Zach (Podcast Host) (18:15)
Jesus's miracle at the wedding of Cana is a staple of his ministry There are few people, including those with a religious upbringing, who don't know about Jesus turning water into wine. It's kind of a cultural norm. Whether we learn about it on Sunday school or from a meme, understanding this miracle gives us intimate insights into the heart of God and the purpose of Jesus ministry. What we learn teaches us about who Jesus is and how we should respond to him as disciples. It shows us when and how and why we should approach Jesus and what we can expect from him when we do. Traditional Jewish weddings typically began with a ceremony for close family members before opening up the festivities to large parts of the family and people in the neighborhood and all throughout the town. If you've ever tried to plan a party, you can likely relate to the issue of running out of food or drinks. But for us, that might just sound like an inconvenience. But to a first century family, running out of food or wine was a big deal. It marred the reputation of the community. So naturally, when it became apparent that the wine had run out, Jesus mother Mary, who was helping at this wedding, came to Jesus with a situation. This moment was significant because it was the first time that Mary approached Jesus not as his mother, but knowing that he was more than her son. This is noted, actually, when Jesus addresses her as woman. Now listen, I'm a grown man with kids. If I called my mom woman, you better believe I would get spanked. But we have to put this in cultural context Jesus isn't being disrespectful when he's calling his mother woman. Typically, Jesus would have addressed Mary as imma, which was a word communicated to proximity and closeness. It was the word for mom or mommy, if you want to get more intimate than that. However, Jesus calling Mary woman symbolized a transition in their relationship. You see, the term woman was actually a term of endearment, but it was meant for acquaintances. It was meant for people who are close to you and specifically people that you're addressing in respectful situations. Jesus wasn't just her son, he was her God. And so now there is this separation that's occurring here. Jesus is drawing a line because Mary is coming to him not just as her mother, but with the knowledge that he's the Messiah. This is a turning point in Jesus ministry, and it's a turning point in Jesus's relationship with Mary. Three years from this moment, Jesus is going to be hanging on a cross as her Lord and her Savior. So this is the beginning of her beginning to recognize him as such. Mary doesn't demand Jesus to come and fix the situation. However, there is some levity to the situation, as she knows exactly who Jesus is and what he's capable of. She simply and humbly asks for the problem to be solved by Jesus. And what Mary is showing us is how we can approach God in our difficulties. We don't want to come to God with demands, expecting him to respond in the way that we think best. Instead, we should come to him with humility, sharing our burdens with God and trusting him to respond in the way that he thinks is best. And we should also recognize that there is a separation between us and God. He is a holy God with holy plans. However, that doesn't mean that at times he won't bend down to completely and wonderfully surprise us with his blessings. Jesus could have told the servants to explain the problem to the feastmaster, or taken a moment to address the guests and teach them to be content with what they already had. And if that was his decision, it would have been good because it would have been deemed as such. When we share our struggles with God, we can trust that he's going to provide in the best way possible for us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 6:25, Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? God knows what we need even when we don't. Life is more than just physical needs. Even if it feels like all of our problems are, we should understand that the way Jesus responds to our requests considers not just our physical health, but also our mental, emotional and spiritual health. You see, God sees the whole person. And so sometimes when he's answering our prayers or responding to our requests, we he keeps the whole person in mind, not just addressing one specific need, but considering what is good for our souls, what's good for our spirits, what's good for our resilient characters. It's also good for us to understand the heart behind Mary's request. She wasn't concerned with the guests and their satisfaction. Her eyes were on a bigger problem, the well being of the bride and groom's families. Even though Jesus knew it wasn't yet his time, he knew this was his mother's intention and blessed her for her love for others. So Jesus decides to help and he meets the needs that are brought to him. He begins by instructing the servants to fill six stone jars used for traditional Jewish cleansing ceremonies. You might be asking yourself, why not have all of them fill the wine vessels? Why are we filling these huge jugs that are used for hand washing? Though the servants and the others witnessing may not have understood, Jesus was actually making a statement of the change he was about to bring. The ceremonial jars are meant to be a representation of the old covenant between God and his people. It represents the law of Moses. The Talmud, the central text outlining the Jewish law, required that every Jew cleanse their face, their hands and their feet every day for the sake of their creator. Being ceremonially clean was very, very important. When Jesus instructs the servants to fill the cleansing jars, he's demonstrating that he had come to fulfill the old covenant and give them a new one. What is going to make people clean is no longer these ceremonies and these hand washings and these feet washings. But what's going to make them clean is the blood of Christ. And what is the blood of Christ always represented by? That's right, wine. So Jesus is communicating here that it is no longer the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, the old law that cleanses us, but rather the blood of Jesus and the new covenant, the new promise of a relationship with him in salvation from the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus. We're not, we're no longer clean, centered on rituals like cleansing of water, but centered in his blood as represented by the wine that would soon fill these jars. We're going to continue on this story in our next episode. We wanted to give it the proper time and attention that it deserves, being Jesus's first miracle ever performed. So make sure to join us next time for Water Into Wine Part two. Thank you again for listening to the Jesus Podcast. If you've been enjoying this podcast so far, we would love it if you followed, shared it with a friend and left a review. These small little steps actually make a huge difference. You see, the podcast world is vast and it's only getting bigger and getting noticed by people. It's difficult. And so if you've been a devoted follower of this podcast for these last few months, we would truly, truly, truly be grateful if you took those small steps. If you haven't yet, thank you again for joining us. See you next time.
