John Ch2v1-25 - Signs To Jesus

Nice to see you again today. Let's turn in our Bibles, please, to John's Gospel, Chapter 2.

Thanks to Ralph for leading and the musicians. It's good to sing.

As we've started this term, we've been making our way through John's Gospel.

And today we're going to look at two events, two accounts in Chapter 2.

We're going to read it, then we're going to pray, and then we're going to listen and hear what God has to say.

So we're going to read John Chapter 2, verses 1 to 22.

John 2:1–22

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've no more wine.

Woman, why do you involve me? Jesus replied.

My hour 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 80 to 120 litres.

Jesus said to the servants,

Fill the jars with water,

so they may be filled 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 realize 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.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee

was the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory,

and his disciples believed in him.

After this,

Jesus went down to Capernaum

with his mother and brothers and his disciples.

There they stayed for a few days.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,

Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

In the temple courts,

he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves,

and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

So Jesus made a whip out of cords

and drove all from the temple courts,

both sheep and cattle.

He scattered the coins of the money changers

and overturned their tables.

To those who sold doves, he said,

Get these out of here.

Stop turning my father's house into a market.

His disciples remembered

that it is written,

Zeal for your house will consume me.

The Jews then responded to him,

What sign can you give

to prove your authority to do all this?

Jesus answered them,

Destroy this temple

and I will raise it again in three days.

Well, they replied,

It has taken 46 years to build this temple

and you're going to raise it in three days?

But the temple Jesus had spoken of

was his body.

And after he was raised from the dead,

his disciples recalled what he had said.

Then they believed the scriptures

and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Well, let's keep our Bibles open there

and we'll pray.

Our Father God,

help each one of us here today

to see Jesus more clearly,

to understand all he has come to do

and that we would be ready

to meet him.

Amen.

Signposts.

We were thinking about this

in our home groups during the week.

Imagine,

it's a beautiful,

hot, sunny day,

so you really do have to imagine.

We're going off to Muckras House

in Killarney for a picnic.

And as you drive along,

you see this huge,

big brown sign.

Muckras House,

350 metres,

next right.

In excitement of seeing the sign,

you stop the car

and underneath the sign,

you get out your picnic rug

and your sandwiches and your drinks

and you sit down there

at the busy road

and you say,

well, isn't this just great?

No.

Signs are not an end in themselves.

Signs are significant

because they point beyond themselves

to something else.

Well, in chapter 2 of John's Gospel,

we have two sign stories.

The first is a wedding.

The second is at the temple.

One is full of noisy people,

happy and laughing.

The other is full of noisy animals,

pooing and mooing.

At the wedding,

Jesus provides for the people.

And in the temple,

Jesus drives out the people.

On the one hand,

we have a party Jesus

and then we have an angry Jesus.

But these aren't just stories

for entertainment.

These are signs telling us

who Jesus is.

Have a look at verse 11.

What Jesus did here

in Cana of Galilee

was the first of the signs

through which he revealed his glory

and his disciples believed in him.

Or down at verse 18,

when Jesus was at the temple,

the Jews responded to him,

what sign can you show us

to prove your authority to do this?

And in verse 23,

now while Jesus was in Jerusalem

at the Passover festival,

many people saw the signs

he was performing

and believed in his name.

You see, the signs

are not the destination.

They point beyond themselves

to something better,

someone who is greater.

So let's take these two sign stories

in turn

and see what they teach us

about Jesus.

The first story

is the wedding.

Are we ready

for the wedding celebration?

Are we ready

for the wedding celebration?

The story at one level

is really quite simple.

Jesus is at a wedding

with friends,

they run out of wine,

and Jesus does a miracle.

Now the message is not,

if you come to Jesus,

he's going to fill

your wine cellar.

No, through the sign

of changing water

into wine,

Jesus is saying,

come to me

and I will clean you

for the wedding celebration.

Believe me,

trust me,

and I will clean you

for the wedding celebration.

Well, that's a big statement.

Let's see how that's true.

First, Jesus claims

to be

the bridegroom.

The wedding is going very well.

Everyone's having a great time,

but then,

disaster!

Look at verse 3,

the end of verse 3.

There's no more wine.

It's like us being invited

to a wedding,

and after the ceremony

in the church,

there's an announcement.

Sorry, folks,

the hotel has run out of food,

and the bar is closed.

But don't worry,

there's plenty of water

on the table.

I mean,

who wants to go

to that kind of wedding?

Well,

there was only one person

to blame,

and that was

the bridegroom.

It's his responsibility

at the wedding

to provide the wine.

His first job

as a husband,

make sure

there's enough wine.

Oh!

Well, thankfully,

he sorts it out.

At least,

that's what

the master

of the banquet

thought.

Look at the end

of verse 9.

The master

of the banquet

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.

Well, of course,

it was a case

of mistaken identity.

It wasn't the bridegroom

at all who had

provided the best

wine.

It had been

Jesus.

Now, can you see

what's going on

here at the wedding?

In a way,

Jesus has taken

the place

of the bridegroom

at the wedding.

Jesus does

the job

of the bridegroom.

He takes

his place.

Jesus is saying,

I am the true

bridegroom.

You see,

through the Bible

as we read

the scriptures

of the Old Testament,

the image,

the main

big picture

that describes

God's relationship

to his people

is a

marriage.

God is the husband

and the people

are the bride.

God is pictured

as loving us,

pursuing us,

longing to be

in relationship

with us.

He is the faithful,

loyal,

steadfast husband.

And so at this

wedding here

in Cana,

we have but a

picture of God

coming to us.

Jesus is the

bridegroom,

pursuing us,

loving us,

so that we

could be

his bride.

Well,

if you are

the bride

of a wedding,

you need to be

ready,

don't you?

You need to be

looking the best.

You need to be

clean.

And that's

what Jesus

does.

There's a

cleansing

that takes

place.

Did you notice

at the wedding

this odd,

strange reference

to the water

jars?

Look at

verse 6.

Nearby stood

six stone

water jars,

so tall,

about as tall

as this,

and they

were used

by the Jews

for ceremonial

washing,

each holding

from 80

to 120

litres

of water.

That's a lot

of water.

You see,

under Jewish

religious

tradition,

the problem

was that

you could

become

unclean.

You could

become unclean

if you ate

the wrong

food,

if you touched

the wrong

person,

or if you

wore the

wrong clothes.

There was

all kinds

of rules

that if you

touched or

did,

you would

become

unclean.

And when

you became

ritually

unclean,

well,

you had to

go to

these ceremonial

jars,

and you do

your ritual

washing,

and you

would be

clean again.

But what

was meant

to remind

you for

a need

of a

much deeper

internal

spiritual

cleansing?

Well,

it just

became an

external

physical

cleansing.

It just

became an

outward show,

a pretense.

Whereas

Jesus comes

along,

and he

says,

I'm offering

you a

complete

cleansing.

You see,

Jesus could

have used

any water

from any

trough,

but he

deliberately

chose the

ceremonial

jars for

washing,

and he

commands the

servants to

fill them

to the

brim,

and he

turns it

into wine,

because Jesus

was replacing

the old

way with

now a

new way.

Jesus

was putting

an end to

the external

show,

and he

was offering

an internal

cleansing of

our sinful

hearts.

Jesus has

come to

make us

clean.

Later on

in John's

Gospel,

we find

Jesus with

his disciples.

Just have a

look forward

to John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13.

John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13.

Peter

says,

you may

remember this

account where

Jesus begins

to wash or

clean his

disciples'

feet,

and he

begins to

make his

way around

the

disciples.

We'll pick

it up in

verse 8,

John

John 13:8

chapter 13,

verse 8.

And Jesus

comes to

Peter to

wash his

feet.

And what

does Peter

say?

No,

you shall

never wash

my feet.

And Jesus

answered,

unless I

wash you,

you have

no part

with me.

Then,

Lord,

Simon Peter

replied,

not just

my feet,

but my

hands and

my head

as well.

Well,

Jesus answered,

those who

have had

a bath

need only

to wash

their feet.

Their whole

body is

clean.

And you

are clean.

Though not

every one

of you,

for he

knew who

was going

to betray

him,

and that

was why

he said,

not everyone

was clean.

Let's go

back to

John chapter

John 2 · chapter mention

2.

Did you

hear what

Jesus said

to Peter?

Unless I

wash you,

unless I

clean you,

you can

have no

part of

me.

He wasn't

talking about

a physical

bath or

a shower

with soap

and shampoo.

He was

talking about

a spiritual

cleansing.

And the

only way

that we

can be

clean

inside

is that

Jesus

would die

on the

cross for

our sins.

A

cleansing

so deep

and full

that it

will clean

us

internally

and

completely

and fully.

No matter

your guilt

or your

shame

or your

sin,

Jesus

says,

I am

the one

who has

come to

clean you.

I will

make you

pure

and beautiful

like a

bride ready

for the

bridegroom.

so Jesus

does the

cleansing

work.

So,

they are

ready to

celebrate.

But why

wine?

Why is

there so

much

reference

to wine?

Why change

water into

wine?

Surely Jesus

could have

changed it

into sparkling

water.

Probably been

easier maybe.

Or what

about

orange

juice?

Why did

he change

the water

into wine?

Well,

wine itself

was symbolic.

Notice the

wine that

Jesus made

at the end

of verse

10.

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.

Not cheap

old plonk,

but well-aged,

the finest

and the

best.

You see,

the wine

was a

picture of

joy and

happiness.

The wine

was provided

at the

wedding to

celebrate

and feast

at the

wedding.

And this

is the

picture we

see through

the scriptures

as God

looks forward

to a

marriage

to his

people.

You can

follow with

me on

screen.

In

Isaiah 62,

God speaks

of his

relationship

to his

people as

a marriage.

And this

is what he

says.

No longer

will they

call you

deserted

or abandoned

or forgotten,

but you

will be

called

Hevespa,

which means

my delight

is in

her.

As a

bridegroom

rejoices over

his bride,

so will

your God

rejoice

over you.

It goes

on.

The Lord

has sworn

by his

mighty arm,

never again

will foreigners

drink the

new wine

for which

you have

toiled,

but those

who gather

the grapes

will drink

it in the

courts of

my sanctuary.

glory.

What a

wonderful,

beautiful

picture.

On

intimacy

on the

one hand

and security

on the

other,

a joyful

celebration

as God

the bridegroom

marries

his bride

the people.

well,

what God

had promised

to do,

Jesus

has turned

that into

a reality

for us.

You see,

if we stop

at the

sign,

we miss

the point

of what

the story

is all

about.

Jesus

is saying,

come to

me,

all of you,

whoever you

are,

whatever your

background,

whatever your

guilt or

sin,

come to

me,

and I

will make

you

clean.

I will

wash you

for the

ultimate

wedding

celebration.

So that's

story one.

Let's move

now to

story two.

Removed

from the

father's

house,

the

location

changes

from the

wedding

to the

temple,

the

imagery

and the

symbolism

also

change.

But at

one level,

this story

is also

very simple.

We find

Jesus at

the temple,

they've

turned it

into a

marketplace,

and so

Jesus comes

along and

gets rid

of all

the

sellers.

Now,

again,

this is not

a message

that Jesus

is on a

crusade

to free

all the

animals.

No,

through the

act of

clearing the

courts,

Jesus is

saying,

if you

refuse me,

I will

remove you

from my

father's

house.

Refuse

me,

and I

will remove

you from

my father's

house.

Well,

let's see

how this

is true.

First,

Jesus makes

the extraordinary

claim of

being the

temple.

temple.

The

temple,

of course,

was the

place where

you went

to meet

with God.

You went

there to

pray to

God,

to thank

God.

It was

the physical

sign,

center place

in Jerusalem,

the capital,

where God's

presence was

among the

people.

So,

if there

was no

temple,

there was

no access

to God.

Get rid

of the

temple,

no way

of meeting

God.

now,

when Jesus

arrived to

the temple,

he says

something

extraordinary.

Do you

see it in

verse 16?

He calls

it,

my

father's

house.

Jesus is

claiming an

ownership and

an authority

over the

temple.

In fact,

Jesus goes

even further,

verse 19.

He says

to them,

destroy

this

temple,

and I

will raise

it again

in three

days.

Huh?

Could you

imagine the

reaction?

Well,

we have it

in verse 20.

It's taken

46 years

to build

this temple

and you

are going

to raise

it in

three days?

How are

you possibly,

how could

you rebuild

a temple

if it was

all flattened?

It's

nonsense

talk.

You're

talking

stupid.

And

besides,

how will

we ever

get close

to God

without a

temple?

Verse 21.

But the

temple Jesus

was speaking

about

was his

body.

You see,

Jesus was

making this

extraordinary

claim.

He's saying,

see that

building over

there?

Look at

me.

I am

the true

temple.

I am

the one

who will

give you

access

to the

Father.

Come to

me and

you will

experience

God's

presence

personally

and

intimately.

Well,

they'd all

missed the

point

completely,

hadn't

they?

It would

take a

lot longer

before they

realized what

Jesus was

coming to

do.

Verse 22.

after Jesus

was raised

from the

dead,

so he

died three

days later,

he was

raised from

the dead,

his disciples

recalled,

they remembered

back to the

event in the

temple,

they believed

the scriptures

and the

words that

Jesus had

spoken.

It suddenly

dawned on

them that

yes,

it is through

Jesus,

through his

death and

through his

resurrection,

that we

could have

access to

God.

Now,

that meant

that anything

that hindered

access to

God needed

to be

removed.

A

cleansing

had to

take place.

And that's

what Jesus

was demonstrating

earlier on

when he

arrived at

the temple.

A

cleansing

was taking

place.

Look at

when these

events took

place.

Verse 13.

When it

was almost

time for

the Jewish

Passover,

Jesus went

up to

Jerusalem.

Now,

Passover was

this great

big annual

event when

they remembered

their liberation,

God setting

his people

free from

Egypt hundreds

of years

before.

And so

this one

time every

year,

hundreds,

thousands

of people

all left

and went

on a big

pilgrimage

and all

travelled up

to Jerusalem.

It was like

all-Ireland

final day

in Croke

Park

when every

county

was in

the final.

I mean,

everybody

went.

They came

to meet

with God.

people

were

coming

from all

barriers

and

obstacles.

People

were

coming

from all

kinds

of

places

and

were

pulling

out

their

wallet

ready

to pay

money

for some

animal

for a

sacrifice.

Oh,

well,

you've

got the

wrong

currency.

Let me

exchange

it and

well,

I'll

just

take a

bit

for

myself.

And

then

they

were

haggling

over

the

price

of a

cow.

How

much

is

that

sheep?

No,

too much.

What

about

the

dove?

Maybe

that's

cheaper.

You see,

those who

were selling

animals and

exchanging

currency

had turned

the temple

into a

place of

making

money

rather than

meeting

God.

Rather

than a

place to

worship

God,

it had

become a

place to

increase

your wealth.

And

Jesus

was

angry,

verse

15,

so he

made a

whip out

of

cords,

drove

all from

the

temple

courts,

both

sheep

and

cattle,

and he

scattered

the coins

of the

money

changers

and overturned

their

tables.

Have

you ever

known

Jesus

to be

angry?

Well,

let's

not mistake

things here.

Jesus

hasn't

lost his

temper.

No,

it was

a

righteous

anger.

Jesus

was

passionate

for his

father's

glory.

Verse

16,

to those

who were

selling,

he said,

get them

out of

here.

Stop

turning my

father's

house

into a

market.

You see,

Jesus

longed

that people

would be

able to

come and

give honour

and praise

and worship

to the

father,

for that

is why

God

had made

us.

It's the

purpose in

which God

had created

us,

that we

would

live for

him,

that we

would

worship

him.

So

anyone

that

obstructed

access to

God

was to

be

removed.

It

was an

act of

cleansing.

Jesus

cleaned it

all up

by clearing

people out.

You see,

it comes as

a warning

to us

that if

we put

obstacles in

the way

of people

coming to

God,

if we

put up

barriers

to stop

access to

the

father,

if we

become

those

who

obstruct

the way,

well,

there will

be a

cleansing,

a clearing

out of

all who

are opposed

to him.

You see,

this was a

cleansing that

God had

always been

concerned

for.

There was

a cleansing

which led

to a

removal

in

judgment.

Years

before,

the prophet

Jeremiah had

confronted

God's people

about the

way they

were behaving

and living.

And God

said to

Jeremiah,

you can

read it

there on

the screen,

God said

to Jeremiah,

stand at

the gate

of the

Lord's

house,

stand at

the entrance

to the

temple and

say to

the people,

reform your

ways and

your actions

and I

will let

you live.

You see,

they were

turning up

and doing

all the

worshipy

religious

stuff and

that was

fine.

The rest

of the

time they

were carrying

on and

doing whatever

they pleased.

God says,

no, you've

got to

reform your

ways.

But you

did not

listen.

I called

but you

didn't

answer.

I will

now do

to the

house that

bears my

name, the

temple you

trust in, I

will thrust

you from my

presence.

Well, God's

word was

clear, wasn't

it?

God says,

I am going

to remove

you.

I am going

to cleanse

my house

from all

who do

not repent

and all

who do

not listen

to me.

And so

when Jesus

arrived at

the temple

to his

father's

house, he

cleansed

it.

He enacted

God's

judgment upon

the people.

Well, you

say, that

sounds a bit

harsh.

Jesus being

so angry,

removing

people.

Well,

remember,

Jesus wants

a people

who will

worship

God,

who will

live for

him and

serve him.

And all

who oppose

him and

all who

reject him

will be

removed.

And Jesus

is making

this very

simple

statement that

if we

turn against

him, he

will remove

us.

We will be

removed from

his presence

forever.

forever.

You see, if

we look at

this story

as all

about Jesus

freeing

animals,

well, we've

missed the

point completely.

Jesus

says,

refuse me,

ignore me,

turn against

me,

and I

will remove

you from

my father's

house.

so two

signed

stories

pointing us

to Jesus.

At the

wedding, we

see the

welcome of

the bridegroom.

Come to

me, says

Jesus, and

I will

clean you

of all

your sin.

No longer

do you have

to put on

a pretense

or put on

a show.

You can

come as

you are.

I will

forgive you.

I will

give you

my purity.

I will

give you

my

righteousness.

I will

make you

as a

beautiful

bride.

And I

will be

your loyal,

faithful,

and steadfast

husband.

And as

we come

to Jesus,

so in a

sense we

enter into

a marriage

relationship

with God

that is

safe and

secure and

will never

be broken.

A wedding

feast where

we will eat

and drink

and be

happy and

be glad

and there

will be

no more

death.

It will

last forever.

But at

the temple

we see the

warning of

a judge.

And Jesus

is saying,

I am the

way to the

Father.

And I have

come that you

may have

access to

him.

But if you

hinder the

way, if we

do not

reform our

ways and

turn

back to

him,

Jesus

says,

well there

will come

a day

when I

will come

again.

And it

will be

in judgment.

And I

will cleanse

this place

from all

who do

not trust

me.

Which

Jesus

are we

going to

meet?

The party

Jesus?

The welcome

of the

bridegroom?

The

bridegroom?

The

bridegroom?

Or the

righteous

angered

Jesus?

Who will

remove us

from his

presence

because we

have ignored

him?

Two signs,

two stories.

What

Jesus

are we

ready to

meet?

Let's

pray.

Father God,

thank you

for your

word.

thank you

for its

simplicity,

its

clarity.

Thank you

that it

points us

to Jesus.

And

Father,

we pray

that each

one of us

here would

turn to

you,

that we

would come

to you for

that cleansing,

that we

would know

life with

you,

a relationship

with you

forever and

ever.

feasting

and joy

forevermore.

Father,

we pray

that we

would always

be those

who are

continually

changing

our ways,

confessing

our sin,

and seeking

to live a

life that

pleases

you.

Father,

help us,

help us

to trust

Jesus,

and help

us to walk

in his

way.

And it's

in his

name we

pray.

Amen.

We're

going to

sing

together.

What is

our hope

in life

and death?

Christ

alone,

Christ

alone.

He is

our only

hope.

He is

the one

who welcomes

us today.

Let's

stand to

sing,

if you're

able to.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.