Tuesday, July 13, 2021

John 2:1-12 Devotional Bible Study by Steve Wilson

John 2:1-12


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.”

 

“Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour 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.[b]

 

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 10 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.”

 

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

 

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

 

Footnotes

  1. John 2:4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
  2. John 2:6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters

 

 

On the Third Day, a Wedding

John 2:1-2

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.

 

Whenever I read about a third day in the Bible, I immediately think of the resurrection of Jesus. And whenever I read about a wedding, I think of the celebration in the Kingdom of Heaven when we will finally and forever be united with Jesus as a bride is to her husband.

 

When we are resurrected and go to that victory celebration, we will see not only Jesus but also His mother and His disciples from every time and place. Aren’t you glad you’re also invited to that wedding? There will never be anything more joyous than that moment.

 


 

Wine

So, the hosts at this wedding ran out of wine, and then Jesus used water from the stone ceremonial washing vessels to make more wine than they needed. This is the first miraculous sign Jesus performs, but it points to almost the last thing Jesus did in His earthly life.
 
At the Last Supper, Jesus taught us the wine of the Passover represents His blood. His blood washes us from our sin and makes our souls clean in God's sight, just like the water from the ceremonial washing vessels would have made our hands clean according to the Law.
 
The stone jars, jars that could not be made unclean according to the Law, held the wine and represent the stone grave that held Jesus' body. This grave was a new tomb cut out of the rock (Matthew 27:60). No one else had ever been buried there, and so Jesus' grave was clean.
 
Jesus tells Mary His time has not yet come, meaning it's not time for Him to die. This reference to His death shows us Jesus is being intentional about the symbolism between His blood that will be shed and the wine He is sharing at the wedding.
 
It's only Jesus' shed blood that will allow us to take part in that future wedding of the Lamb. Only Jesus' shed blood is enough to cover all our sins. That's why it's represented by the best wine that is brought out last.
 
From the beginning, God provided humanity with a way to be forgiven for their sins through animal sacrifice. But in Jesus, God brought out the best Sacrifice, the last Sacrifice, the only Sacrifice we'll ever need.
 
And Jesus knew all this from the very beginning of His ministry. That's a pretty good first sign of His glory, isn't it?
 

 
 

What to Do When You Have a Need

John 2:3-5

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

 

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

 

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

 


Mary, Jesus’ mother, gives us the step-by-step process of what to do when we need something.


  1. Recognize the need.
  2. Take the need to Jesus.
  3. Do whatever He tells you.

 

What need can you bring to Jesus today? It could be yours or someone else’s. Will you trust Him to meet that need? Will you follow His instructions even if they seem out of the ordinary? Most of the time, Jesus’ instructions will seem out of the ordinary for you. They’ll stretch you because He wants you to act in faith.

 

 

To the Brim

John 2:7

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

 


Can you go a little bit with Jesus? I suppose so, but that’s not the Biblical model. The picture the Bible gives us is that we’re supposed to go all in. Jesus wants to give us abundant life, not just a little bit better life. He wants to shower blessings on us, not just sprinkle them on us every once in a while.

 

At this wedding in Cana, Jesus wanted to supply over and above what the people needed. But to receive that blessing, the servants needed to act in faith, and they needed to fill the jars as full as they possibly could. Are you filling your life jar as much as you can, expecting Jesus to bless you abundantly? Expect Him to do more, and He will do more. He’s a big, generous God. Expect Him to do a little, and He’ll do only a little.

 



 

Jesus Gives Us the Best

John 2:10

“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.”

 


I see an analogy here between the way Jesus turned the water into wine and the way Jesus transforms our lives. Let’s see what principles we can pull out:


 
  • Jesus makes our lives much richer than they were before.
 
  • Only Jesus can change us so radically; all our efforts to “improve” ourselves pale in comparison to what He can do.
 
  • Jesus always saves the best for last. If we continue to walk with Him, He will continue to grow us and bless us and bring us closer to Himself until finally, we meet Him face-to-face at our wedding with Him. Our later years in Christ should be better than our first.

 

"They Have No More Wine"

This is what Mary tells Jesus and prompts Him to act. But what if the wine hadn't run out? What if whoever was in charge of ordering the wine had brought enough?

Then Jesus wouldn't have performed this miracle. There needed to be a lack of something for Jesus to meet the need. Can I tell you that sometimes God causes you to lack something so that the Christ can reveal His glory to you by meeting your need?

What do you lack today? Are you trying to fill it on your own, or are you trusting Jesus to give you a sign of His glory? 



 

What Was Your First Sign?

John 2:11

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

 

Think back for a moment to the time when you first believed. What was the first sign you saw of Jesus’ glory? How did He first reveal Himself to you? When did You first get a glimpse of and start to understand who He really is?

 



 

 

 

 

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