identify Jesus as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” (John 1:29). As Jesus drives the animals out of the temple courts and flips the moneychanger tables, we see that He is concerned about pure worship; but there is a deeper meaning as well. Jesus can chase all of the animals out of the temple because Jesus is the Passover Lamb, the final sacrifice to be made, rendering the temple and its sacrificial system null and void. He can overturn the money tables because His blood is the final price to pay. Zeal for pure worship consumes Jesus not only in His opposition to the disorder going on in the courts becoming a market—zeal for pure worship literally will consume Him like an offering Himself. In His burning zeal for true worship, Jesus does not only oppose false worship—He gives Himself to transform us into true worshippers. Jesus death and resurrection transforms sinners like us into true worshippers.
In the wedding, when Mary approaches Jesus He reminds her “my hour has not yet come.” He knows that by performing this miracle, a timer counting down to the cross begins. And perform the miracle He does. And where does He do it? A wedding. With what? Wine. The wedding at Cana is a foretaste of the final wedding supper of the Lamb that we will experience in the new creation—but how is the new creation brought about? The resurrection—the new seventh day of creation, is also “the third day.” But first, Jesus’ “hour” must come where He lifts up a cup of wine and says: Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:27). Jesus came to redeem and rescue His Bride, the Church, and the dowry price was unimaginable: blood. And, even more jarring, Brides are clothed in white to symbolize purity—but we aren’t pure. Spiritually speaking, none of us come to Jesus like pure virgins; the blood that Jesus must shed to win His Bride is for the very acts of unfaithfulness we have committed. And yet, He still redeems us. Washes, purifies us, and makes us spotless by taking our very sins and atoning for them Himself through shedding His blood on our behalf.
And every week we take the Lord’s Supper, we are given visual, tangible reminder: God’s love displayed through blood paid.
Love is that liquor sweet and most divine, Which my God feels as blood, but I as wine.
And as those now redeemed and following Christ, we look forward to the day when we shall rise just as He rose from the dead in the resurrection and join Him at the great feast.
To put the principle simply: what is the point of Jesus’ acts when they resonate with our culture’s desires? The death and resurrection of Christ. What is the point when they oppose our culture’s desires? The death and resurrection of Christ.
Paul tells us that he preaches nothing but the cross—why? Because without the death and resurrection of Christ, nothing else matters.
