The Good Stuff

John 2:1-11

January 14, 2007

A little boy was in a relative’s wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and growl. So it went, step, step, GROWL, step, step, GROWL all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the front. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was also near tears by the time he reached the pastor. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear.”

A lot of crazy things can happen at a wedding. I love America ’s Funniest Home Videos when they show all those bloopers from weddings. Groomsmen fainting, the bride tripping over her dress, a maid of honor’s hair catching on fire from a nearby candle because her hair was full of hairspray.

It’s hilarious, unless of course, it’s your wedding.

Two thousand years ago something went wrong at a wedding in the tiny village of Cana in Galilee , where Jesus and his family and the disciples were in attendance.

The wedding was a traditional Jewish wedding. The NIV Study Bible points out that “little is known of how a wedding was performed in first century Palestine , but clearly the feast was very important and sometimes the wedding celebration would last a week.”  Now that’s a party!

Today many of us think of two or three hours as a long wedding reception, especially if you’re the groom or bride. But in ancient Palestine , guests traveled far distances on foot. It took days to get to receptions. And the entire village or town would be involved, not just your select list of guests. They came for the free food and drink. I can understand. I’m there too when free food is involved.

But what I like most about this passage is that we see Jesus at a party, enjoying life. Doing what normal people do, in the everyday activities of people’s lives. He was having a good time. I mean, do you know what people did at these weddings in those days?  They danced.  And I’m sure Jesus did too. I can just see him on the dance floor doing the robot or the hustle.

Common practice was to serve your good wine the first day or two. Then, after people had gotten their fill, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Sally were starting to dance on tables, you’d bring out cheaper and lower quality wine. 

The problem here was that the wine had run out before the celebration was over.

Now Jesus’ mother Mary was concerned about the shortage of wine.  A shortage of drink on the surface does not seem like a big deal but as Warren Wiersbe points out it was necessary for the groom in those days to have adequate provisions at the wedding and it would be extremely embarrassing for him and his family to run out of food and wine. A family guilty of this could actually be fined by the government. To run out of wine, Wiersbe says, could be costly both financially and socially.

So they’re out of wine.  But why come to Jesus with the problem?

Perhaps the reason that Mary came to Jesus about the shortage was because she was used to him helping out. Now keep in mind that Jesus had not yet performed any miracles in his public ministry. So Mary probably did not intend for him to do something supernatural, she just wanted his help. Maybe Jesus and his disciples could come up with a reasonable solution to the problem.

We hear in scripture, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty 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 the master 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 for last.”

Jesus responded to the needs of a family. Simple, ordinary people with a common, ordinary problem. And he responds by creating the extraordinary wine which prevents embarrassment and honors the needs and dignity of the family.

Now, notice what scripture doesn’t tell us:
When does the actual miracle take place? Is when the servants fill the water jars? When the water hits the bottom of the jar? When it’s filled to the brim? When they draw some out for the taste test? When the wedding coordinator puts the glass to his lips?

I don’t know. And I think that’s part of the point. Jesus never says “hocus-pocus” and John never tries to explain. It’s a miracle! And part of the miracle is that it almost happens right under your nose without creating a spectacle or drawing attention. An ordinary miracle, if you will.

Now, I’ve been practicing, and I think that I’ve gotten the miracle of turning water into wine down pat.

(Pouring water into a glass filled with Kool-Aid grape juice powder).

Uggh!  That’s terrible!

I should have known.  I’m not the right guy for doing miracles.

There is a commercial for a car navigation system called “Tom-Tom.”  In the commercial, the driver asks the passenger, whose name is Scott, where to go: “Where to now, Scott-Scott?”  “Do I turn right or left, Scott-Scott?”

Needless to say, Scott does not have the answers, the driver gets lost, and the commercial tells us that if we need help, we need to ask Tom-Tom, not Scott-Scott.

And that’s the point I’d like for us to realize today:

When you need help, go to the right person—get Jesus involved. I admire Mary because as soon as a problem arose she went directly to Jesus for help. She got him involved. This may have been a small problem, but no problem is too small or too big to involve Jesus. He cares about every problem big or small.

In Matthew 11:24, Jesus made this promise to us. He said, “Come to me all you who are weary and overburdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites you to lay your problems at his feet. Jesus says I love you and I want to take on all your problems.

Listen, we’ve all got stuff going on in our lives.  Are you trying to handle it on your own?  Are there some situations in your life that you need to take to Jesus?

Is there something you need to let Him assist you with? Something you can’t handle alone? Maybe there is a huge mountain you have to climb and you are dreading it.

Put your pride aside and humbly go to Him and say Jesus its time I involved you.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares on him because he is concerned about your predicament.” This week I looked up that word “all” and do you know what that word all means in the original Greek language? It means all.

All your cares. Not some. All. Meaning that there is not one problem in your life you should not cast upon Jesus. To cast means to literally release it and let go. Think about how nice it would be to just let go of the problem you face. You can. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.”

I like what Dave Stone says. He says “The tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer. It is un-offered prayer.” Many times we just don’t ask for help.

Mary went right away to Jesus with her problem. So should we.

Because when you call upon Jesus, no matter what you start with, you get the good stuff, his best, not Kool-Aid powder.

And Jesus is still transforms water to wine today. He does it in our lives, in our homes and in our churches.

I wonder if you’ve experienced this miracle-producing, life-changing presence of Jesus. I wonder if you can recognize God’s transforming power in your life.  Jesus wants you to call upon him in your everyday, ordinary circumstances, so that he can do something extraordinary through you.

The words to a song by Third Day ring so true: “There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary, love for the broken heart.  There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, to meet you wherever you are. Just cry out to Jesus.”

Isn’t that what we’re looking for?

And when you cry out to Jesus, do whatever he tells you, just as the wedding stewards did. Whatever he says, do. Wherever he sends, go. Listen to his words as if your life depended on it… because it does.

Allow me to finish with this little rhyme:

Jesus is still in the business of turning water to wine. He wants to make this happen in your life and mine. He is still looking for servants who will listen and obey. Maybe this is the time for you to trust and to pray. Hand him your life – watch and see. And let Jesus transform you into the wonderful, incredible, extraordinary creation He’s always intended you to be.

So my friends, this is my challenge to you: call upon Jesus, even in the mundane issues of life, and he will surely bring out the good stuff in you.