Why did Jesus change the water into wine?

​This Sunday at 9:15am, we will continue our series in the Gospel of John.

Why did Jesus change the water into wine?  To impress the crowds?  Because He was thirsty for some good wine?  Because his mom asked him to?  To get the wedding party's attention?  What motivated his first miracle?

John 2:1-12 tells the story of this often overlooked miracle by our Savior.  In preparation for our time together on Sunday, let me briefly talk about this inaugural event marking the beginning of Jesus' ministry here on earth.

While the wedding ceremony was a complete success, the reception hit a snag that threatened to derail the entire event.  Back in the first century, wine was to a wedding what a cake is to a wedding today.  Guests couldn't imagine a wedding without wine.  To offer wine was to show respect to your guests.  Not to offer wine at a wedding was an insult.  

As part of the catering company, what Mary faced was a large knot that quickly needed to be untied.  So what did she do?  Her solution poses a practical plan for untangling life's knots.  "They have no more wine." she told Jesus (John 2:3).  That's it.  That's all she said.  She didn't go ballistic, throw a temper-tantrum, she simply assessed the problem and gave it to Christ.  She could have passed the blame on to someone else.  She could have imploded, blaming herself for not planning accordingly.  She could have hid in the kitchen, hoping no one would notice that the wine was all gone, but instead, she focused on the problem and took it to the right person.

Let's move on and see what happened next.  "Jesus told the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' when the jars had been filled, he said, 'Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.'  So the servants followed his instructions." and as we know, the water, while in transit, became wine.

While there are several things we can learn from this simple story, without spoiling Sunday's message, let me leave you with this thought.  Next time you face a problem, follow the example of Mary at the wineless wedding:
Identify the problem.....don't waste time blaming yourself or others
Present it to Jesus......he wants to help you
Do what he says.....no matter how crazy it sounds
Join us on Sunday at 9:15am, as we dive a little bit deeper into this story and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen your belief in Jesus as the Son of God.

At 10:15am we will continue to make our way through the multi-faith maze, as we discuss the different paths people try and take in their journey to find God.

See you Sunday

Pastor Doug