Jesus Gives Party Favors

Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
11/30/97 am

Jesus Gives Party Favors

Reading – John 2.1-12

Open your worship bulletin and let’s work our way through this outline. This narrative is about an embarrassment. Have you ever been embarrassed? Have you ever taken somebody out to lunch, only to discover you had left your billfold at home... or have the machine refuse your credit card?

My most embarrassing moment was being called down by the preacher one Sunday night. Joe Banks was the preacher. I was having a conversation with his daughter Sandra. Joe stopped his sermon and asked if Randall and Sandra would like to come to the front and share their conversation with the rest of the audience... We declined. Of course we never did that again either.

I think all of us are familiar with that strange flushed feeling known as embarrassment. If you know that feeling, then you can appreciate what’s taking place in our text. This is the story about an embarrassing situation and what God has to do with it.

A Jewish wedding party lasted seven full days. It began with a evening processional down the city street, by the groom and his family. They would arrive at the home of the bride, where her family and guest were waiting. She would come out to meet him and the whole wedding party would walk together through the village streets in song and merriment. People would come outside and shout blessings, prayers and wished them well. Then the processional would make it’s way back to the groom’s house and a giant feast. The host was responsible for the food and the wine... To keep them coming for the seven days. It was not uncommon for a Jewish peasant family to save for years to marry off their first born. The best food and wine were always served first. Then, as the party continued and the palette was numbed by eating and drinking, something less than the best was served.

This host was embarrassed, they had run out of wine. Jewish tradition held that the bride’s family could call off the wedding or even sue the groom’s family for not providing a proper wedding party. So, to run out of food or wine was a NO, NO... It was an embarrassment. Mary, the mother of Jesus, evidently had something to do with hosting this event. So, she comes to Jesus asking His help. At first Jesus refused, but Mary told the servants... You do as He asks. Jesus tells them to fill the water jugs with water, which they did.

Well, let’s linger here and see what we can learn.  Let’s make some spiritual applications that we can use in our walk with Jesus.

FIRST, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THAT JESUS IS FOUND AT A PARTY.
This is not usually the way we think of Him is it? We usually see Him as a teacher, preacher, Rabbi. We usually see Him as the suffering Savior. We usually see Him through the eyes of the prophet Isaiah... As one who was:
- Despised and rejected of men.
- A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
- As one who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.
And this is all right, we should see Him in this light. But Jesus was not one dimensional. Jesus was on this guest list. Jesus was the type who would be invited to a party, and He was the type who would go. How often do we think of Jesus in this light?

In fact one of the most frequent criticisms of Jesus while He was on this earth was what? That He spent too much time at parties. The religious establishment saw Jesus as a party hound, eating and drinking with sinners. They even went so far as to call Him a wine bibbler.

Church, we become like that which we worship. So, if we see Jesus as one dimensional. If we only see Him as despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and grief, then we too will become one dimensional. That’s why some of us are known as sour prudes or dusty old deacons.

But, you see, God created us to enjoy this world and one another. He placed Adam and Eve in a paradise garden TOGETHER so they could enjoy life. Look around this morning, all we see was created by God for our enjoyment. Jesus enjoyed the fellowship of a good party. His first recorded miracle is performed at a party... This should tell us something. Solomon reminds us, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. We’ve got the:
- Weeping,
- Mourning,
- Complaining,
- The feeling sorry for ourselves down,
But we don’t have the laughing and dancing down. We must not fall into the trap of becoming like, what we perceive as a: • One dimensional, flat Jesus... because He wasn’t... And neither should we be. Jesus went to this party, not only did He go... Church, He kept it alive by His divine power. This should tell us that it is good, right and Godlike to enjoy the fellowship of a good party.

SECONDLY, AND CLOSELY AKIN TO THIS, IS THAT PEOPLE WERE SPECIAL TO JESUS.
At a Jewish wedding feast, only the finest food and wine were served. This was an indication of how special the occasion and the people were to the host. Because the people were special, they served the finest food and wine, like you served Thanksgiving Dinner on your finest china and crystal. Why didn’t you use paper plates?.. Because the OCCASION and the PEOPLE were special.

Jesus was touched by this occasion and by the people, so He turned the water into, not just paper-plate wine, but into the best. Know this, this morning, that it was Jesus’ interest in people that motivated Him to turn water into wine. And it was His interest in people that prompted Him to die on the cross for our sins.

Church, when we explore the life of Jesus, we find that He unconditionally loved others:
- The woman at the well, whom His disciples saw as a dirty dog Samaritan and an outcast.
- The woman taken in adultery.
- Zacchaeus, the cheating tax collector.
- The Syrophenician woman of Mark 7.
- The woman who anointed His feet with tears and dried them with her hair.
- The lepers, even those who didn’t acknowledge His healing.
- The Publicans and sinners who Jesus loved enough to spend time and party with.
- Paul says He loves us unconditionally, while we were aliens, ugly sinners; Christ died for us.

Each one of us here this morning is special to Jesus. But the truth is this, all those who are not here this morning are just as special to HIM. All people... ALL PEOPLE were unconditionally special to Jesus.

This narrative teaches us that people should be special to us and that they deserve the best from us, regardless of who they are or what they are.

NUMBER THREE, WE LEARN THAT WE MUST BRING OUR PROBLEMS TO JESUS, IN FAITH, AND LEAVE THEM THERE.
Mary must have had something to do with hosting this party. Because, when the wine runs out, she takes her problem to Jesus. And notice audience, she does so immediately. At first Jesus doesn’t want to address the problem.... Jesus seems to be saying,
- Woman, why are you involving me?
- You want Me to use My power to fix a wine shortage?
- Aren’t there more important things for me to be doing to do than turning water into wine?
- This is not the time, the place or the circumstance to prove My Deity.
- My time has not come.

Notice what Mary does!... What did she do, church? She left it in His hands!  I tell you this morning, this is FAITH... Genuine Biblical faith. When she doesn’t get the answer she was looking for, she leaves it in His hands anyway. She tells the servants, do whatever He tells you... And she walks away. Mary knew Jesus loved her and that He would deal with her problem. Try this kind of FAITH on for size this coming week.

Do you and your preacher have this kind of:
- FAITH,
- CONFIDENCE,
- This kind of TRUST in God and His love for us?

Do we bring Him our problems and leave them there for Him to deal with? Do we really believe Romans 8.28?... Do we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
You see,
- Mary was confident in their relationship.
- She was confident that she had a place in His heart.
- She knew that what mattered to her mattered to Him, and that He would do something about the problem.

Now, I know what you’re thinking... You’re thinking, but brother Randall this is Jesus’ mother.
- I’m not Jesus’ mother,
- I’m not a part of His immediate family.
- I can’t expect the same treatment.
Aw, think again... Think again. Have we forgotten these scriptures below?
Luke 8.21, My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.
Mark 3.35, Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.
Romans 8.17, Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and coheirs with Christ.

You see, in a very real sense, every Christian individual is Jesus’ mother, sister, brother. And, He gives us the same priority as He gave Mary in our text. What is important to us is important to Him. Like Mary, we need to bring our problems to Jesus and leave them there with faith and confidence that He will provide help for a solution.

NOTICE THAT MARY BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY TO JESUS.
She didn’t reason like this... Well, I’ll try to work it out... And if I can’t... I’ll take it to Jesus. If our child had a splinter in their finger, what do you think they would do? Do you think they would reason like this:
- Mother is doing the dishes.
- Daddy is paying the bills.
So, I’ll wait a few days and see how it goes, then if its not better, I’ll call it to their attention. Our children didn’t do this, and neither did yours. They brought it immediately to our attention because they knew:
- One, that we could do something about the splinter.
- Two, that we cared enough to do something about it.
- And three, they knew what was important to them... was important to us because they were our children.

God... Help us to be like Mary, turn IMMEDIATELY to Jesus with our problems.

NO PROBLEM IS TOO INSIGNIFICANT FOR HIM TO ADDRESS.
Hey, there were bigger problems in Cana than a wine shortage at this wedding feast. Just because there are bigger problems in Cana, didn’t mean that Jesus is not going to do something for Mary about the wine shortage.

Just because there are bigger problems in the world than mine and yours, does not mean that God is not going to do anything about them.... He will... He will! Jesus could have been:
- Healing the sick,
- Casting out demons,
- Raising the dead,
- Cleansing lepers,
- Preaching a great sermon,
But He took time to turn water into wine to save the host from embarrassment and to keep this party going. You see audience,
- If God has numbered the hairs of our head... And He has.
- If He knows when a sparrow falls to the earth... And He does.
Then rest assured that He is aware and is ready to help us with our wine shortages. Romans 8.28 tells us that God is ready to work ALL THINGS to our benefit. Did you catch it?... ALL things... Not just the big problems, but the small ones too. Church, we’ll not likely leave the big problems of life in the hands of Jesus, until we learn to leave the small ones there... RIGHT?

ANOTHER POINT IS THIS, JESUS SAVES THIS PARTY AND THE PARTY NEVER KNOWS IT.
A close reading of this narrative indicates that those of the party are never aware of what Jesus has done...
- Only Mary,
- The apostles
- And the servants.
Jesus comes to the aid of this host and the host gets the credit... Not Jesus. This is just like God, to providently intervene in our lives and someone else gets the credit. When God provides the wine, it makes someone else look good.

He makes me look good almost every Sunday morning. There are times when I am ready to preach... Times that I feel good about the sermon. But most of the time I am filled with anxiety... I am not ready. The last thing on my lips as I get up here is; God, please help me. And at the back door, you say:
- Good lesson...
- Great sermon Randall...
- Preacher, you do good work.
But I know in my heart where the credit goes. Question! Has He ever made you look good?

We must understand this morning that God is alive, and is providently working in each of our lives. He is providently turning water into wine every day we live. Paul told the Athenians on Mars Hill,
- It is in Him that we live, move and have our being.
- It is God who sets the limits of our habitation as to time and geography.
I hope you can see areas in your life, this morning, where God IS or HAS turned water into wine.

We all love animated moves. The first full length animated film ever produced was “Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. Artists drew over one million pictures for that movie. Each picture flashed on the screen for only one-twenty-fourth of a second. Yet as we watch, we have no idea what went into the production of that movie.

You see, this is just like our lives. God is continually applying:
- Attention,
- Love,
- Mercy,
- Kindness,
- Grace
- And intervention
In every detail of our lives. And yet, when our lives run at regular speed, we have no idea the attention, love and detail that went into every frame, so that all things could work out to our benefit.

I want you to think of your greatest fear this morning... Picture your greatest fear.. Got it? Could it be that the only thing that stands in the way of our greatest fears becoming reality is the providential intervention of God? How many times has He kept the wine flowing and we never even realized it.
- All the times we pull out into intersections without looking.
- All the times we are in the hospital room of those with highly contagious disease.
- All the times that bacteria or viruses are in our body, but never become full blown illnesses.
- All the times He has delivered us from evil.. Or provided a way of escape from some hideous sin.
- All the times He has providentially supplied money that we didn’t know where it was going to come from.
- All the times He has healed our marriages when things looked hopeless.
- All the times He has brought us back from a life-threatening illness.

We must know, that in every frame of our lives there is the:
- Attention,
- Love,
- Mercy,
- Kindness,
- Grace,
- And intervention of God.

Here is the shameful part of this point!  Seldom do we give Him credit. We give credit to: LUCK.. FATE.. and to CHANCE. We are heard saying, we’ve been so lucky. Audience,
- Luck has no power,
- Fate has no power,
- Chance has no power.

Chance... Luck... Fate are only words, they are nothing... NO THING. It is in HIM that we live, move and have our being. It is by God’s grace that our party keeps on going. Let’s begin today... Right now... To give Him the credit for turning our water into wine.

ONE FINAL POINT, NOTE VERSE 11... “AND HIS DISCIPLES PUT THEIR FAITH IN HIM.”
My good people, we must know this morning, that when we see:
- That God loves us.
- That He wants us to enjoy this life He has given us.
- That we are special to Him
- That He is working in our lives
- When we see Him providently turning our water into wine.
Then we too will put our faith in Him.

Do you have faith in God this morning?
- Faith enough to repent of your sins and obey His commands?
- Faith enough to confess the name His Son Jesus before this audience?
- Faith enough to be baptized, immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins?

Do we, as His children, have faith enough to continually walk in the light of His truths?  INDEED! INDEED!  God has done, Is doing, and will continue, to do us some great party favors.  The question is:
- Will we acknowledge this fact?
- Will we give Him the credit?
- Will we become His child?
- Will we obey Him completely?