A Gobsmacked Groom

Our reading for today is the book of Isaiah, chapter 54, verses 4 to 8.

Isaiah 54:4–8

Do not be afraid, you will not suffer shame.

Do not fear disgrace, you will not be humiliated.

You will forget the shame of your youth, and remember no more the reproach of their widowhood.

For your maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is his name, the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.

He is called the God of all the earth.

The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit.

A wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God.

For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment,

but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Our second Bible reading today is taken from John, chapter 2, verses 1 to 11.

John 2:1–11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.

Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him,

They have no more wine.

Dear woman, why do you involve me?

Jesus replied,

My time has not yet come.

His mother said to the servants,

Do whatever he tells you.

Nearby stood six stone water jars,

the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,

each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants,

Fill the jars with water.

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.

They did so,

and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.

He did not realise where it had come from,

though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

Then he called the bridegroom aside and said,

Everyone brings out the choice wine first,

and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink.

But you have saved the best till now.

This, the first of his miraculous signs,

Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.

He thus revealed his glory,

and his disciples put their faith in him.

Let's pray.

Dear Lord God,

We thank you for your word,

and for the truth that it contains.

We pray,

that as Graham speaks to us now,

you would speak through him,

and that you would open our hearts and our minds

to hear from your word.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Well, good morning folks.

It's so lovely to have you with us today.

Here's what we're going to do

over the next number of weeks.

We're going to spend time in John's gospel.

This account of Jesus' life

that was penned by one of his closest friends and followers,

written so that everyday people of John's generation

and of every generation ever since

would be able to pick it up,

read, understand about Jesus,

believe, and have life in his name.

And it's a gospel full of encounters

that Jesus had with people,

different people.

Different people with different stories,

people doing different things,

people from different places,

people with all sorts of different stuff

going on in their lives.

And they each meet Jesus,

and an encounter with him

flips the whole way

that they understand themselves,

and they understand the world

in which they live,

and the lives that they are living

on its head.

So let me invite you to grab a Bible

and come with me to John chapter 2.

John 2 · chapter mention

We're going to dive into the first of these today.

And as we come to John chapter 2,

John 2 · chapter mention

let me go all Dr. Pepper on you.

Right, a wedding.

What's the worst that could happen?

Are you got any good stories

about car crash moments from weddings?

Let me tell you about one

that I was reading about recently

that will, I think,

really take the biscuit

when it comes to car crash moments.

Right, everyone is getting ready

for what do they call it?

The big day.

It's going great.

The service is brilliant.

The dinner is exquisite.

Everybody's having a ball.

And the moment in the day

comes for the speeches.

Now, speeches are always a highlight

of any wedding day, aren't they?

Well, on this wedding day,

the bride's father goes first.

And like any good father of the bride,

he gushes with pride at his daughter

and on a dry eye in the house.

And the groom's up next.

He showers his bride with compliments.

I mean, well played, boys.

Well played.

And then it comes to the best man

who sits down at the end of his speech

and thinking he's nailed it.

Only for somebody a few moments later

to whisper in his ear

and inform him

that he's actually used the name

of the groom's ex-girlfriend

all the way through his speech.

I'm no expert,

but that's, in my opinion,

what they'd kind of call

a Dr. Pepper moment, right?

That is an absolute howler

from the best man.

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall

the first time he went round

to the newlyweds house for dinner

in the years to come.

John chapter 2,

John 2 · chapter mention

here's what we're doing.

We're joining a wedding

that is on the verge

of a Dr. Pepper moment itself.

All right, here is a wedding

in John chapter 2

John 2 · chapter mention

that almost all went wrong.

You see, in the first century,

Jewish culture,

a culture that centers

on honor and shame,

the worst thing

that could happen

at a wedding

is that the guests

run out of food and drink, right?

The worst thing imaginable.

Now, we're in the days

before outside caterers here.

We're in the days

before wedding planners

when that job

is kind of someone else's responsibility.

In this day,

it is one person's responsibility

and that person's solely

to make sure

that the food and drink

keeps flowing

for the entirety

of the feast,

which in this culture

could last for days.

Whose job is that?

It is the job of the groom.

So you've got two jobs, bro.

Firstly, you need to say,

I do.

And secondly,

you need to make sure

that everyone at this feast

has enough to eat and drink, right?

You can nail this one.

But at this wedding in Cana,

do you see,

if you've got the text there,

how our groom learns

at verse three,

that he is staring

a Dr. Pepper moment

right in the face.

Now, why is he staring

that moment right in his face?

Four words.

Verse three,

the wine ran out.

The wine ran out.

I mean, he is,

he is never going to live

this one down.

The shame that he is about

to bring on his family,

on his bride,

and most importantly,

himself.

What's he going to do?

And it's not like there's

an offie just down the road

that he can go down to,

saying,

boys,

if you come down with me,

we can get a crate load

and bring it back.

It might still be open.

No,

here is a groom

who is living

his worst nightmare.

This must have been

the stuff in the days

before the wedding

that kept him up at night.

And there ain't nothing

he can do

about this situation.

And Jesus and his disciples

are at this wedding.

Do you know,

as a side,

I love,

I love

that Jesus was the kind of man

who got invited to

and attended weddings.

Right?

How many of us

have a picture of Jesus

in our minds?

A bit like Ned Flanders

from The Simpsons,

except he's slightly meaner

and he's slightly stricter.

Right?

He is kind of a

kind of a Santa Claus

kind of figure.

Right?

Not that he gives you presents,

but it is his job

to make sure

and discern

who has been naughty

and who has been nice.

Right?

But that's not the Jesus

who we encounter

in the pages of Scripture.

In fact,

later in John's Gospel,

Jesus is

talking about himself.

He's talking about

why he has come.

And he talks about,

and this is John chapter 10,

John 10:10

verse 10,

he's talking about

how he's come

that his people

may have abundant life.

You see,

that's what's on offer

by believing

in the name of Jesus Christ.

And that abundant life,

we have to understand,

is the life

that he is currently living

in joyful communion

with God his Father.

So,

what that means,

in other words,

if you and I want to know

what a fully human,

joyful,

loving human experience

life is,

then we need to look

no further

than to Jesus.

Which is an incredible claim,

is it not,

if you stop and think about it?

An incredible claim.

And yet,

this is the one

that Jesus makes.

And of course,

in the life of the Christian,

this is the business

that God is into

as he,

by his Spirit,

who's indwelling us,

is transforming us more

as we behold

the glory of Jesus Christ

into his image.

Restoring

that full humanity

that has been broken

by the sin of the fall.

Jesus is living

a fully human life.

Into celebration,

do you see him here?

Into celebration,

knowing friendship,

knowing joy,

and enjoying

the good creation

according to its good design.

And Jesus is at this wedding.

And he learns,

doesn't he?

Do you see from his,

from his mom,

he learns about

the looming nightmare

that's facing the groom?

And the question in the text

is what is he going to do?

What's he going to do

with this information, right?

Is he going to get

his smartphone out?

Probably not in this day,

but go with me.

Is he going to get

his smartphone out

and film this?

Probably what you and I

would have done, right?

If this happened in our day.

I mean, imagine how many people

would watch that on Facebook.

How many views,

how many likes that would get.

You would be an overnight sensation.

But not Jesus.

Because this episode here

is about him displaying

his glory

to the world

that his disciples

and those watching

might see and believe in him.

As we get a glimpse

into who he is

and

why he has come.

Now in the text,

you see verse six.

This is where we are.

John tells us

that there are six stone

water jars there.

The type used

for ceremonial washing, right?

Basically the ones

that people would use

to make themselves clean

before they eat.

And what does John say?

Verse six,

that each of those jars

holds 20 or 30 gallons.

Now these are really

important details

in the text.

And Jesus asks,

here's another detail,

that each of these

be filled

to the brim.

Right?

Now maths was never

my strong point

at school.

But even I can

deduce

that that is

a huge

amount of water.

Way more

than I'd imagine

they would actually

ever need

at this

wedding.

Here are all these

stone water jars

filled to the brim

and Jesus turns

every single

drop of it

into wine.

Right?

You read around here

some commentators

they speculate

that that is somewhere

of being our equivalent

of a thousand

bottles

of wine.

A thousand bottles.

Get your head

around that.

Now I don't know

if you've ever been

on a tour

of a vineyard before.

Right?

And learned

how they make wine.

The only time

I've ever done

something like that

was in Stellenbosch.

I was there

in South Africa

a number of years ago

and I don't remember

an awful lot

from that trip

except

for the fact

that I learned

that there's a lot

more to making wine

than for example

there is to making

Ribena.

Okay?

This isn't

20% cordial

80% water

and hey presto

there you go

kind of thing.

Right?

Making wine

takes time

and it's

a complicated

process.

So here's a question

that you may be

asking from this

text

and it's a great

question to ask

how?

How was Jesus

able

to do this?

I mean H2O

doesn't just turn

into C2H5OH

ethanol

right?

What a bizarre

thing to believe.

True.

But

what if Jesus

the one who

stepped in here

is actually

the one who

controls

the laws

of chemistry?

What if

he is the one

who controls

the whole

scene here?

What if

he is the creator

who is able

to do all things

who stepped

into the human

equation

and here he is.

You see here's

what John

has already said

about Jesus

back in chapter

one.

If you want

to flip back

a page.

Rightly off

he said

all things

were made

through him.

That he is

God in the

flesh.

This is Jesus

and therefore

this is exactly

the kind of

thing that we'd

expect someone

making that

claim would be

able to do.

Here's a confession.

I think I would

struggle more

with this.

If Jesus

made these

claims about

himself and he

wasn't able to

do things like

this.

Jesus has

this kind

of power.

The question

is what will

Jesus do

with this

power?

It's interesting

isn't it?

It's a question

that maybe

as a society

and as a

world that

we're asking

ourselves right

now about

those people

who are in

positions of

power.

Right?

In those

positions of

influence.

Having those

platforms.

What will

they do

with the

power that's

been given

to them?

What will

they do

with the

power that

they have?

Now part of

the question

and we'll

come back

to it.

What would

Jesus do

with the

power that

he has?

But there's

a question

you might

have in

your mind.

How is

Jesus able

to do

this?

Secondly,

you might

be thinking

well people

back then

didn't know

as much

about science

as we do

today.

I mean

Einstein

didn't come

up with

the equals

mc squared

until 1905.

What do

these guys

know?

Well true.

But these

people probably

knew enough

about the

way things

work in the

world to

know that

this isn't

normally how

you make

wine.

In other

words these

people who

taste, it's

important to

see that as

well, the

taste is

included here,

they taste the

water turned

into wine,

these people

aren't fools.

Right?

They know how

this process

normally goes,

they aren't

fools.

In fact, do

you see how

the proof is

in the pudding

here?

Which is

probably completely

the wrong

metaphor to

use here but

we'll go with

it.

Do you see

at verse 9

how the

master of

the ceremonies

comes on

the scene?

Right?

He's probably

been to a

wedding or

two, I'd

imagine in

his lifetime

he tastes

the wine.

Right?

Another detail

important to

see here, he

tastes the

wine, a

physical thing.

Right?

He doesn't

get his wine

app out on

his phone and

say it looks

to me like a

Pinot

Noir.

He doesn't

do the smell

test that we

all do with

wine, pretending

we know what's

going on when

actually we don't

and saying it

smells like the

good stuff.

This man tastes

the wine and

his palate can

detect when wine

is wine and it

can detect when

wine is bad and

it can detect when

wine is good and

when it is good.

wine.

And he tastes this

wine and you

see how he

concludes that

this wine is

the best.

This is wonderful

stuff that's been

brought out here.

I mean this is

the first century

equivalent of the

Screaming Eagle

Cabernet Sauvignon

which somebody paid

$500,000 for

recently at a

charity auction.

This stuff is the

best.

Here's the point.

Jesus hasn't just

provided quantity.

Jesus has provided

quality.

Do you see it?

Both of those

things.

His provision in

other words is

extravagantly

abundant.

Way more than

anything we could

possibly conceive

of.

And verse 10

here's what's

going on.

The MC calls for

the groom because

the usual

thing to do in

this culture is to

bring out the good

wine first.

And once your

guests were tired

and they're full you

bring out the cheap

stuff because they

won't really notice.

But not so this

groom.

So thinks the MC.

This groom has done

the opposite.

He's not gone for the

downward curve on the

day.

He's gone for the

upward curve.

To quote Vanessa

Williams he's gone

and saved the best

to last.

And you see maybe

zooming out here

what's going on.

This groom

he hasn't just

been spared

shame.

Actually

he's been given

honor

in the wedding

that almost

all went

wrong.

But you see

there's way

more going on

here

than simply

Jesus pulling

off a neat

trick.

right like

some kind of

first century

David Blaine.

More going on

here and

to see it

and I pray

that we see

it and

savor it.

A good question

to ask ourselves

from the text

is who is

Jesus standing

in for

here at this

wedding.

Now the

culture vultures

out there might

know that

that huge

painting of

this scene by

Paolo Veronese

hangs proudly

in the

Louvre

in Paris.

Some of you

might have

gone and

seen it.

And it's

a huge

picture.

And if you

look carefully

at it there's

something really

strange actually

about this

scene.

And the

strange part

of it is

when you look

at the head

of the table

the positions

of honor.

And the

strange thing

is it's not

the groom

that's sitting

in that

position

where you

normally

expect him

to be

sitting.

Actually is

Jesus sitting

in that

position?

Now I've

got no idea

whether Veronese

meant that

or not.

But that is

profoundly the

point of the

passage.

Who is

Jesus standing

in for here

friends?

He's standing

in for the

groom.

Isn't he?

And when you

add to that

the fact that

this little

episode and

as it

follows John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and on

to John

John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

as he

presents it

it takes

place at

the end

of the

first week

of Jesus'

public

ministry

as John

records it

here i.e.

it happens

on the

seventh day

the perfect

day

you begin

to see that

there's more

going on here

than we might

first see.

you know

I want you

to think

back

did you

catch the

reading from

Isaiah that

we heard

earlier

what God

had said to

his people

centuries before

Jesus arrived

God calling

his people to

turn back to

him to stop

running their

way their

sinful way

following and

worshipping idols

to turn back

to him and to

trust him

why?

What will God

do for them

and be for

them in the

years to

come?

Here's what

Isaiah records

God says

do not be

afraid

you will not

be put to

shame

do not fear

disgrace

you will not

be humiliated

you will forget

the shame of

your youth

and remember

no more

the reproach

of your

widowhood

for your

maker is

your husband

the Lord

Almighty

is his name

the Holy

One of

Israel is

your redeemer

he is

called the

God of

all the

earth

so God

is promising

to come

and rescue

his people

and be for

them

a perfect

husband

and here

is Jesus

the perfect

divine groom

who has come

for that

express

reason

to rescue

his bride

his people

because the

wedding that

almost all

went wrong

it points us

to consider

the wedding

where all

will be

right

because the

Bible story

it ends

with a

wedding

it ends

with Jesus

the groom

and his

people

the bride

God

finally

and fully

dwelling

with his

people

which has

been his

intention

all along

dwelling with

them fully

in his

new creation

and we get

the scene

there in

revelation

of a

great

multitude

of people

are there

from every

tribe

from every

tongue

from every

nation

gathered

together

singing

one song

glory

to the

lamb

who was

slain

worshipping

their

heavenly

father

gathered

together

as one

people

of faith

and feasting

with

Jesus

in his

new

and in

his

perfect

kingdom

now let me

ask you

is a

wonderful

thing

to consider

and know

to be

true

in light

of everything

that's

gone on

in recent

days

a

people

many

people

of

different

tribes

tongues

and

nations

gathered

together

what a

wonderful

scene

and I want

you to know

that if you're

a Christian

I want you

to be

edified

as you

think about

this scene

because

in all your

difficulties

that you

might be

facing

right now

and all the

questions

that you

might have

all the

anxiety

that might

be lingering

in your

heart

as you

view

the world

and as you

live your

life

in it

that right

here

is your

untouchable

hope

the one

that you

have

for the

future

and how

will Jesus

bring this

about

it's a

wonderful

picture

but how

will he

bring it

about

well do you

see how

Jesus is

like the

groom in

this episode

but in a

sense

friends we

all too

are like the

groom in

this episode

world

because we

deserve

shame

for our

failure to

do something

for our

failure to

honour our

creator God

as he

deserves to

be honoured

and our

desire to

our hearts

kind of bent

inward on

themselves

our natural

inclination to

want to honour

ourselves

rather than

him

it's the

very essence

of sin

the plagues

deep inside

of all of

us

and with that

in mind

do you see

how there's a

wonderful picture

of the good

news of the

gospel here

as we see

Jesus standing

in for

this groom

taking the

shame that

should have

been rightfully

his and

instead

bestowing on

him

honour

in fact it's

essentially what

the rest of

John's gospel

is about

for what does

he say

to see Jesus

back at verse

four what does

he say has

not yet come

his hour

in fact you'll

get that phrase

repeatedly in

John's gospel

all the way

through Jesus

saying my

hour has not

yet come

my hour has

not yet come

my hour has

not yet come

until he's on

the verge of

his death on

the cross and

he says my

hour has

come

the cross

the place

where he

goes to

bear our

shame

on himself

as he hangs

there as he

sheds his

blood as he

bears the

wrath of God

on himself

the one that

we deserve

so that we

through faith

in him

and purely

by faith

in him

as he brings

us to

himself and

as he makes

us his own

can know

the status

the privilege

the right

of being

honored in

the eyes of

our creator

because our

lives are

found in

the son

because what

will Jesus

do with

the power

that he

has

answer

he will

use it

to serve

he will

use it

to serve

the beating

heart

of a

loving

heavenly

father

for a

world

that is

turned

against

him

the

devotion

and the

desire

and the

determination

of Jesus

the son

to win

his bride

for himself

as he goes

to the cross

this is what's

driving this

Jesus will

use his

power

not to

lord it

but to

serve

you know

I was

reflecting

with

somebody

recently

on the

phone

in our

church

and

we were

talking about

everything that's

going on in our

world just now

and we were

mentioning that as we

look at everything

that's happening in our

world at the

minute the

uncertainty

the

pain

the sense of

helplessness

the

abuse that's

going on

when you behold

the world

and in you

behold

God's king

we reflected

that at perhaps

no other time

in our lives

has following

Jesus

being his

disciple

both

made more

sense

and

felt

more

attractive

here is

God's king

here is

Jesus

so friends

a wedding

what's the worst

that could

happen

well according

to John

it's

as he records

this wedding

here

actually the worst

thing that you

and I could do

is that we

could

read of this

wedding

and we would

fail to see

the glory

of

and believe

in

Jesus

the perfect

divine

groom

so my question

as we finish

is do you

know him

as your

lord

and king

and saviour

and if not

what a wonderful

opportunity

you have

now

to

believe in

the name

of Jesus

and have

life in his

name

so why don't I

pray

and

during this

time

why don't you

just use it

to reflect

on everything

that we've

spoken about

just in the

silence

before I

pray

from heaven

you came

helpless

babe

entered our

world

your glory

veiled

not to be

served

but to

serve

and give

your life

that we

might live

this is our

God

the servant

king

he calls

us now

to follow

him

to bring

our lives

as a daily

offering

of worship

to

the servant

king

and so

father we

thank you so

much for your

precious word

oh help us

to savor

and see

Jesus

more

off the

back of this

today

may these

words linger

long

in our

hearts

and in our

minds

in Jesus

precious name

we pray

and ask

amen

well I

trust that as

we've heard

God's word

this morning

and as

we've responded

to it

individually

in our

own

lives

that it's

caused us

to think

to stop

in our

tracks

and to

consider

both the

world in

which we

live

and the

lives that

we are

currently

leading

our day

to day

lives

let me

just

encourage

you

if you

want

to read

John's

gospel

if you've

never read

it before

and you're

thinking

that may be

something

you might

want to

do

or you

can think

of a

friend

or family

member

who might

be interested

in doing

that

let me

just

encourage

you

to

consider

the

words

one-to-one

this is

John's

gospel

is designed

in a really

accessible

format

to be read

one-to-one

with somebody

with the aim

of introducing

them to the

Jesus that

we meet

in the

Bible

so if you'd

be interested

in that

again just

email

questions

at

Brunsfield

we would

love to be

able to

do that

with you

you know

one of the

things that

we've been

doing over

the last

few Sundays

and has been

a great

encouragement

to many of

us is to

hear from

different people

in our

congregation

and to hear

them tell us

their stories

about how they

came to meet

Jesus and

know him as

their Lord

and as their

king and as

their saviour

and what it

means for them

to follow him

be his disciple

as they live

their daily

lives

and to hear

a bit about

what the Lord

has been teaching

them during

this season

of lockdown

so I'm

delighted to

say we're

going to

hear now

from one

of our

members

called

Bobby

and Bobby

is just

going to

tell us a

little bit

about his

story

and after

Bobby has

spoken to

us we will

have our

final song

hi there

my name is

Bobby

and my

wife

Joanna

and I

are

members

here

at

Brunsfield

in Edinburgh

I wanted

to take

just a

short amount

of your

time to

let you

know what

we've

learned

faith-wise

during the

lockdown

and also

a reminder

of a story

that happened

to us

about a

year ago

which I

think is

very relevant

right now

now obviously

we've found

this time

a little

odd

and I guess

not exactly

as we'd

imagined

especially

because we're

expecting our

first child

in around

a month

so it's

been an

exciting

time

but also

an anxious

time

I guess

like many

of you

being stuck

inside

one thing

that's important

to note

is that

we find

ourselves

very fortunate

and blessed

at the moment

I've remained

in work

and within

a job

we haven't

been furloughed

we haven't

lost our

jobs

and Joanna

has been

safe at

home

at the

moment

which is

great

so I guess

in the large

scheme of

things we

have very

few worries

which we

can be

thankful to

God for

and this

uncertain

time has

made me

think a

little bit

about

trust

what it

means to

trust in

God in

good times

and what it

means to

trust in

God in

bad times

as well

or in

uncertain

times

and this

whole

situation

we're in

has reminded

me of a

difficult

time for

our family

which happened

around this

time last

year

it was

the day

before my

birthday

and I'd

woken up to

about 20

missed calls

from my

mum

and upon

calling her

back she

said to

me

your brother

is really

unwell

your brother

David

we think

he's going

to die

and obviously

this was

devastating

he took the

rug out from

underneath us

and what

happened was

my brother

had gone

into work

a normal day

at work

and soon

after had

collapsed

an infection

in his tooth

had spread

to his heart

and caused

the condition

called endocarditis

now this

condition pumps

blood clots

around the

body

and had

pumped

two blood

clots

either side

of his

head

which

subsequently

had caused

an aneurysm

on both sides

of his head

so two

explosions

within his

head

and then

short after

in the hospital

we found out

that the

doctors

the consultants

the surgeons

at the Glasgow

Queen Elizabeth

told us to

expect the worst

that people

don't survive

these things

and that

if he did

recover

which is

super unlikely

that they

don't normally

see

that he

wouldn't be

himself

he'd be a

vegetable

he'd be

unresponsive

and this

was obviously

devastating news

for us

but it's

important to

note that

the story

didn't end

there

there were

months of

prayer

there were

months of

uncertainty

and heartbreak

while David

remained on

a ventilator

unresponsive

we would go

to visit him

and there

would be

nothing there

and it

was hard

to remain

positive

and upbeat

and hard

to keep

trusting God

during that

time

but he

pulled through

I'm pleased

to say

and rather

than give

the full

story here

I thought

it would

be nice

if we

heard from

David

directly

now

he's got

a strong

Glaswegian

accent

and speaks

pretty quickly

so I thought

it'd be nice

to put some