We remember that Jesus called his first disciples yesterday, and now he is starting his ministry. This passage is the very first miracle. It is the famous water turning into wine story. It is a story that John has selected to show what Jesus’s mission was all about. We have to remember that all the stories and miracles of Jesus were carefully selected from thousands of stories to show who Jesus is and what he came to do. Especially in John, they serve as a sign directing to a bigger picture.
We read the passage together.
Evan is puzzled why Jesus would address his mom as “woman.” That’s so weird. Why would he do that? The translation we read says “dear woman” but it still sounds weird. Why is he addressing his mom like that? However Mary doesn’t feel any disrespect and just trusts him with the servants.
Here we get a hint of what Jesus is thinking addressing his mom as “woman.” He talks about his “hour” hasn’t come yet. “The hour” in the book of John always refers to the time of Jesus on the cross. So at this wedding feast, Jesus is thinking about his death. Why??? Why is he in a sour mood at a joyous celebration? It is because this wedding makes him think about his own wedding. Jesus has a wedding? Yes! He is the groom, and we are his bride! But in order to marry us, he needed to turn our hearts and make us a beautiful bride by dying for us. His wedding starts with his death.
We see this more clearly when we see how he changed the water to wine. He doesn’t use any water, but the ceremonial cleansing water. Jews needed to wash themselves often to make sure they are “clean.” Jesus turns that water into wine. The wine signifies Jesus’s blood. Jesus’s blood is all that is needed to clean ourselves. We don’t need to keep refilling our water jars to cleanse ourselves. Jesus’s blood is more than enough.
We are able to celebrate and party through Jesus’s sacrifice!