Grace Christian Fellowship: Christian Teachings from John

John 2 "The Beginning of Signs"

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 set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots 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 that which is inferior; but 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. After this He went down to Capernaum. He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. (John 2:1-12)

The first sign that Jesus performed seems a little bit unplanned, spontaneous. Indeed, when Mary pointed out the serious problem of the wedding running out of wine, Jesus told her that it was not His problem, His hour had not yet come. In Jewish culture hospitality was considered so serious a matter that a guest could take his host to court for failing to provide for his needs. The wedding was in danger of becoming not only an embarrassment to the families but also a matter of liability, as surely each guest had brought a valuable present for the bride and groom. But serious as the matter was, it had no relation to the greater mission that Jesus was on. Jesus was correct that His business was not to fix weddings, but to fix the human heart. And yet there is something between the lines, something unspoken between Mary and her son that causes Jesus to change His mind, and Mary to tell the servants to do "Whatever He says".
This could not have been Jesus’ first miracle. Mary knew what her son could do. She had complete faith that Jesus could turn the water into wine. But this is called the beginning of signs. What is the difference between a miracle and a sign? The Oxford dictionary defines a miracle as an "extraordinary event attributed to some supernatural agency". Our times seem to think that "extraordinary" is an rapidly shrinking category. We think that if we are able to explain something down to its component parts that it is no longer extraordinary. We have lost our sense of awe and wonder because the scientists can show us statistics and charts to explain every phenomena as "natural". But this is such simplistic thinking. The scientists seem to think that if they dig deep enough or look long enough that they should be able to pull back the curtains and expose God pulling the levers and pushing the buttons that make the world go round. Each time they extend the boundaries of science a little further they congratulate themselves on disproving His existence because they could not find Him. God is far too subtle for this game of hide and seek. It is a case of missing the forest for the trees. Each time we explain away a miracle, we miss the point that the entire world that we live in, the life that has been granted to us, and the very fabric of time and space is all the handiwork of God. When you know God, the more you look, the more miracles you see. You begin to recognize His hand in everything. A miracle is the power of God, and it is this power that holds the sub-atomic particles together. It is the power that keeps the universe from crashing in on itself or flying off in a million directions. It is the power that reminds each of us to breathe and our hearts to beat. It is also the power behind all the multitude of things that science has explained, only we understand the way that He does it a little better than did before.
If we are then constantly surrounded by miracles, what are signs? And why did Jesus turn the water into wine? Of course a sign is a pointer. When you see a sign in the road it tells you which direction you should go. In the same way a miraculous sign is a pointer from God. Or better still it is a pointer to God. You could say that the miracles that surround us everyday are the background music but the signs are trumpet calls that grab our attention. The heavens are telling the glories of God, all creation sings His praises. But against this grand backdrop of worship on a cosmic scale, God also reaches down into our lives and through things so pointed and fine-tuned to reach you or I specifically, He shows us once again that He is working in our lives. It might be something as mundane as a wedding. After all people get married every day. What does it matter to the universe if there are a few unsatisfied wedding guests. And yet it matters to us. For us the wedding is the event of a lifetime, to savor and then to remember for the rest of our lives. It is the culmination of months of preparation and a lifetime of dreams. Mundane in the vast scale of the universe, but nothing could be more important to those involved. And so Jesus does His first sign, pointed, fine-tuned, changing water that normally would first need to be soaked up from the ground and transformed by sun and vine into the juice of fruit fit for stomping and then by man into wine fit for drinking. Jesus does all of this in an instant, with no fanfare, noticed only by the bewildered servants who could have sworn that they had only put water into the pots. And by His disciples who realized that they had seen something from God and believed.
Like at the wedding at Cana, God often works on our behalf without our knowledge of it. The master of the feast couldn’t understand why the bridegroom would save the best wine till last. But the servants who had drawn the water knew. Most people stumble through life oblivious to the many signs, the many pointed miracles that God has done in their lives to get their attention and draw them to Him. They give credit to chance, thank their lucky stars, sigh with relief and marvel at the coincidence, but fail to look up and see the God who loves them.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer’s money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house for merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." So the Jews answered and said to Him "What sign do You show us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. (John 2:13-25)

Another way to look at signs is as a proof of authenticity. The Jews said to Jesus after He drove the merchants and moneychangers from the temple, "What sign do You show us, since You do these things?" They wanted to see some miraculous proof that Jesus really was from God. But Jesus never gave anyone demanding proof a satisfactory answer. Instead for those seeking proof He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews, of course were not about to put this to the test. It had taken forty-six years to build it, they could not just destroy it to see if Jesus could do what He said. However, Jesus was not talking about the physical temple that they were standing in. He meant the temple of His body that the Jews would soon enough conspire to destroy. Three days after His death on the cross Jesus rose from the dead and this is the only sure proof that He is the Son of God. You see, the ones who demand proof are those who are unable to see the signs that God gives freely. All around these Jews, the rest of Jerusalem was marveling at the signs which they saw Jesus do and believing that God had finally sent the Messiah to them. They saw how Jesus’ heart burned for the holiness of God’s house and realized that this was the One that God had sent to them. But even though these signs were all around them the Jews refused to accept it as proof.
Why doesn’t God do more miracles? Why doesn’t God set up a hotline so that anyone who is doubting can call and receive a miracle. Why isn’t there a permanent halo of glory around each church so that when people enter in they will know right away that this is a place where they can find God? The reason why is because signs cannot prove God, they only point the way to Him. Just because the house is shaking does not mean that there has been an earthquake. It could have been a large truck passing by, a strong gust of wind, or many other things. The shaking house cannot prove that there was an earthquake, but it should alert us to the possibility that there might have been one. In the same way, for every sign that God sends there are many different explanations. A sign does not force you to believe in God, it just points the way to Him. You can still choose to go the other way. I do it all the time with the car navigation system. Even though it tells me to turn right in 700 meters I think I know better and choose to keep going straight instead. After all, it might be a shortcut. The sign might be wrong, vandals could have turned it around, the roads could have changed since they put it up, and the traffic is probably heavy that way anyway. Just because we see a sign does not mean that we have to go that direction. Some people say, give me a miracle and then I will believe. But God says, believe and then you will see lots of miracles.
Faith that is based on signs is a weak faith that will change as fast as circumstance. Jesus did not commit Himself to those who believed because they saw signs. Instead He put His trust in the disciples who followed Him first and then saw signs later. Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. We want the goodies, but don’t care all that much about the Giver. We believe as long as things continue to go our way. We are thankful for the blessings but complain long and loud when the going gets rough. The people of Jerusalem saw the signs and many believed in His name. They passed the name of Jesus around like hot gossip, spreading the word that a new Messiah was in town. When Jesus started to feed the crowds bread, His fame grew even faster as each one told friends who also told friends. But all these "believers" disappeared when bread and wine turned into a body that must be broken and blood that must be shed. The disciples who stayed were the ones who did not come for signs (though they saw signs aplenty), but asked, "Rabbi, where are you staying". The ones who came not for miracles but for the Miracle Worker. The ones who did not come seeking signs, but seeking the Son of God.

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