Water to Wine

January 17, 2016 Second Sunday after Epiphany-C


John 2:1-11 The Wedding at Cana
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.” “Dear woman, why do you involve Me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
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 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.”
This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.

Last week we talked about water, this week let’s talk about wine. Last week was the baptism of Jesus and this week Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding at Cana. In the church, when Christians think of water, we automatically think of baptism, and when we think of wine, we think about the Lord’s Supper. Last week we talked about baptism, this week we will talk about the Lord’s Supper. But first, let’s look at the action of Jesus at the wedding at Cana.

The last verse of our Gospel reading, as a conclusion, tells us that was “the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs.” “This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.” In the Gospel book of John, the wonderful deeds of Jesus are not called “miracles,” but rather are called “signs.” That is because they are signs or signals that show us something about Jesus. They are acts that reveal who and what Jesus is and why he is Savior. The happenings at the wedding at Cana show us many things about Jesus.

First, Jesus attended the wedding with his Mother and Disciples. This was a wedding, a celebration of the blessings of God on the new couple and their families. Jesus was not like John the Baptist who lived in the wilderness. Jesus came to this earth to be with people. Therefore he is called “Immanuel” which means “God with us.” He came to be with us in our joys and sorrows. Jesus was invited to the wedding, and we too invite Jesus into the happenings in our lives: at meal time many of us pray “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest.” He comes when we call upon him in the time of danger or in the time of wonderment when we say, “Oh, my God.” He also comes at our baptisms, weddings, and funerals, too.

Next, when the wine gave out, his Mother came to him to ask for his help. When the wine of our life party gives out, it is time to ask Jesus for his help. I mean, life does not always seem like a feast or a party. When there are problems, there is no more joy. It is like the wine is gone. When we are out of money, out of luck, when our friends are gone and we are lonely, when we are sick or in pain, when we are worried about others, when we fear for our lives either right now or about our future – it is like the wine of life is gone. It is time to ask for Jesus to help us. The words of Mary to the servants is good advice for us, too, she said, "Do whatever he tells you." In other words, ‘Let Jesus take care of the situation.” Do not worry, but fully trust Jesus.

The next sign of this story tells about the power of Jesus. He makes about 150 gallons of excellent, good-tasting wine. When Jesus does something, he does it well. When he heals people, they can see, hear, talk, walk, and even rise from the dead. When he breaks 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish in the wilderness, he feeds 5000 people. When he suffers for our sins, he takes the sin of the world upon himself. When he dies, he is dead and buried. When he rises, he is alive for eternity. The 150 gallons of excellent wine also shows the abundance of his generosity, mercy, kindness, and concern for our welfare. Jesus wants us to have a good life. He does not want us to suffer. But this is a world of sin and evil. The mercy and love of God is the Good News that our sin is forgiven and that Jesus is with us. The 150 gallons of wine remind me of Psalm 23.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love (mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
This is a psalm that fully trusts Jesus.

One of my favorite lines in today’s story is spoken to the bridegroom by the steward, or master of the banquet. He 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.” These words too are a sign that tells us about Jesus and the Gospel. The old wine was poor, the new wine is good. The Gospel is the good news. Previously, people were drinking and getting drunk on the old wine of the Law of Moses. Now is the time to bring out the best, now is the time of Gospel. It is a new way of life. It is a life of freedom from the slavery of sin. It is a life of celebration in the new life of salvation. It is forgiveness. It is love. It is the mercy and goodness and generosity of God. Jesus is the sign that God “has saved the best till now.”

Last week we talked about how the water of baptism saves us through the promise of the Word of God which says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” And so ordinary water becomes a washing away of sin and a rising to new life. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus turned water into wine. But we have to talk about the Lord’s Supper because in the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus turns wine into the saving power of his blood. I do not want to say that Jesus changes the wine into his blood, because there is definitely grape wine in the chalice during Holy Communion. There is an old teaching in the church called “transubstantiation.” That says there is no longer wine or bread on the Altar, but only the body and blood of Christ, which only looks like bread and wine. On the other hand, at the time of the Protestant Reformation, some people like Zwingli, thought that there was only bread and wine and no body and blood of Christ at all. There is a famous story where Zwingli and Luther were debating this issue in the town of Marburg. Luther insisted that since Jesus said it was his body, it was his true body, because Jesus would not lie to us. And at that meeting, Luther took chalk and wrote on the table the words of Jesus, “This is my body.” (“Here I Stand,” by Roland Bainton, pg. 319). Jesus is really and truly present in the bread and wine.

How is that possible? A miracle like changing water into wine we can understand. But how can the body and blood of Jesus be on our altar and in our hands and in our mouths, when all we see and feel and taste are bread and wine? Here is the how I understand and explain the Real Presence.

1. If God is god, if God is almighty god, then He can do anything.

2. We trust the words of Jesus.

3. When Christ was born on this earth, he was at the same time both God and Man. He was both divine and human at the same time. And so we can say that God died on the cross. That is why the sacrifice of Jesus has the power to forgive the sin of the world.

4. The Holy Spirit took the form of a dove at the baptism of Jesus and on Pentecost came in the form of a mighty wind and flames of fire.

5. And so, if God can come as a man or even as a dove, Christ can come to us in the form of bread and wine. That is why this sacrament can forgive our sin.

6. The Real Presence tells us that the New Covenant is still new to us, it is renewed, it is remembered and believed. We know that Jesus keeps his promises.

Turning water into wine was a revealing sign of who Jesus is. Coming to us in the wine of the Sacrament, is a revealing sign of Christ’s love and salvation. A wedding is a time of joy and celebration, and so is the Sacrament of the Altar.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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