The Miracle at Cana

A study of Jesus’ miracles is challenging in itself, and we know that these miracles were designed to inspire faith and to teach about the very nature of Jesus. The wedding feast at Cana, however, can present a challenge. It occurs on the fourth day of Jesus’ ministry, and, in many ways, it seems very mundane and unnecessarily secretive or private. Yet this is the first way Jesus chose to reveal His miraculous powers. Nothing in Jesus’ ministry was accidental or haphazard, so there must be lessons about Him and ourselves in this seemingly simple act.

We begin at a wedding feast. Think about times in our lives we hold dear and cherish in our memories; how many of these center around friends, family, and a shared meal? In Matthew 22:1 and Luke 14:15, Jesus compares God’s kingdom with great feasts, and, in Matthew 9:10-11, we see Jesus sharing meals with tax collectors and sinners. Time and again in Jesus’ ministry, meals play a part of the message of His ministry, so it should be no surprise that Jesus would begin His miracles at such an occasion.

The Importance of the Feast
This was more than any wedding feast, though. This first miracle occurred during a Jewish wedding feast, a celebration that could last up to seven days, the first time the new couple has an opportunity to extend hospitality to family and friends. This feast was a sacred duty, and failure of provisions would bring shame and disgrace. When they run out of wine at the feast in Cana, it is not a small problem.

This wine was seen as a symbol of blessings, peace, prosperity, and the Lord’s blessings. In Deuteronomy 7, God promises blessings upon the flocks and the vineyards of His people with their faithfulness, and this imagery is repeated in Deuteronomy 11:13-14, Deuteronomy 33:28, as well as numerous other passages. New wine was an indicator of God’s presence, and the absence thereof would indicate the removal of God’s blessings as illustrated in Deuteronomy 28:30 and Joel 1:10.

The Significance of the Miracle
In this context, we come back to John 2 and a wedding feast in which Jesus’ disciples were involved. The wine runs out; Jesus makes His first statement regarding “my hour;” Mary commands the servants to follow Jesus’ every command; the water is changed; and the miraculous wine is better than any served thus far in the feast. What was the point of all of this? Here, Jesus shows Himself to be the Messianic bridegroom. He steps in and intercedes to supply that symbol of God’s presence and blessings.

In Acts 3:19-20, Peter calls on his listeners to receive seasons of refreshing from the Lord, again making reference to the rest and refreshment offered in our meals. A physical element is used to teach a spiritual lesson. He supplies for every spiritual need, and Jesus’ first miracle illustrates that power of provision. He is the bridegroom whose refreshments never run low, and John 3:25-30, while John the Baptist is discussing purification (the same purification for which the water pots in John 2 had been purposed), John refers to Jesus as the Bridegroom.

Finally, consider Jesus’ reading of Isaiah 61 when He returns to teach in Nazareth. By verse 10, the Messiah of that chapter refers to Himself as the bridegroom who provides garments of salvation. What does the miracle at Cana tell us? It tells us that Christ came to bring God’s peace and protection. It tells us Jesus came to bring seasons of refreshing to His people.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, Write this: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

- Revelation 19:6-9

Miracles & Spiritual Needs

Isaiah 61 is a prophecy of hope and redemption. It is a passage of spiritual healing and promise of a Redeemer. Selections from this chapter are read from by Jesus in Luke 4:16, and He tells those listening that these verses are fulfilled in Him. He heals the blind and the lame. He gives comfort to those in grief. He proclaims the year of the Lord. In all of this, His focus remains intent upon the spiritual needs of the people He came in contact with every day.

In Matthew 9:35-38, as He is teaching and performing miracles, we see Jesus’ compassion on those around Him and the urgency He feels for their souls. While healing their bodies, He recognizes their need for spiritual healing. We know of Jesus weeping over the state of Jerusalem in Luke 13:34, their rejection of Him and their denial of their own spiritual sickness. He cares for the people, not just for their physical troubles, but for their souls and their need to be spiritually healed.

Spiritual Healing in Physical Miracles
John 9 records the apostles wondering over sin leading to blindness, and Jesus redirects their attention to where they should be focused – on doing God’s work, on being a light in this world. When the events surrounding the healing of this blind man draw to a close, Jesus addresses the man’s spiritual needs in verses 35-41. Yes, he heals the man’s blindness, but He is first concerned about the man’s soul.

In Mark 2, some friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus, so determined to reach Jesus they lower him through the roof of the house Jesus is in. Before healing the man, Jesus proclaims his sin forgiven. Jesus then heals him of his physical ailment to demonstrate His authority over spiritual ailments.

John 5:6 has Jesus approaching another paralyzed man, this one wishing to find healing within waters believed to have healing powers. Jesus asks the man, “Would you be whole?” Jesus then both heals the man of his paralysis and, in verse 14, He tells the man he is now whole, instructing him to sin no more. In making the man whole, Jesus heals both body and soul.

In John 11, Lazarus is ill and dies before Jesus makes it to his home. As Jesus approaches the home, Lazarus’ sister Martha comes out, despairing that Jesus had not arrived soon enough. In the conversation to follow, Jesus calls Himself the source of all resurrection and life. Any who believe on Him will live eternally.

The Gratitude of the One
In Luke 17:11, ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy. Jesus tells them to go present themselves to the priests, and, as they journeyed, they find themselves healed. Ten cry for mercy. Ten are healed, but only one returns to give thanks and glory to God. Nine are interested in what God can do for them. One recognizes what he now owes God for deliverance. He recognizes the spiritual implications of the miracle that healed him.

We come to Jesus unclean, blind, crippled, and dead in our sins. Jesus says to each of us, “You are healed. You are cleansed. You are alive.” What do we do then? Do we go on living our lives for ourselves, or do we understand the deeper spiritual devotion we now owe? Jesus shows His glory in us. Now it is ours to demonstrate His works in our lives. Will we be like the nine who go their own ways, or will we be the one who returns to praise and honor His name, gladly willing to serve and obey?

lesson by Tim Smelser

John's Picture of the Messiah

The Sabbath system is the most messianic of the ten commandments in its representation of rest and deliverance. Ultimately, Jesus’ ministry points to an eternal and spiritual rest and redemption. This is one picture of Jesus, and each of the gospel writers have a slightly different representation of the Messiah. John records only seven miracles in his gospel, and five of those are unique to John. He portrays Jesus in a very specific way, but, unlike Matthew, he does not continually refer to Levitical scripture to reinforce his points. Rather, he focuses on Jesus’ words describing Himself.

Imagery from John

• In John 2, we see Jesus driving the merchants and money changers from the temple, condemning them for corrupting His father’s house. When asked for a sigh, He said He would rebuild this temple in three days once destroyed, but He has changed subjects. He is not speaking of the physical temple so much as His own body. Jesus here is pictured as God’s true temple.
• John 3 records Nicodemus and Jesus conversing about the meaning of being born again. In verses 14-15, Jesus draws a parallel between Himself and the serpent in the wilderness, lifted up to save people. Where the serpent’s salvation would be physical and temporary, Jesus’ would be spiritual and eternal.
• In John 6:29, after Jesus has fed several thousand from meager portions, the people ask Jesus for another sign once He retreats from them. He speaks to them of a bread from Heaven – to them, a reference to manna. Jesus, however, applies this personally and calls Himself the Bread of Life. He is the true manna.

John 7:37 has Jesus calling those who thirst for life-giving water to come to Him as Moses brought water from a rock in the wilderness. John 8:12 records Jesus calling Himself the light of the world, possibly referring to the pillar of fire the children of Israel followed through the wilderness. In John 15:1, Jesus calls Himself the true vine that bears fruit, and this compares to the vineyard song of Isaiah 5. Finally, John 19 records the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, and, starting in verse 31, John describes how Jesus’ bones would remain unbroken as a Passover lamb was to remain unbroken.

Conclusion

John paints a picture of Jesus as a fulfillment of many Old Testament objects and events. He sends a message that there is more to Jesus than what they thought they saw, and He could be more to us if we open our eyes and hearts. When we begin to comprehend the extent of Jesus’ ministry and sacrifice, how can we not love Him and obey Him?

lesson by Tim Smelser

Unity & Corinth: Part 4 - Understanding "Tongues"

In these chapters, we sometimes tend to pass over some of these passages and note that some of these verses do not apply to us anymore. We’ve gone over I Corinthians 12-14, looking at what we can learn from these chapters, and, in this lesson, we are going to look at the nature of spiritual gifts, look at their purpose, and examine what the “partial” and the “perfect” are from this passage.

The Nature of Gifts
In I Corinthians 12:8, many of the spiritual gifts are specifically named (in context of 12:1). These are grace gifts, bestowed by the Spirit.

• Romans 12:6-8 - Paul emphasizes the role grace plays in the bestowment of these gifts.
• I Peter 4:7-10 - Again, Peter brings God’s grace into the gifts.

The argument is made that, since the enumerated grace gifts from Romans and I Peter, are still done today, those of I Corinthians must be also. However, in context, the gifts of Romans and I Peter are not miraculous gifts while the gifts of I Corinthians are. These are not parallel passages, and comparing these gifts is comparing apples to oranges. Specifically, in I Corinthians 13, Paul names miraculous knowledge, prophecy, and tongues, as those passing away.

Clarifying “Tongues”
What are “tongues?” In the charismatic moment today, many would say speaking in tongues is speaking in a language that is purely spiritual and foreign to any mortal. What we see in the Bible, though, is that the tongues of the New Testament are in fact human languages that the speaker had no prior knowledge of.

Acts 2:4-8 - The apostles are gifted hear with the ability to speak in the languages of their listeners, and this amazes the hearers. John 18:20, Matthew 12:46, Matthew 10:19-20 - all of these occasions use the same “speak” as in Acts 2:7 when the apostles “speak” in tongues. It is just the use of language to communicate. Acts 2:4-6, 11 - Luke uses the Greek for language and dialect interchangeably through this chapter. Much of the vocabulary describing the tongues of Acts 2 is also used in I Corinthians 13.

Acts 10:46-48 - If these “tongues” are ecstatic, how would have Peter’s companions known those in Cornelius’ household were magnifying God. Also, in I Corinthians 14:21, Paul quotes Isaiah 28, saying that “strange tongues” will be used to communicate, and “strange” is used like the “strange woman” of Proverbs – one that is foreign or unknown.

Interpreting means to translate from one language to another. It is taking a meaning one understands and providing meaning to another. Interpreting is not giving meaning to that which is meaningless. For example John 1:42, Hebrews 7:2 - In both of these examples names are being interpreted based on the language their names were in.

What is the Perfect?
The partial are those miraculous spiritual gifts whose time is limited. In I Corinthians 13:10, Paul references the coming of the perfect as that which would cause these to pass away. Many interpret this as being Jesus.

• II Timothy 3:16-17, I Corinthians 13:9-10 - perfect = complete, entire, or whole.
• Some think it is the maturation of the church, the Second Coming, or the completion of God’s revelation.

Through I Corinthians 13, Paul has two main points: love never fails, but miraculous gifts will. Why? Gifts only provide a partial picture, and a point of completion is coming. He uses a maturation process as an illustration of this concept. His second illustration is the use of a dim mirror to try to see something clearly.

What was becoming clearer and helping the first-century Christians mature? It is reasonable to conclude that he is speaking of the revelation of God’s word. In Romans 16:25-26, I Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 1:9, Ephesians 3:3, and many others passages speak of a mystery that is being revealed. Now take II Peter 3:15-16. Peter references a collection of Paul’s epistles as well as other scriptures. The revelation was already in the process of being compiled and completed.

Returning to I Corinthians 13, Paul uses “in part” at least three times. The gospel was being revealed in pieces. Once the message was fully revealed, the fragmented manner of instruction would no longer be needed. Everything Christians would need would be recorded in whole, no longer a dark mystery but a clear image of that which makes us complete.

Conclusion
II Peter 1:3-4 - All things that we need for spiritual growth is given. We have no need for these spiritual gifts to confirm or add to our faith. The blessing of being Christians today is the fact that we have a complete word to study from and that our knowledge can be complete should we put forth the diligence to learn and apply that word.

sermon by Tim Smelser