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TRUE MIRACLES – Studies in the Gospel of John for the True Man
1. The Wedding at Cana - John 2:1-11
Introduction
In the Gospel of John are seven miracles of Jesus Christ that John records. There are many today who try to discredit this Gospel as
not being authentic. Dan Brown, in his best-selling novel “The DaVinci Code” picks up on the controversy. The latest theory is that
John certainly did not write this Gospel and that this Gospel is not the true story of Jesus Christ at all – it is propaganda from a group
in the church to force their agenda of who they want Jesus to be.
This idea conveniently ignores the fact that the earliest copy of the New Testament – a fragment of Greek text from 130 AD is of John’
s Gospel. And is from within a generation of John’s death. Many prominent people in the Church attributed the fourth Gospel to the
Apostle John.
The way John wrote his Gospel – which was written after the other three Gospels were written –is unique. He doesn’t really follow a
chronological order of Jesus’ ministry. He includes many long discourses of Jesus’ teaching. And he includes only seven miracles of
Jesus. John refers to these miracles as “signs” and he tells us that these were to point to who Jesus is. The seven signs - changing of
water into wine, in Cana, at a wedding reception, the healing the nobleman’s son, healing the paralytic, feeding the five thousand,
walking on the water, healing the man born blind, and raising Lazarus from the dead, are, by no means, all of the miracles Jesus did.
As John tells us at the end of the Gospel, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this
book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may life in his
name” (John 20:30-31).
These were not just magical wonders. These seven miracles John records all pointed to who Jesus was. That is what they still do today
for us.
Part 1—Who is Jesus and why does it matter to men today?
There are many different ideas today about who Jesus was:
Just a man who, unfortunately, got himself killed in first century Palestine.
A maniacal self-styled prophet who was killed because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He was who he said he was – the Son of God come to save everyone from their sins.
There are variations on this theme, as well. He was a son of God, but not on par with God the Father.
Is it important for men today to understand who Jesus is or to come to a conclusion about Jesus? Will it really make any difference?
It does matter because I believe that Jesus is the one who can change your life radically. Today, we need radical change. The last year
has brought much confusion, uncertainty, and ugly hostility to our nation and to us as men. War, bloodshed, death, and destruction.
We need radical change.
Can Jesus Christ bring that change 2000 years after he walked this earth?
The answer lies at a wedding. That’s almost unbelievable, but today we explore Jesus’ very first miracle and it is at, of all places, a
wedding (a place most men wouldn’t be caught dead at unless absolutely necessary) and involves, of all things, wine!
But this is not about a wedding and this isn’t about wine. This is about who Jesus is and how that relates to us today.
Part 2—John 2:1-11
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 in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
1. “Dear woman, why do you involve me?”
Whoa! Jesus? Ever hear of the 4th Commandment? My mother has slapped me for less than this! Remember, Jesus didn’t speak
English. He didn’t even say this in Greek – the language John wrote it in. So it doesn’t come across, at all, in English the way Jesus
said it and intended it.
Jesus is saying to Mary that this is something Jesus will take care of, not Mary nor Mary and Jesus together. Mary is at this wedding as
a family member who is helping with the celebration (which is why she knows they are starting to run out of wine). She turns to her
son because she knows who Jesus is – the true Son of God. He can fix this problem. Jesus’ reply here is a gentle reminder to Mary
(whom Jesus also called ”woman” at the cross – he means it as a term of endearment) that the old relationship of mother and son is
now changed into Lord and daughter.
The English translation is unfortunate because it casts Jesus in a negative light and that was never John’s intention, nor would it ever
be. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He still respects, loves and honors His mother as a son should according to the Fourth
Commandant. But Jesus is not only a man. He is also God. Thus we have our first glimpse at the reason for this miracle. To show us
that Jesus is more than just a man who travels with his mother to a wedding.
2. “My time has not yet come.”
Whenever this phrase is used it almost always refers to Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. However, here it is a reference that
the wine has not altogether run out. Jesus is saying, “It’s not quite time yet.” He’s telling Mary not to worry, that everything is under
control.
Jesus is waiting till all the wine is gone and people begin to notice. He does this because He wants to make sure that there can be no
doubt as to what has happened. This miracle will be on Jesus’ terms, not anyone else’s.
Jesus does what He will to us on His terms, in His time. This is hard to accept, isn’t it? I want Jesus to change me into a better man
now! But it is not meant to be. Jesus has a plan. He has a process. And overnight transformation would not be accepted as readily as
a long, drawn-out process. An instant transformation could be considered a “flash in the pan” and not something as lasting or
significant.
Jesus could do it that way, no doubt. But when He transforms us, He does it for reasons and effect. He wants a better life for us,
starting in the here-and-now. He wants the changes to be life-long. And He wants others to notice those changes. He wants us to be
living witnesses to His great work in our lives.
3. “Saved the best till now.”
What Jesus does here is accepted as producing a very high quality product. There is something here for us to learn. Jesus can and
does change us. And what He changes us into will be regarded as high quality. What I’m trying to get at here is that Jesus doesn’t do
the job halfway. I think we could all agree on that. But also what Jesus does will be regarded by those who come in contact with His
work as of the highest quality. And the work will always bring the focus back to the one who did it.
4. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Finally, we see why Jesus did this and all the other signs. They actually were proofs that He was who He said he was. The Messiah
promised of old. The Son of God come to lay down His life to give us new life. Keep your eyes open to miracles in your life. They are
signs that are calling you to put your faith in God.
Part 3—Application
Who we are made to be by Jesus Christ will be of the highest quality and will bring people’s attention back to Jesus. That’s the whole
point.
One of the things that we have to look out for is that Jesus may give an instruction that sounds silly, like he did with the wedding
servants when he told them to fill the jars with water.
What might sound silly to a man today?
--Get up early on a Sunday morning and go to church?
--Spend time with my wife and kids? When I could be hunting or fishing or playing golf?
--Showing love and affection to my wife in public by dancing with her at a wedding reception?
--Do a daily devotion?
Yet these may be things that you feel Jesus is asking you to do – and it will be “water into wine!”
These signs of Jesus point to His greatest “sign” – the sign of the cross. If Jesus were just a man like you and me, his death would
have been truly tragic – like the death of Nick Berg, the hostage in Iraq that was beheaded earlier in 2004. But all these signs that
John records make Jesus’ death on the cross something else entirely. The signs tell us that Jesus is the Son of God – omnipotent,
omniscient, everything that God is. And yet He died on the cross. He died for a reason! That reason was to change your life as you
have faith to believe in it.
One of the more popular questions that come up with a study of this first miracle of Jesus has to do with the fact that Jesus turned
water into wine. On at least one occasion after this, Jesus is accused of being a boozer. This is obviously not true. But Jesus didn’t
shy away from wine, did he? Here we have this miracle at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and it involves wine. Then at the end of
Jesus’ earthly ministry, on the night that He was betrayed, Jesus also took wine, after a supper. This is no accident or coincidence.
Wine is a gift of God to man to, as the Scripture says, “gladden the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15). Like any gift, it can be abused and
we see that even today. But used as God intended, it is a good gift good for us.
It was interesting to me to read some of the commentaries that were written about this text – especially those written in the 1920’s
and 30’s, during prohibition here in the United States. The Lutheran commentaries that I looked at especially made the point that
nowhere in Scripture is there a prohibition against alcohol.
Jesus used this gift of God to make a point – here at Cana it was to create faith in His disciples. In that upper room on the night He
was betrayed it was to strengthen their faith and give us, today, an awesome gift.
All these from Jesus – the Truest of the True Men. He is the Son of God who gives us not only the model for our lives but also the
power to live true lives in this world.
Now it is up to you. What will you say about Jesus now that you’ve seen this first miracle? Is he just this guy, you know? Or is He
something more? And can that make a difference in your life today?
© 2004 True Men Ministries
1. The Wedding at Cana - John 2:1-11
Introduction
In the Gospel of John are seven miracles of Jesus Christ that John records. There are many today who try to discredit this Gospel as
not being authentic. Dan Brown, in his best-selling novel “The DaVinci Code” picks up on the controversy. The latest theory is that
John certainly did not write this Gospel and that this Gospel is not the true story of Jesus Christ at all – it is propaganda from a group
in the church to force their agenda of who they want Jesus to be.
This idea conveniently ignores the fact that the earliest copy of the New Testament – a fragment of Greek text from 130 AD is of John’
s Gospel. And is from within a generation of John’s death. Many prominent people in the Church attributed the fourth Gospel to the
Apostle John.
The way John wrote his Gospel – which was written after the other three Gospels were written –is unique. He doesn’t really follow a
chronological order of Jesus’ ministry. He includes many long discourses of Jesus’ teaching. And he includes only seven miracles of
Jesus. John refers to these miracles as “signs” and he tells us that these were to point to who Jesus is. The seven signs - changing of
water into wine, in Cana, at a wedding reception, the healing the nobleman’s son, healing the paralytic, feeding the five thousand,
walking on the water, healing the man born blind, and raising Lazarus from the dead, are, by no means, all of the miracles Jesus did.
As John tells us at the end of the Gospel, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this
book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may life in his
name” (John 20:30-31).
These were not just magical wonders. These seven miracles John records all pointed to who Jesus was. That is what they still do today
for us.
Part 1—Who is Jesus and why does it matter to men today?
There are many different ideas today about who Jesus was:
Just a man who, unfortunately, got himself killed in first century Palestine.
A maniacal self-styled prophet who was killed because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He was who he said he was – the Son of God come to save everyone from their sins.
There are variations on this theme, as well. He was a son of God, but not on par with God the Father.
Is it important for men today to understand who Jesus is or to come to a conclusion about Jesus? Will it really make any difference?
It does matter because I believe that Jesus is the one who can change your life radically. Today, we need radical change. The last year
has brought much confusion, uncertainty, and ugly hostility to our nation and to us as men. War, bloodshed, death, and destruction.
We need radical change.
Can Jesus Christ bring that change 2000 years after he walked this earth?
The answer lies at a wedding. That’s almost unbelievable, but today we explore Jesus’ very first miracle and it is at, of all places, a
wedding (a place most men wouldn’t be caught dead at unless absolutely necessary) and involves, of all things, wine!
But this is not about a wedding and this isn’t about wine. This is about who Jesus is and how that relates to us today.
Part 2—John 2:1-11
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 in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
1. “Dear woman, why do you involve me?”
Whoa! Jesus? Ever hear of the 4th Commandment? My mother has slapped me for less than this! Remember, Jesus didn’t speak
English. He didn’t even say this in Greek – the language John wrote it in. So it doesn’t come across, at all, in English the way Jesus
said it and intended it.
Jesus is saying to Mary that this is something Jesus will take care of, not Mary nor Mary and Jesus together. Mary is at this wedding as
a family member who is helping with the celebration (which is why she knows they are starting to run out of wine). She turns to her
son because she knows who Jesus is – the true Son of God. He can fix this problem. Jesus’ reply here is a gentle reminder to Mary
(whom Jesus also called ”woman” at the cross – he means it as a term of endearment) that the old relationship of mother and son is
now changed into Lord and daughter.
The English translation is unfortunate because it casts Jesus in a negative light and that was never John’s intention, nor would it ever
be. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He still respects, loves and honors His mother as a son should according to the Fourth
Commandant. But Jesus is not only a man. He is also God. Thus we have our first glimpse at the reason for this miracle. To show us
that Jesus is more than just a man who travels with his mother to a wedding.
2. “My time has not yet come.”
Whenever this phrase is used it almost always refers to Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. However, here it is a reference that
the wine has not altogether run out. Jesus is saying, “It’s not quite time yet.” He’s telling Mary not to worry, that everything is under
control.
Jesus is waiting till all the wine is gone and people begin to notice. He does this because He wants to make sure that there can be no
doubt as to what has happened. This miracle will be on Jesus’ terms, not anyone else’s.
Jesus does what He will to us on His terms, in His time. This is hard to accept, isn’t it? I want Jesus to change me into a better man
now! But it is not meant to be. Jesus has a plan. He has a process. And overnight transformation would not be accepted as readily as
a long, drawn-out process. An instant transformation could be considered a “flash in the pan” and not something as lasting or
significant.
Jesus could do it that way, no doubt. But when He transforms us, He does it for reasons and effect. He wants a better life for us,
starting in the here-and-now. He wants the changes to be life-long. And He wants others to notice those changes. He wants us to be
living witnesses to His great work in our lives.
3. “Saved the best till now.”
What Jesus does here is accepted as producing a very high quality product. There is something here for us to learn. Jesus can and
does change us. And what He changes us into will be regarded as high quality. What I’m trying to get at here is that Jesus doesn’t do
the job halfway. I think we could all agree on that. But also what Jesus does will be regarded by those who come in contact with His
work as of the highest quality. And the work will always bring the focus back to the one who did it.
4. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Finally, we see why Jesus did this and all the other signs. They actually were proofs that He was who He said he was. The Messiah
promised of old. The Son of God come to lay down His life to give us new life. Keep your eyes open to miracles in your life. They are
signs that are calling you to put your faith in God.
Part 3—Application
Who we are made to be by Jesus Christ will be of the highest quality and will bring people’s attention back to Jesus. That’s the whole
point.
One of the things that we have to look out for is that Jesus may give an instruction that sounds silly, like he did with the wedding
servants when he told them to fill the jars with water.
What might sound silly to a man today?
--Get up early on a Sunday morning and go to church?
--Spend time with my wife and kids? When I could be hunting or fishing or playing golf?
--Showing love and affection to my wife in public by dancing with her at a wedding reception?
--Do a daily devotion?
Yet these may be things that you feel Jesus is asking you to do – and it will be “water into wine!”
These signs of Jesus point to His greatest “sign” – the sign of the cross. If Jesus were just a man like you and me, his death would
have been truly tragic – like the death of Nick Berg, the hostage in Iraq that was beheaded earlier in 2004. But all these signs that
John records make Jesus’ death on the cross something else entirely. The signs tell us that Jesus is the Son of God – omnipotent,
omniscient, everything that God is. And yet He died on the cross. He died for a reason! That reason was to change your life as you
have faith to believe in it.
One of the more popular questions that come up with a study of this first miracle of Jesus has to do with the fact that Jesus turned
water into wine. On at least one occasion after this, Jesus is accused of being a boozer. This is obviously not true. But Jesus didn’t
shy away from wine, did he? Here we have this miracle at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and it involves wine. Then at the end of
Jesus’ earthly ministry, on the night that He was betrayed, Jesus also took wine, after a supper. This is no accident or coincidence.
Wine is a gift of God to man to, as the Scripture says, “gladden the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15). Like any gift, it can be abused and
we see that even today. But used as God intended, it is a good gift good for us.
It was interesting to me to read some of the commentaries that were written about this text – especially those written in the 1920’s
and 30’s, during prohibition here in the United States. The Lutheran commentaries that I looked at especially made the point that
nowhere in Scripture is there a prohibition against alcohol.
Jesus used this gift of God to make a point – here at Cana it was to create faith in His disciples. In that upper room on the night He
was betrayed it was to strengthen their faith and give us, today, an awesome gift.
All these from Jesus – the Truest of the True Men. He is the Son of God who gives us not only the model for our lives but also the
power to live true lives in this world.
Now it is up to you. What will you say about Jesus now that you’ve seen this first miracle? Is he just this guy, you know? Or is He
something more? And can that make a difference in your life today?
© 2004 True Men Ministries