John 2, The First Miracle

Jesus’ First Miracle; John 2:1-12
The first miracle Jesus performs turns out to be quite peculiar.

-It happened in Cana.
-Where is Cana? No one knows. Small town, not known for anything, only mentioned in John.
-He could have picked Jerusalem, or Jericho, or even Rome. He chose….Cana?
-Jesus continually reveals an upside down kingdom that seems to be more focused on ordinary people living in ordinary places.
-Lately I’ve been realizing that we have a very elitist view of what’s sacred. In order something to be really sacred it has to be epic, dynamic, monumental, steeped in history and tradition.
-Jesus seems to think the sacred is part of everyday life, everyday conversations, poor people’s weddings in the middle of nowhere.

-How the miracle came about is peculiar.
-Mary notices the wine ran out and mentions this to Jesus.
-Jesus rebukes her, says his hour has not yet come, then does this miracle anyway. Possibilities?
-Catholic view, Mary forced the hand of Jesus.
-Jesus already planned on doing this, but wanted to be clear that He obeyed the Father, not any human. Jesus grew up here, its most likely Mary’s family. Jesus and disciples were last minute invites. Social implications of running out of wine are huge. Usually, friends/family would bring their own portion of wine. Jesus did not.
-By “my hour” Jesus meant the crucifixion. His rebuke is to make sure His true purpose, the cross, wasn’t confused with being a magician.
-How Jesus goes about the miracle is interesting. Not flashy, only the servants and 5 disciples saw it. No screaming, no special words, no shaking or falling down. Why do we make praying for miracles so dramatic?

-The nature of this first miracle is also peculiar.
-The vast majority of miracles are healings. Others deal with life altering emergencies and huge problems; raising the dead, feeding thousands, calming storms, casting out demons.
-But the very first miracle He ever does is not at all epic. It really has no lasting meaning on anyone’s life. It seems so…..ordinary.

-What’s the purpose and meaning of this miracle?
-The most simple answer is that Jesus did this to help some people out. Jesus saw a need and met it. Jesus wants to make every aspect of your life better, even social activities.
- Meaning of the miracle? The purification jars are symbolic of burdensome religious ceremony. Wine is symbolic of blood. This first miracle is Jesus’ way of saying the old covenant of law is being replaced by something better, the covenant of my blood.
- John is the gospel of layered meaning. There is a deeper meaning to the miracle revealed in the host’s words “saved the best for last.” God had spoken through the law and prophets, but saved the best for last. These words, reveal the onset of God’s best revelation to man.
-It also says clearly one of the reasons behind this miracle; He showed His glory to the disciples and they believed.