SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the YCC Anglican Podcast. This is our 100th episode, and I'm so glad you're with us today. Would you join me, Pastor Richard, as we begin a new series based on selected passages in the Gospel of John? Today we look at the first of Jesus signs, turning water into wine.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

For those of us who have been married, uh our wedding day is probably one of the most memorable days of our lives. And my own wedding, I recall uh leading up to it, I think for at least a month. Every day I was at the Ulu Pandan Park Connector, jogging and jogging, trying to jog at least five uh kilometers each day to make sure I could fit into the suit for the wedding. That suit is long gone. There's no uh there's no going back. Um and I remember on the wedding day going to pick up my bride and my in-laws testing me. The gate was locked. And they said, the first thing they asked me is, what is your wife's favorite song? And I forget the penalty they had in store for me if I got it wrong. Thankfully, they they didn't continue for too long. They had mercy on me, a foreigner not used to these customs. Uh I remember shaking the hands of about 400 people at the church for the wedding. Of them, I knew maybe a dozen, if that. We'd been serving in China all along, and this was the church where my wife had grown up since she was small. And so uh for my side of the wedding, I had only two people, my best friend and his wife, who had flown over from the US to uh to represent uh my side. And I strongly remember the minister who presided over it. He made us memorize our wedding vows. There were no cue cards. You know, the words are very easy to remember when you're not on the spot in front of 400 people. But at that time, there was such anxiety and nervousness, and I stumbled over my words here and there in the pressure of the moment. And so all I can say is, I'm so happily married, and I never want to go through that again. Today's uh passage, we see Jesus at a wedding, right? And it's significant that John names this as the first of Jesus' signs. He doesn't say, uh, he doesn't describe it as the first of his miracles, it's the first of his signs. Because, and especially in the book of John, the signs are something that point to the reality of who Jesus is to those who have faith to see. And so leading up to that, the disciples, I think he had only called about five of them so far, the disciples they saw Jesus as a rabbi, as a teacher. And yet at this point they saw something different completely. So this was the first uh sort of public sign that showed who Jesus truly was, his real identity. And this first recorded sign, it urges us to look forward to another wedding, but we'll get to that one later. So picture with me the scene that we read. Uh it was just uh 11 verses there. Think about it. We have to enter into the scene, all right? And so the groom, he would have been working for about around one year, preparing an addition to his father's home where he and his wife would stay. And so he would have to continue working and preparing until his father said, Okay, this is acceptable. Now is the time, you can go and get your bride. And so the groom and his entourage, they would not set off first thing in the morning. Well, very hot there. They would wait till evening was approaching, and then they would start to make their way to collect the bride. And as they reached nearer, who knows, maybe she wasn't even in the same village. As they started to reach, they would blow trumpets, and that trumpet would give that r now feeling, it would give that feeling that excitement's in the air, something's going to happen. It would also let the bride know, hey, they're on their way. You better be ready. And so they would go, and the bride and the bridesmaids uh would join this entourage, and they would all head back uh to the groom's hometown. And as they got there, the brides and the bridesmaids they would stay the night uh separately there. And then the next day, uh some things would take place until the evening. And in the evening, uh the couple would officially be wed, right? And they'd enjoy festivities together, and there's the music and the food, there's laughter, there's people everywhere. Relatives and friends are there from the bride's hometown, all finding a place to stay. Because the wedding feast, it wasn't uh, we have a simple reception after the wedding, and then for certain ones, you will be able to go for the banquet later. No. This was a big deal, and it would last usually between five to seven days of celebration. So it was a big thing, it was very happening. It was a boisterous, noisy environment. It's an excuse for uh people to celebrate, take a break and to celebrate something wonderful. And Mary is most likely connected with a groom's family. Uh, because why else would she be concerned about the wine? Why is it that she was involved in this? She had to have been somehow connected with the groom's family. Now, how many people would be there? How much wine will they consume? I'm sure that Mary she really wanted to set up an RSVP with a Google Forms, but the internet wasn't invented yet. So you just have to agga aggrav you you try to uh guess, and somehow I don't know if the people were drinking faster than expected or there's more people, whatever reason, the wine ran out. And this was a crisis. This was a real crisis, because this would also call something into question, because in the culture there, the groom's family would pay the dowry to uh the bride's family, showing that they're going to uh, you know, we're taking her out of your family. And if the wine ran out like this, it calls into question: is this groom going to be able to provide for his bride? They're just married and a couple days have passed, and now they've already run out of resources. So it was a crisis. It wasn't just the wine ran out. This was a crisis for them. And, you know, it wasn't just a matter of celebration, it was also a matter of health because due to the geographical uh considerations, uh, the drinking water was not always safe to drink. And so when they had the wine, the alcohol would kill the germs in the bacteria. If they need to water it down, they can water it down, whatever, but the alcohol uh is the thing that makes it safe to drink for them. And so Mary brings the problem to Jesus. From verse 3, it says, When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. And Jesus said to her, Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. You see, because they were so close, of course, Jesus and Mary, Mary didn't even have to state explicitly what she wanted Jesus to do. It's not like she thought he had a wine cellar that he could draw from, right? But she knew, she knew that he was not just an ordinary man. And so Jesus responds that is quite important. He says, My hour has not yet come. And we're gonna come back to that in a minute. So his mother, she has complete faith in him, she simply turns to the servants and says, Do whatever he tells you to do. And the servants somehow uh they were just okay with that. And so John tells us that there were six stone jars. These weren't pottery pieces, these were big, heavy things, they weren't meant to be moved around. And each jar, if you filled it up, it would have about a hundred liters of water in it, a hundred kg if we're talking weight. And so Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars and they do it. They go and they fill them right to the brim. If those jars were completely empty, we don't know how full they were, it would have taken easily a hundred trips from wherever they were at the wedding to go back to the well, to come back again. Easily a hundred trips. It must have taken them hours to do this. Well, there's this crisis going on. And yet somehow there is something about Jesus that when he told them to fill these things with water, they did it. Remember, the water wasn't for drinking anyway. This wasn't going to be a replacement for the wine. This was for ceremonial washing. And so the Jews, their practice was before every meal, they would come over, someone would use a ladle and pour water over their hands. This is for ceremonial washing uh to say that they were clean, to uh to show cleanliness. And so we don't know which exact moment that the miracle took place. It's not recorded, but it somehow took place before the servants brought the wine to the banquet master to approve. From verse 8, and he said to them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. The master of the feast is like a banquet master and the head waiter or something combined like that. So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water, now become wine, and did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. The banquet master, he was shocked because this wasn't just wine, this was good wine. And I wonder what that tells us about Jesus. I wonder what that tells us about him. It's good for us to recognize not just the miracle that happened, but also the symbolism that's embedded in this as well. See, Jesus used those jars that were for ceremonial washing. And uh, what was the point of that washing? It was to symbolize purity before God. And yet the Jews needed to do this again and again at every meal. But Jesus took this water that couldn't fully cleanse them, and he transformed it into good wine. And that wine has symbolism as well, right? If we remember to Jesus' response to Mary in verse 4, he said, and Jesus said to her, Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. What hour was he referring to? He was referring to that hour when he would suffer and die upon the cross for the sins of many. That was the hour that he was speaking of. And numerous times in the Gospels, we see Jesus, he is warning people not to announce his identity as God on earth, as the Christ, the anointed one. And this is because as his publicity grew, as his renown was growing, it hastened that hour of the cross. And Jesus, he would not be hurried by any man. He was instead fully committed to doing the work and the will of his father and preparing his disciples to be bearers of the gospel after he left. So, reading from Matthew chapter 26, beginning in verse 26, it says, Now as they were eating, Jesus took the bread and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. The water he changed into wine, it didn't just provide for the wedding, but it also pointed to this new covenant that he was making with his people and that would be established by the shedding of his blood. And so I wonder at that last supper, those first disciples who were present with him at that wedding in Canaan, when he performed that first miracle, I wonder here at the Last Supper, they were thinking back to that time when Jesus said these things. That time when he performed his first miracle of turning the water into wine from the jars meant for ceremonial washing. And so uh at the Last Supper, when he took that cup of wine, he said, Drink of it, all of you. What a powerful moment. And it's something that we celebrate, right? When we come for Holy Communion, we we come a bit sober considering all the crisis done, examining ourselves. But when we go back, we go back with joy because we are washed afresh, our sins have been forgiven, and that is a wonderful thing. But this wasn't really the last supper, right? Uh, because it looks to one more, a final meal at a final wedding. And I just read a couple verses now from Revelation chapter 19, verse 6. He says, 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 exalt 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. And he said to me, These are the true words of God. So these few verses, uh, John the Revelator is speaking about that future day when God is going to gather his people to himself. And it says that the bride has made herself ready, and it's at this ultimate wedding feast that we're going to drink of the wine of gladness, the wine of joy, the wine of celebration. And so, if I were to summarize these things from this morning, there are two things to take note of. Signs point to the reality of who Jesus is. And the wine here, it points to that last supper, which in turn points to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And so, church, I believe that the Lord would speak to us about two things this morning. To speak to us about joy and to speak to us about preparation. Psalms chapter 5, verse 11, it says, But let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them ever sing for joy. The psalmist says that those who take refuge in the Lord, it's like finding shelter in a thunderstorm. Finding shelter, taking refuge. And so, church, when storms come to your life, and some of us perhaps are going through storms even right now this morning, when storms come to your life, financial storms, social storms, storms regarding our health. Don't take refuge in mobile phone games. Don't take refuge in gambling or in gluttony or binge watching Korean dramas. Don't take refuge, don't take shelter in these things. These things they distract, but they don't provide shelter. They don't provide refuge. When we're going through storms, these are not the things we want to turn to. Instead, we need to take refuge in the Lord. This is how we're meant to be as believers. We're meant to go to him in prayer, crying out, being persistent, being honest with him, crying out to him for help. Because Scripture promises that he will be a refuge for us. And when we take refuge in him, uh we're able to find joy in the midst of trials. We're able to find something to smile about even when circumstances are difficult and rough. Romans 12, 12, it says, rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. We rejoice in hope because the God of the universe cares for us. He sees us. And this morning, I just felt led especially to speak to those who might even be battling depression. All right? Whether you're here or you're listening via the live stream or on the podcast, I just feel that's part of God's word for this morning. If that's you, would you take refuge in the Lord? Would you take refuge in him? Would you go to him again, even if you've done it before, do not grow weary, go to the Lord in prayer, take refuge in him. You know, even when the celebration at the wedding in Cana, the wine ran out, it wasn't time for Jesus to start revealing his identity. And yet he chose to provide the wine. He chose to provide that opportunity for celebration, for gladness, for joy. God cares about our lives. It's not all business with him. He really cares about us. And so if you're going through difficulty this morning, I just want to encourage you. I believe it's the Lord's word for you today. Would you take refuge in him? Would you persist in going to him in prayer? And he will restore hope, he will restore joy, he will restore color to your world. The other thing I believe the Lord would speak to us about is preparation. And so throughout scripture, we see many times marriage is used to explain what our relationship with God is meant to be. That we're meant to be faithful, we are meant to be committed, uh, we're meant to really have a covenant together with Him. And so our preparation is the bride of Christ. Of course, it begins with forgiveness of our sins, which is not something we work our way for, but something we receive freely from Christ. But that's the that's not the ending point, that's the starting point. So as we prepare ourselves to be the bride of Christ, it's important that we we're ready because we don't know when he's coming back, we don't know when something might happen to us. And if the Lord were to return this very night, would you be prepared to meet him face to face if we're honest with ourselves? Would you would you welcome him with a smile? Lord, you've returned. Or would you hang your head and not make eye contact in shame? We we want to be prepared for the returning of the Lord. Amen. So we need to live our lives in a way that we are always ready, always ready for the Lord's return. And so we want to be prepared for that final wedding feast that we have a glimpse of in the book of Revelation, the wedding feast of the Lamb. That we can come and say, Once I was a lost sinner. But Christ came and he saved me and he's transformed me. And I've been devoted to him ever since. And so, church, uh, in closing, I just want to remind you that we were not born on earth just to struggle through school so that we could then struggle through employment, so that we could then just struggle through uh health issues in our latter years. This is not God's plan for us in Christ Jesus. Amen. There is more to life than this for us. We're born that we might know God and to make him known. We're born to enjoy the good things that God's created: forest and seafood and coffee and music and so much more. We are also born that we might be God's method of blessing, that we would leave this earth, this place, that we would, those of us living in Eshun, we would leave Ishun better than we found it. That's part of God's will for us in Christ. And so we were born not just to endure, but to worship the Lord, to proclaim and to hope and to announce hope. So when Jesus' first miracle of changing water into wine, uh, we we remember the celebration with family and friends are important. It was important to him. He didn't have to do anything about the wine, and yet he did. And so, just especially want to encourage those who have gone for baptism today and families and parents, make that recurring note in your calendar so that every year you will celebrate this day. It's important that we celebrate. It's good to celebrate. And this is something we want to remember year after year and to celebrate. Let's remember that the good things of this life that God has created, they're not to be shunned without purpose, they're not to be overindulged in. We enjoy the good things that God has created. And let's hold on to the hope that for us as believers, the best is yet to come. All right? Friends, one day we're not going to be trudging through life. We're going to be face to face with the Lord. He is coming back. And on that day, as we are ready, it is going to be the most beautiful words we've ever heard. Well done, good and faithful servant. That's that's what we long for. That's why we keep striving, that's why we keep going to the Lord in prayer. We pray that you've been ministered too by the Word of God today. If you'd like to know more about the Eastern Christian Church, please visit our website at yccanglican.com. Have a blessed day.