Wedding, Water, Wine

By Mark Wesley Irvin

A small-town wedding takes place, and the caterer doesn't bring enough wine. A woman helping out at the event tells her son. Suddenly, some pots filled with water are now filled with wine. Was this just a case of the right place and the right time with the married couple as the benefactors? Or is there something of far greater magnitude going on than meets the eye? Jesus, the Son of God, has just initiated His earthly ministry and this is the first miracle He performs. Compared to His other miracles, this one comes in last as far as wow factor. And the number of people who knew about it was so few that the wedding festivities went on uninterrupted. On the surface, this miracle comes off as underwhelming and confusing. Its purpose is obscure. It is the least discussed of Jesus's miracles, and when it is, it generates the most wide-ranging explanations. A wedding is a love story, and this one is no exception. As we pull back the veil, we will see that this is the most beautiful of love stories. Watch as Jesus becomes the focal point of the event as opposed to a casual attendee who merely helps a young couple out of an embarrassing moment. See Him in all His glory as He manifests God's love to us. Learn how God's desire to have you in His family is the passion of His heart. Find out how being His sons and daughters puts us in a position to be truly transformed. Take a journey through a miracle which on the surface seems mundane, but in reality is the most amazing event of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641400596

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Wedding, Water, Wine

Mark Wesley Irvin

Copyright © 2018 Mark Wesley Irvin

All rights reserved

First Edition

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64140-060-2 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64140-059-6 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

This book is dedicated to:

Jesus, first, last, and always.

Nancy Jane. You kept the faith through it all.

Glenn. You taught me how to be a friend.

Antonio. Thanks for the opportunities to minister and for nudging me out of my comfort zone.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, They have no wine.

Jesus said to her, Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.

His mother said to the servants, Whatever He says to you, do it.

Now there were six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.

Jesus said to them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

And He said to them, Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast. And they took it.

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

And he said to him, Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. (John 2:1–11)

Introduction

If you could pick the first miracle Jesus would perform in His ministry, which one would you choose? You would think that a real crowd stopper would be in order, an event that makes Him the conversation of all Israel. The Messiah is about to step from the shadows. This moment calls for something so sensational that it puts Jesus on the map.

How about stopping a funeral, raising a boy from the dead, and returning him to his mother? Or maybe you pick a man blind from birth out of the crowd and restore his sight. Here’s one that gets maximum publicity. Take a crowd of five thousand men, not including women and children, who are really hungry, and feed them with a little boy’s lunch, and when you’re finished, collect twelve baskets full of leftovers. Here’s my favorite. Four days after a guy dies and is entombed, raise him from the dead while his family and the mourning party look on at the gravesite. How’s that for a list of high profile miracles to choose from as the one to open the earthly ministry of the Son of God?

So why would our heavenly Father pick something as seemingly anticlimactic as changing water into wine at a wedding? And why would He do it in a way that only a handful of people were aware of it? This was a local event with no fanfare, and the only ones who knew what happened were Mary, the mother of Jesus, His disciples, and the servants at the wedding.

The truth of the matter is that God chose this miracle because it symbolically represents the most important event in the history of the world and His motivation behind it. But unless we have the keys to unlock the mystery of God’s Word, this miracle seems rather unspectacular.

Understanding the Word of God requires the tutoring of His Holy Spirit. In that phrase, Word of God are two members of the Trinity, our Father God, and Jesus the Word. Without the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, we have an incomplete picture of God’s messages to us within the scriptures. Consider Jesus’s statement regarding the Holy Spirit.

He will teach you in all things. (John 14:26)

The Holy Spirit is critical to our understanding of scripture. As we go through this study, we will rely heavily on Him.

Having this in mind, let’s look at the first miracle and Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be all the glory both now and forever (2 Peter 3:18).

Chapter 1

Keys to the Story

The Wine = Blood

The first thing we need to understand is the symbolism of the wine. Wine is frequently used in the Bible to represent blood. Blood is the critical ingredient in a covenant relationship. Covenants were vitally important in the cultures of many societies in order for different groups of people to be able to survive. As tribes and other groups attempted to peacefully and symbiotically coexist, they would engage in what was essentially a contract. In order for the contract to be valid, the shedding of blood was the act that usually sealed the deal. The covenants were initiated by the leaders of each group and generally extended to their families, including future generations.

When God initiated covenants with different people and groups, it always involved the shedding of blood. If that blood was connected to death, it was always the death of an animal until Jesus. God never required human sacrifice until the death of His own Son. The only time man’s blood was to be shed was in the Abrahamic Covenant and, consequently, the law. Under those covenants, all males were required to be circumcised. The reason is that it was a covenant that was to be passed down through the generations. Circumcision was the only time God required man to bleed, and it was not to death, but to symbolize the passing of the covenant in the creation of new lives.

In heathen practices, the sacrifice of human life and even the drinking of blood is often part of the ritual. In God’s New Covenant, Jesus’s life is the only one sacrificed, and the drinking of blood is symbolized by the drinking of wine. During the Passover Feast, Jesus and His disciples observed just before He went to the cross, He confirms it for us.

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:27–28)

As we know, it was the wine and the bread that were the two elements Jesus used to represent the Covenant.

The first example of bread and wine being used in a covenant way in the Bible is in the Old Testament. Melchizedek, who represented God as the High Priest, presented Abram with bread and wine as he spoke God’s blessing over him.

We continue the practice of wine or grape juice representing blood in the communion services we participate in to this day. From here on throughout this study, wine and blood will be used interchangeably. They are covenant elements, and the first key to unlocking Jesus’s first miracle.

This Miracle Is Prophetic

The miracle of water to wine seems like a random story on the surface. I’ve heard a few different conclusions on the reasons behind it. Most address specific verses or concepts as opposed to the overall story. Though I agree with some of them, I feel like they are generally a weak explanation lacking overall continuity. Most seem like a real stretch. Hopefully, you won’t feel that way when we are through