Turning Water Into Wine | Transformation in Christ (John 2:1-11)

Topic: Turning Water Into Wine | Transformation in Christ

Reading: John 2:1-11

1 On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. 3 When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the steward 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 steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Introduction and Overview

In the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, He was not seen as anyone special. He was an ordinary man who got invited to ordinary events like a wedding. He was part of a family that did the normal things that families do, and they relied upon Him as a family would rely on an eldest son or oldest brother.

But on this occasion, Jesus began to show the extraordinary when He turned the water into wine. He made several points about doing this miracle, that we will see shortly. What is interesting is that although He did the miracle and was willing to help out, it was not something He believed He should be involved in. There is a powerful lesson in that for those in the Church who feel they need to be everything to everyone. It is especially important for pastors and ministers where their congregations expect too much of them, which is a major cause of burnout in those who serve in that way.

And the final piece we see in this is a reminder of the power of transformation in the ministry of Christ. The principle reason for Christ coming in the first place was to save us from our sins, give us the Gospel of salvation, and to introduce the New Covenant that would lead to transformation and victory over the flesh. And we see the power and the type of transformation in this miracle where Jesus turned the water into wine.

Key points from reading:

Understanding what you should and should not be concerned about
Jesus was not opposed to drinking wine
The power of transformation from something ordinary into something spectacular is a good metaphor for the Christian life.

Discussion:

Scripture: John 2:1-2 – An Ordinary Man
- The first thing we note about this section of scripture, is that to all intents and purposes, Jesus appeared to be an ordinary man. As the scriptures document, He was born and raised, He was a regular part of village life where He grew up, and He had friends and family around Him. And as a normal person, He was invited to family and friend events, which is why He would have been at the wedding ceremony in Cana.
- This is important to remember because Jesus came to the earth not as “Superman,” or as a member of the king’s household, or even as a member of a family of wealth and substance. Instead, He came as one of the people. He experienced life as an ordinary man, not sheltered or protected in any way. This is why He understood the trials and tribulations of humanity so well, because He experienced them first-hand.
- The ministry that was soon to unfold that would propel Jesus to the centre of religious renown had not yet happened. However, the sign He was about to perform would begin the process that would change the world. The first step was about to be taken by turning water into wine.
Scripture: John 2:3-5 – A Question of Timing
- There is an unusual verse in these words. Verse 4 says this: And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” As I have read that verse over the years it never sounded right. It felt as though Jesus was berating His mother, and there is no way Jesus would do that. Jesus held His earthly mother , Mary, with the highest honour, love, and respect. This is why the words sound odd.
- But when we go back into the original Greek, we see a different meaning to these words. It would be better translated as, “O woman, what has that to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.” The fact that the wedding party had run out of wine was not and should not be the concern of Jesus or His mother. If the wedding organisers had not supplied sufficient wine, that’s not Jesus’ or Mary’s problem.
- Jesus was not berating His mother. He was simply pointing out that not every issue was something He should be concerned about and had to fix. This is a good point to consider, especially for those who work in the ministry. There is a massive problem in the churches today with pastor burnout. Most of it is caused because the people in the church expect the pastor or minister of the church to be everything to everyone. And no-one can do that. Even Jesus here was showing that a lack of wine at someone’s wedding was not something that He needed to be involved in. To put it bluntly, He could have simply said, “No wine? That’s not my problem!”
- And then of course we see the issue of timing. Jesus was establishing His ministry, calling the first disciples, and setting things up. His comment, “My hour has not yet come,” suggests that He was not yet ready to be revealed. It would not be long until the whole of Judea and Jerusalem knew who Jesus was, but at that point in time, it was too soon.
Scripture: John 2:6-10 – Turning Water Into Wine
- Despite the timing and the fact that Jesus pointed out that the lack of wine was not His problem, He still helped the wedding organisers. He showed His compassion for the bride and groom and those who organised the wedding. He did not want them to be embarrassed because they had not provided sufficient provisions for the wedding feast.
- Even though it may not have been His problem, He still helped resolve the issue. And that is a lesson we can all learn from. Jesus had the means to resolve the issue of the lack of wine, albeit a miraculous sign that He performed. So too, when we are in the position to help our brothers or sisters, and we have the means to do so, it is right to offer and provide what help we can, even if it is “Not our problem.” Doing so is an act of compassion and love for our brethren. And we have been called to learn how to walk in love.
- So, Jesus provided the solution to the lack of wine in a most miraculous way. He had the servants of the house fill six large stone jars with water. These jars typically held 20-30 gallons each, and so would have been about 120-180 gallons in total. And Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine so that the wedding would proceed, and the bride and groom would not be embarrassed. To put this into today’s perspective, a typical bottle of red or white wine holds 750 millilitres (or 25-26 fluid ounces) of wine. So, 120-180 gallons of wine represents about 727-1091 bottles of wine. That’s a lot of wine!
- And the other thing we must note is that when Jesus turned the water into wine, it was not ordinary wine. The comments of the steward of the feast showed that the wine was excellent. It was very good wine, and in turning the water into wine Jesus also blessed the bride and groom, lifting them up in the eyes of those who attended the ceremony.
Scripture: John 2:11 – A Sign of Things to Come
- But there is still more to learn from this sign that Jesus did. Turning water into wine was a metaphor for the Christian life. The water represents the people of the world who first come to Christ. Like water, they are ordinary in every way. They are not special but are just common in all respects, just like water.
- But when a person comes to Christ, they are transformed into the image of Christ. It may not be instantaneous, but the process commences. Immediately when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and when we believe God raised Jesus from the dead, we are declared or reckoned righteous by God. This is the beginning of the process of transformation. Just as turning water into wine transformed the ordinary into something extraordinary, so too we start the process of transformation from the ordinary life of sinners in this world, to the extraordinary sons and daughters of God.
- Turning water into wine was a process of transformation. Jesus took something ordinary and of no great merit, and turned it into something valuable and extraordinary. And that is what happens to us when we come to Christ. The process of transformation takes from our ordinary lives in this world, to become new creations in Christ, born from above as children of God, and extraordinary in His sight. There are many dimensions to this first sign that Jesus did at the wedding in Cana where he turned water into wine, and this process of transformation was a sign of what was to come.

Prayer Points:

Pray for the transformation in your own life. Pray that you can be transformed from the ordinary “water” into the extraordinary “wine” as Jesus did in these verses.
Pray also for the understanding of how these things work and what you need to do to effectively be transformed. Remember, this was not a random miracle because the wedding ran out of wine, it was a sign of what the Christian life would do to a person, and pray that God shows you the path from the ordinary to the extraordinary.