John 2

A wedding is supposed to be a great celebration. God is in favor of the idea of one man from one family and one woman from another family being united together in marriage, such that the two are somehow made one. He invented the concept, and He has made it one of the responsibilities of societies and their governing authorities to protect the interests of people as it relates to this good gift of marriage. There are many great advantages that come to us as a result of this great blessing, but paramount among them is that marriage is to be a display of God’s love for His people, and our submission to Him as a Husband.

Jesus came to bring about a great wedding. He gives His life for His bride, and she is to be purified by Him to be holy, spotless, and without blemish. That final wedding marks the end of a long period of decay and mourning. Finally things will be right again, and we will celebrate. It is particularly because of this great story of the best of all weddings, that the commencement of any blessed marriage should be a cause for rejoicing. This is one of the reasons that God has given wine among men, that we might more readily have our hearts appropriately gladdened. In this very important and surprising episode, even before the appropriate public commencement of Jesus’ ministry, there was a problem that came up at a wedding that He attended. The poor couple had run out of wine.

It is Mary, the mother of Jesus, who brings this need to the attention of her Son. She must know that He is able to take care of this problem. After He makes the point that His hour has not yet come, she gives this wonderful instruction to the servant, “Do whatever He tells you.” Jesus was under no compulsion to work this miracle, and he certainly faced no absolute necessity to do what He did the way that He did it. It is interesting that He chose to bless a wedding, but even more interesting that He chose to do this by using large jars that were normally used for Jewish rites of purification. These customs of purification would soon be a matter of some controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees in the months ahead. This action is suggestive of the ministry that Christ brings. The traditional ceremonial customs that have become such a large part of Pharisaic Judaism must give way to the joy of the most delightful wine on a most wonderful occasion.

One other detail is worth seeing here. The steward is not aware of the fact that Jesus has turned the water into wine, but he is aware of the fact that this new wine is the best wine. The marriage that is coming is a heavenly marriage, and the wine that is provided at this wedding in Galilee is a heavenly foretaste of a celebration to come. The one who is the Bridegroom has provided the blessing. The celebration is beginning even now, in a way. This is the first of seven signs in John’s gospel, signs that show us the divine Christ and the kingdom of heaven.

This transition from the old ways to the new ways shows up not only in our Lord’s miracles, but also in his teaching and his actions of judgment. We are used to thinking about the cleansing of the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem as an event that took place at the very end of Jesus’ ministry, just prior to the cross. John tells us that Jesus began His public ministry with a similar episode, so that the two form important bookends for our understanding of what He was doing.

It was not that Jesus hated the temple or the sacrificial system that God had appointed for His people in His Word. He loved these things, though He knew that it was time for the old ceremonial laws to be completed, and for a new way of worship to begin. What He did hate was the abuse of God’s ordinances. He loved His Father’s house, but He hated the fact that men had perverted the things of God for their own selfish gain. In the words of Psalm 69, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Jesus is the “Me” that the psalmist refers to. He loved the Old Covenant place of the presence of God, and He loved the New Testament temple of the Holy Spirit, the Messiah and His church. He loved that new temple so much that He was willing to be consumed for that love, in a sense, on the cross. This was necessary in order for us to be a part of the temple of God.

Those who thought of themselves as in charge of the temple area were taken aback by the boldness of Christ’s actions. They asked for some sign that would justify His words and deeds. He spoke of the coming destruction of a temple, a temple that would be raised again in three days. This was a very unusual thing to speak about. They naturally thought that He was referring to the temple building on the top of Mt. Zion. After the cross and the resurrection there can be no doubt that He was referring to those important events, and to His only position as the true Temple of God. This was a somewhat veiled reference to the ultimate sign of Messiah. His disciples only understood what He was speaking of after the events themselves took place.

These great events were spoken of in the Scriptures, but they could only be understood as the central events of God’s plan of redemption after they had taken place. Yet there was One Man who understood the Scriptures and Himself. In fact, He knew what was in man. He knew our need for the gift of faith, and for the miracle of spiritual life. He knew about our sin, and our need for an atoning sacrifice, and He came as the one who was prepared to do the will of His Father, despite the tremendous cost of our salvation in His own flesh and blood. After He had won victory over sin and death, the church began to see more clearly that He was the new Temple and the great Husband of redeemed bride. We see these things now, and have great cause for celebration. Yet we are aware of the fact that the best wedding reception is yet to come.