John 2:1-12 - The Sign of Wine: Glory, Blessing, and Blood (Rev. Erik Veerman)

The Sign of Wine: Glory, Blessing, Blood John 2:1-12 Our sermon text this morning is John 2:1-12. In the lead up to these verses, Jesus has been introduced as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the light of the world, the creator of all things, and various other titles and descriptions. John the Baptist and several of Jesus newly gathered disciples testified to those things. The apostle John now turns his attention to not just tell us who Jesus is, but to show us. In our passage this morning, we'll hear about the first miracle of Jesus. It happened at a wedding in Cana which is in the region of Galilee. Reading of John 2:1-12 Every single culture throughout human history has had weddings … you know, ceremonies and banquets. And there are some interesting customs. I've never been, but I understand that if you go to a Jewish wedding, you’ll see the groom and sometimes the bride smash a piece of glass under their feet. At Greek weddings, the attendees will dance in big circles around the happy couple - apparently it's a sign of blessing. I’ve never witness that but I've seen the movie. A few years ago when I was in India with Pastor Chuck, we drove by a big wedding reception. There was an elephant and there were lots of colors. It was beautiful and very celebratory. And it’s no wonder why weddings are so significant. God established marriage from the very beginning. Right there in Genesis 2, God instituted the union between man and woman. A man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united to his wife and they shall become one flesh. When I am meeting with engaged couples, one thing I emphasize is that Genesis 2 happened before Genesis 3. I know that sounds obvious and it is, but it is very significant. Genesis 3 is the fall – it’s when sin entered the world. Genesis 2 is when God established marriage. In other words, marriage between a man and a woman is part of God’s created order before the fall. Marriage is not part of God’s redemptive plan - No, it precedes it and transcends the fall. In other words, marriage is not just for Christians, rather, it is an institution that applies to all humanity. To be sure, not everyone is called to be married – the apostle Paul makes that clear. But marriage and family are at the very center of God’s established order for humanity. So, it’s no wonder that weddings have always been a big deal everywhere – because they are! I bring all that up because the fact that Jesus' very first miracle happened at a wedding is very significant. Jesus didn’t turned water into wine at some arbitrary banquet. No, he did so at a wedding feast. He did so at a celebration of the most important union here on earth… and more importantly, a union modelled after his relationship with us - the marriage between Christ and his church. My hope is that as we work through what happened at this wedding in Cana, that you will see not only the glory of Jesus on display, but you will also see how it reveals the greater wedding banquet that is to come. Ok. Before we get into the specifics, I want to point out one other significant thing. Look at verse 11. It says, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee.” Notice that John does not use the word “miracle.” No, instead he uses the word “sign.” Sign is the word that John uses throughout the book. In fact, chapters 2 through chapter 12 are sometimes called the “book of signs.” The content of these chapters revolve around 7 signs that Jesus performed. The word sign comes from the Greek word “sēmeia.” The word indicates that these events are more than just miracles. They point to something significant. Think about all the English words derived from the Greek word for sign. Significant, signify, signal, assign… all of those capture the idea that there’s a deeper meaning here. And that is what these signs are. They direct our attention not to the miracles themselves, but rather to what the miracles reveal. I think the clearest example of this I think is in chapter 6. Jesus multiplied the fish and the loaves and then he said to the crowd, “I am the bread of heaven.” Through that miracle, Jesus gave us a sign that he is the one who spiritually feed us and gives us life. So here at the wedding in Cana, it’s not only that Jesus displayed his glory and power by turning water into wine. But Jesus also revealed greater things. The question is, then, to what is this sign signifying? … you know, beyond just Jesus' glory? Well, as we work through the narrative, there are two additional things that the sign of wine is signifying. It foreshadows the cleansing blood of Christ, and it demonstrates the abundant spiritual blessings that we have and will received in him. We'll consider those in three points: #1 the sign of Jesus' glory. #2, the foreshadowing of Jesus' blood. and #3 the foretaste of eternal blessing. 1. The Sign of Wine - Glory So, first, glory. I think you would...