John 2

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0:00 The rest of us is the third Sunday of Easter. Remember we talked, we mentioned it last week, but we celebrate Easter. The church has this season of Easter that goes for seven weeks. Seven is a number of completion in the story of Scripture. And so we commemorate the resurrection of Christ for seven weeks. We leave up the Easter banner for seven weeks and we're in the Easter season for seven weeks. This is the third Sunday of Easter. And one of the things that we're thinking about for this season is that little section in the Lord's Prayer that we just talked

0:34 to the kids about, like Kingdom Come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And I've been thinking about like what it means that Jesus was dead, resurrected, ascended, dispatched the Spirit. And now as Peter said in Acts, God has made all of his enemies, his footstool. He sits at the right hand of God to rule and reign that Jesus is completely in charge. And also it seems like his authority is interrupted and broken that the world is not

1:13 as it ought to be. And so I've been thinking about this like kind of duality of living in both of things at the same time. What does it mean that we would ask for God's Kingdom to come here and that his Kingdom would also be here, thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done. And the story that I want to look at to think about that this morning is in John. If you want to look there with me in John chapter two, right at the beginning of the Gospel of John. I was thinking about how this story is in the Gospel of John and right here at the beginning. And I was thinking about how

1:53 John records it and why he records it. And I was remembering the scene. We mentioned it on Good Friday when Jesus is on the cross and he looks down and he tells Mary and John, saying next to him, Mary, behold your son, John, behold your mother. He gives these two together. I was wondering what the relationship of those two would have been. We think that John was the longest living of the disciples of Jesus. That he ended up his life probably in exile on this

2:29 island. The tradition has it that they poked out his eyes and sent him over to this island to die. Some people think that he wrote the apocalypse during that time, the revelation. Most people think that he wrote his Gospel at the very last, at the very end of his life. So I wonder like if this kind of going out missionary journey and getting himself in trouble happened after Mary died, if he stayed and hung out with Mary, took care of her as Jesus had intended. And then when

3:02 she died, he maybe went out and preached and got himself in trouble. He wrote those three epistles, the letters of John, where you get the idea that as he aged this old disciple, he started talking about love. He in his Gospel, in his letters, his epistles letters, he's always boiling it down to love, little children. He calls his readers, little children, won't you love one another? The greatest of these is love. He talks about God having shown them his love. And then when he writes and he remembers

3:36 back, maybe when he's, they think around 90 AD, he writes his Gospel. And so he's looking back at a much younger version of himself. And when he writes his Gospel, he never refers to himself by name. Remember, if you read it, he refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved. And when I was younger, I assumed it was arrogant. John was saying he loved me the most. But as I've gotten older, I realized I think he probably was just so enamored with the idea that Jesus actually loved him, that

4:07 this became his defining identity, that he's the one whom Jesus loved. The Gospel of John starts out the ministry of Jesus different from the other three Gospels. He gets baptized. That's similar by John the Baptist in John chapter one. Then he calls a couple of the disciples, then he finds Nathaniel. And then in chapter two verse one, on the third day, there was a wedding at Kana in Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited to the wedding

4:46 with his disciples. The wedding, we learned about weddings in the first century when we talk about the Christmas story. But often, if there was a couple getting married, the guy would be older, mostly because he had to have been working long enough to have built a house where he could bring his bride. And often, either he had a house or was adding a room onto the house for her.

5:18 So before he did that, he would go to the family and ask for the woman's hand in marriage. The father would set a price that he would, the dowry that he would need in order to recoup what he had spent taking care of this woman, bringing her to this point in life. The guy then usually would have an engagement of about a year where he's working to pay off that dowry and prepare the house. Everybody in the village sees him working on this. They know the arrangement. It's all but done.

5:53 Now we just have to wait for the celebration. So when he finally gets the place done, and the young woman is able to walk towards her new place, her new husband and home, the whole neighborhood and village comes together. So everybody knows what's happening and everybody comes to celebrate and it's a multiple day thing. Everybody's there celebrating. Mary is invited. Jesus, yeah, the disciples bring them on too. We're going to have a party that marks this

6:26 change in the community, this new family beginning. And so Jesus and Mary go. I like that Jesus goes, super cool, that he goes to the wedding, brings his disciples with them. They all are there to party and have a good time. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples and when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus came to him and said that they have no wine.

6:58 I mean these people know how to plan parties. So maybe somebody made a mistake. I just think everybody was drinking more than they expected. They've been there a couple days now and they're through the wine. And it's embarrassing if they run out of wine. It shows that they are disrespectful, like they weren't taking care of each other.

7:32 It's a big, it's a bad move that they will have trouble recovering from as a family. They'll always be the ones who couldn't provide the wedding feast to the way they were supposed to. Every wedding feast in the future, everyone will remember these bozos who couldn't do wedding feast the right way. It would be a mark that they would have trouble recovering from. And so when they ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, hey they have no wine.

8:08 She doesn't ask anything of him though she is definitely implied. Hey Jesus they ran out of wine. And I mean a lot of people have talked about it but it's worth mentioning again like what did she think he was going to do? Like has he done this before? Does he have a stash at home? Like what is he going to send the disciples to go find some? Like it's a weird thing.

8:40 Mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine and Jesus said to her woman, what does this have to do with me? Woman's a term of endearment not derogatory. It's like ah sweet mom. What am I going to do about it? What do you want me to do about it? My hour has not yet come. This is the part that's really interesting to me. I mean there's a lot of parts but but think about this like

9:15 you know Jesus is housed like a childhood we see like that we hear about in Luke right where he's like he's gone with the family. By the time he's young he has some sense that that he's got Joseph and Mary and he's honoring them but also he recognizes a special connection to God the Father because he's in the temple and he's like would I not be in my Father's house? So he has this sense about himself that seems to be progressing as he matures and he's not young by the time he gets baptized

9:49 but the baptism is a big deal. Remember like the dove comes down to sense upon him the voice of heaven. This is my beloved son with him. I am well pleased and then he after the baptism he goes out into the desert and and contends with the enemy. He fasts for 40 days and 40 nights and he has conversations with the enemy who's like I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world if you'll just bow down to me. Like he's got some monumental things happening a tritarian appearance of the

10:26 creator God a face-to-face battle with the enemy of God right like big things happening large cosmic events on the move right and then he comes out of the desert and these guys start coming to him he's building his team things are about to get rolling he's got one thing he grew up with this family in the town and it would be a bad move if he didn't go to the wedding so he goes to the wedding brings his guys they're hanging out they're through two days probably coming into the

11:01 third day and his mom comes to him and it's like hey they got they need more wine and he's like it's not the right time and um you know I don't know how the cosmic timeline works but I know that it said that in just the fullness of time did Christ come and I know that the person of Christ is the fulcrum on which humanity turns I know that God has been seemingly preparing it since the very

11:36 first ones when he says you know you'll strike his heel and he'll crush your head like all the things are building to this moment and Mary doesn't want Jesus' mom doesn't want the family to be embarrassed on account of the fact that they ran out of wine right and Jesus is like this is not and Mary is undeterred she's like I know you're important but this is important too you know I know you have a lot of things going on Jesus but let's not dismiss the people around us I know

12:12 I know that you're important but this is important too and Jesus said to her woman what does this have to do with me my hour has not yet come and his mother said to the servants do whatever he tells you she's she's like he'll be fine just take care of it and of course we're going to go into it Jesus takes care of it right you've all heard the story before but just for a minute

12:51 did he always was he planning on that all the time was this like a ruse with him and Mary was he like pretending woman it's not my time she's like go ahead and do it anyway had they ever I think it's just like it really wasn't his time yet but Mary wanted him to take care of it and she said would you take care of it you're here and and they need more wine and you're here could you just figure

13:23 that out and then he does look now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rights of purification each holding 20 or 30 gallons okay six at if it's if they're small six at 20 gallons what is that 1200 gallons that's a lot Jesus said to the servants fill the jars with water

14:00 and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast and so they took it and when the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine he did not know where it came from though the servants who had drawn the water knew and 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 this is the this the first of his signs Jesus did at Galilee at Kaina in Galilee and manifested

14:39 his glory and his disciples believed in him Jesus though it wasn't his time made 1200 gallons of wine for people who had already had so much that they wouldn't notice the difference between good and bad wine anymore it's safe to say they didn't need more wine they certainly didn't need 1200 gallons more wine but but Jesus is not opposed to them having more wine and his mom

15:13 asked him to and so he did what have you asked him for I mean it's like a very simple idea Jesus was dead and is alive resurrected ascended seated at the throne

15:48 testified to appear to 500 right dispatch to spirit of which you and I are benefactors we know the one who sits on the throne and he invites us to ask him to to bring his reign here there's one little passage in Amos in Amos chapter nine Amos is sometimes called like a mini Isaiah his themes are similar to Isaiah though he

16:20 prophesied many much fewer things and he's later in the history of the southern kingdom so he preaches some destruction but also a fair amount of salvation and and solace and right towards the end of Amos in chapter in chapter nine he says um God says through Amos in that day he's talking about the day of deliverance in that day I will raise up the booth of David that has fallen and

16:53 repair its breaches and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old that they may possess the remnant of edam and the nations who are called by my name all of them declares the Lord who does this behold the days are coming declares the Lord when the plowmen shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed the mountain shall drip with wine and all the hills shall flow with it I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and they shall rebuild ruin

17:28 cities and inhabit them they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine and they shall make the gardens and eat their fruit I will plant them on their land and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them says the Lord their god Amos speaking for God to Israel says they'll come a day when the wine is just like flowing down from the mountains and Jesus to kick it off at the request of his mother makes 1200 gallons of wine for people who have already been drinking

18:03 for two days to say there is plenty when the reign of God comes there is plenty for all do you need some more just ask him maybe he'll do something he certainly can there was a period in my prayers to the Lord where I would ask him to do things and remind him that he could be a good Lord it would be great if you would deliver if you would heal this person we know that you can

18:37 just to affirm myself my my request is not a light switch I can't predict what God will do and neither could marry but she knew that he could do things and so she told the servant say whatever he says just do it it might sound weird but just whatever he says do it

19:11 you and I live in a world where Jesus of Nazareth Mary's son is in charge he's not here anymore he ascended he said he had to ascend in order to dispatch the spirit that original creative force of God but he said if I go to prepare a place and I'm coming back to get you if I leave I'm going to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you

19:44 then certainly I will come back and get you in the meantime take the comforter you and I live in a world where Jesus of Nazareth though he was dead is alive resurrected ascended and dispatched the spirit in order that right now we might invite him to be in charge in different places this is why he told his friends when you pray pray like this your kingdom come your will be done you and I can't control God but we can certainly ask him to do things and sometimes he will

20:23 1200 gallons of wine is a ridiculous first miracle Jesus healed blind people lame people cast demons out of folk raised some people from the dead walked on water right expanded minds taught people stood up to kings he did all kinds of things his first miracle was absurd it appears to me he did it because somebody asked him to not because he was planning on it you can't predict

20:59 you might as well ask this is the theme for this morning you don't know what God might do you might as well ask him with the full anticipation now it was kind of a crazy ask from Mary which is why you get the feeling she didn't ask him explicitly it wasn't hey Jesus they're out of wine I talked to the master stewards what they need is they need 1200 more gallons I know that sounds like a lot Jesus but if we stack up the purification jars I think that it'll fit in there would you take it

21:34 from there she she just like it was an absurd ask she didn't but when she asked him she anticipated he would do something she couldn't predict or control him but she knew that he could and so she figured he might and so she was ready for whatever would happen next hey guys do whatever he tells you it's different when you pray and you anticipate that God might act right around the

22:05 corner if you ask for something and you look for an answer it doesn't mean that you'll get it but I think often we might walk right by it and not even know Jesus provided 1200 gallons of wine and most of the people there didn't know that the reign of God had come in their midst with long

22:36 prophesied abundance of wine and most of them missed it though they drunk the wine they did not know I remember a story Aaron and Meghan and I were at a church in college together and there was this like guy who his name was Jack he was an old retired Baptist preacher he had been a pastor of a church in California for a long time and he told us to tell the story about missing the work of God

23:14 where he at the end of every service they had they would pray for folk who were sick like in this big Baptist church in Southern California they would pray for everybody who was sick and Jack one time he's like man we pray for people who are sick every week one time he just was like hey if that prayer has worked for any of you if you got well would you just stand up one week and all these

23:44 people stood up that had been healed by God in response to the prayers of the people and do you know it weirted the whole room out he had people leave here people leave the church from that they were there drinking the wine but it was too weird to think that the wine would just come out of nowhere and they couldn't take it I'm saying you and I like Mary we know the king we can ask him we can't control him but when we ask him we might as well expect he'll do something because

24:18 he certainly can and the evidence is that he has in the past so we ask him we believe we look for the intervention of the reign of God and then we celebrate it when we see it the disciples saw it and they believed it said and then they were with him come what may

24:48 let me pray that we could be that we could see it and believe hey lord thank you for your reign in our midst teach us to ask for the reign to come look for it see it and believe in Jesus name we pray amen