Deep Clean

At a wedding in Cana, the Lord made 960 bottles of the finest wine. But why is this significant? Mercifully, John does not leave us hanging in suspense: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). So begins John’s book of signs, seven signs to be precise, all designed to reveal the glory and radiant beauty of Christ.

What does this first sign teach us about Christ’s glory? First, notice His glory in its context. Many scholars see the opening chapters of John’s gospel as a beautiful parallel of the Creation story (Gen. 1-2). John begins, “In the beginning,” with the creation of all things and the contrast of light and darkness. Just like in Genesis, we see a perfect man who reveals the character of God. Then, there are the seven consecutive days (the four days of John 1:19, 29, 35, 43, and then the three subsequent days of John 2). Following that, just like the Genesis account which begins with the wedding of Adam and Eve, John 2 brings us to a wedding in Cana.

This theme of new creation continues through John’s 4th chapter. Notice that it begins and ends in Cana, with the promise of new wine, a new temple, the new birth, new water (John 4:1ff), and a new way to worship (“in Spirit and truth”). John contrasts the deadness of legalistic Judaism with the new life that He brings for any and for all who come to Him. We also see this contrast in John’s movement from Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel (John 3) to a sexually immoral Samaritan, the kind of hussy even the Samaritans wouldn’t touch with a barge pole (John 4).

Second, notice that this glory is concealed. Jesus doesn’t burst onto the scene in Jerusalem. The first place that He chooses to reveal His glory is Cana of Galilee, a small backwater village out in the boondocks. Only Mary, the disciples, and the servants witness the miracle. Do you see? God’s glory is available for nobodies in Nowheresville, for the last, for the lost, for the least, and for the likes of you and me.

Third, notice that His glory is in control. We see this in our Lord’s dealings with His mother. She comes to him in a bit of a state, “Wine, they have NONE!” Like turkey at Thanksgiving, in the Ancient Near East, wine was the centerpiece of weddings. To run out would have been a terrible insult to the guests and a tremendous embarrassment to the host. Shame would have followed this couple for decades. So Mary takes charge: “Don’t just stand there, do something!” she pleads.  Jesus’ response, at the very least, contains a gentle rebuke: “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come’” (John 2:4). In those days, the term “woman” was actually an endearing and respectful term for an older lady (cf. John 19:26). His next words, however, are sharper - literally, “What is that to you and to me?” In essence, Jesus is saying, “Mother dear, we are working at cross purposes, and I have different fish to fry. The hour when my ministry will begin is not yours to dictate (John 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). Mary’s rather chastened response shows that she gets this: “Whatever HE SAYS to you, do it.” She’s leaving it entirely in the hands of her Son. Instinctively, she knows that He knows best.

Fourth, John wants you to see a glory that cleanses. Here is the real meat of the miracle. Jesus’ choice of the vessel in which to perform this miracle is pregnant with meaning. He chooses the six stone jars used for the Jewish rite of purification. Whatever else the Old Testament taught God’s Old Testament people, they learned this much: Sin makes you dirty. They lived life surrounded by contagious uncleanness. Everything, everyone, everywhere threatened your spiritual standing before God: lepers, dead things, Gentiles, skin rashes, various bodily emissions, etc.; the list goes on and on. God designed all of these things as visible pictures to illustrate the invisible effects of sin. The Jews knew this, and they spent their lives washing the filth away, or trying to. Some of these ceremonial washings were commanded by God (e.g. the Priests had to wash in the laver before they served in the Temple), and some of these washings were added by the Jews in a desperate attempt to rid themselves of this impurity. The jars here are probably an example of the latter, a man-made cleansing ritual. It is therefore significant that when Jesus turned the water into wine that he used these vessels. His miracle stands out both in terms of the quality of the wine (180 gallons) and its quality, such that the steward is absolutely flabbergasted. This is the best wine that he ever tasted. All of this symbolizes the abundant cleansing Jesus has come to provide - a real cleansing, powerful enough to make the foulest clean, enough for all the sinners of all the ages, enough for the worst sinner of any age. 

Picture yourself this morning and your lifetime of sin before the cleansing power of Christ’s blood. Can He cleanse the world and fail to cleanse you? Easier for a second to swallow up eternity! When you were a child and you went down to the sea with a bucket to gather water for your sandcastle’s moat, did you worry that the ocean might not have enough water for your needs? Of course not, but there is an end to the ocean’s water supply. However, there is no end to your Savior’s sufficiency. He can look at a world of sinners, open His arms wide, and say to them, “Come to me. I am enough!” And when even the worst come, despite all their doubts and fears, despite the infinite cost that their redemption requires, His words remain ever the same, “It is finished. We will talk no more about it. Your sins, though they are many, are all forgiven you. Go and sin no more!” Take comfort, Christian, this morning: What Jesus has done is enough for them, enough for all, and enough for you.