Are you celebrating the Gospel?
What would you expect Jesus’ first miracle to be? Healing the sick? Raising the dead? Walking on water? Jesus’ first miracle was to make 120-180 gallons of exquisite wine.
Jesus attended a wedding in Cana. His mother was also there and played an official role when a potential disaster happened—they ran out of wine. That doesn’t seem too cataclysmic, but for the custom of that day, weddings would last a week and to run out of wine would be a serious social embarrassment. Lawsuits could be brought against the groom’s family!
Mary asks for help. Nearby were six large stone jars used for ceremonial washing. Jesus tells the servants to fill them up with water, draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. He tastes the water-turned-wine and says, “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!”
Jesus loves marriage
It is no coincidence that Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding. Weddings begin the God-ordained covenant of marriage.
When does marriage begin in the Bible? In Genesis 1, God makes Adam and Eve, male and female in his own image. In Genesis 2, God creates Adam as the first man, and seeing that it is not good for him to be alone, God brings Eve to him, creating her out of Adam’s side.
Where is the last reference to marriage? Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible: “And the Spirit and the bride say Come.” His return is described as a wedding celebration.
Jesus is pro-marriage. This doesn’t mean that every Christian is called to be married. Jesus was not married. Nor was Paul. Neither are countless godly men and women. Yet marriage is not a side note to Christian faith, it is part of its chorus.
Jesus began his miracles at a wedding and in doing so he affirmed the covenant of marriage and foreshadowed the wedding feast of the Lamb. Our churches should be marriage builders: praying for marriages, restoring marriages, counseling those about to get married, and celebrating marriages.
Jesus is the Lord of celebration
Do you ever find certain seasons of life monotonous? What tends to spice things up is a good get together: birthday parties, baby showers, holiday feasts, and especially wedding celebrations. Jesus is the Lord of celebration. His first miracle took place at a party. Not only so, He provided the wine! It is wrong-headed to look at Christianity as a dour, somber, gloomy thing. It is a celebration! Our long awaited King has come! The fallen world in which we live has its days numbered now.
It is not coincidental that Jesus took old jars previously used for ceremonial washing to make the wine. Vessels for ritual are now for celebration. While healing the sick and raising the dead are important signs that reveal something essential about Jesus, this miracle reveals the whole tenor of His advent. He is the Lord of celebration. The bridegroom has come and it is time to celebrate! I hope that the kids that grow up in your congregation associate your church with joy.
Jesus saves the best till last
The tactless master of ceremonies spoke beyond his own comprehension, “you have saved the best till now!” The real Master of Ceremonies saved the best for last. The law came first, but Gospel came next. The cheaper wine came BC, but AD is where it’s at.
For Christians, the best is always yet to come. I remember when I attended my first genuine Italian wedding. We sat down and they served the appetizers. Tasty. After the appetizers came the salads. Delectable. Then came the antipasto. Savory. Then came sherbet to cleanse the palate. Refreshing. Then came the Prime Rib. Delicious. Then came the cake and the ice cream. Overwhelming. At that time I’m thinking, I can’t eat another bite. But still to come was the Italian dessert table, with cannoli!
The Gospel has come to us, but even for us, the best is yet to come! Could it be that in eternity the best will still be yet to come? As C. S. Lewis describes it, “every chapter is better than the one before.” Let this eternal celebration begin now in our churches!
Rick Harrington is a pastor at First Baptist Church - Haverhill in Massachusetts. He is the author of the books "How to Find a Church: Seven Steps to Becoming Part of a Spiritual Family" and "The Weight of Preaching: Heralding the Gospel of Grace". You can follow his writing on his blog The Lamp Post.
