Living Wine
“Living Wine” (John 2: 1-12)
-Miracle Maker-
Living water, living bread, and living wine
Who is Jesus? We have listened to “He is our living water (John
4), and living bread” (John 6) in the last two weeks. Today, I would like to
talk about living wine (John 2). Jesus spent a week at a wedding ceremony among
the precious 3 years of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ mother is there. She might be a
close friend of the family getting married. The whole town would be invited.
There was no wine. To run out of wine was more than embarrassing; it broke the
strong, unwritten laws of hospitality. They were desperate and afraid of
emptiness. They felt like they had nothing left. The wedding would be over.
Mary let Jesus know that they had no more wine left. Mary has faith and asks
him to do something for her friends or family. Jesus says “Why do you involve
me? My hour has not yet come.” He gently rejected her request. However, Mary
has faith that her son, the Son of God would do something. She said to the
servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” She does not stay with Jesus and their
servants. She walks away with faith. Jesus said to the servants “fill the jars
with water” in six stone water jars for ceremonial washing, not wineskins for
wine. They had no idea what was going on next. They just needed help. Then He
told them “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They
did not ask why, nor did they worry that the people might get angry about the water.
The servants just did so, with faith, and then the master of the banquet tasted
the water that had been turned into wine, while the servants drew water, and
took it to the master of the banquet. He said it was the best wine. He was amazed
that the bridegroom saved the best wine until the end. This is a miracle from
nothing to everything!
Living wine, the miracle!
It is a miracle. Jesus showed His power as the Son of God.
He is our living water and living bread, our essential food. Also, He wants us
to know that He is also our living wine who can make a miracle. Water into the
wine is the first miracle of Jesus when He was on the earth. Can you believe
it? Do you have faith that Jesus can show miracles as the Son of God?
Unfortunately, even after many of His disciples saw Jesus’ miracles (five
loaves and two fishes, Jesus walks on water, talks about He is from heaven in
John 6) and heard that He is the Son of God, they said, “This is a hard
teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60) From this time many of his disciples
turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66) This first miracle in
Jesus’ age is related to the first miracle at the beginning and the end. All
Bible says about Jesus can make miracles from nothing to everything.
The first miracle in the beginning
Do you know how to make wine? For the children’s message, we
used food coloring, but this miracle talks about the transformation from water
into wine, from nothing to everything. Water’s chemical name is hydrogen oxide.
Water has an oxygen atom that is covalently bonded to two hydrogen atoms. How
about wine? The best wine there are lots of processes. There are five basic
stages or steps to making wine: harvesting, crushing and pressing,
fermentation, clarification, and then aging and bottling. 2 months is
the minimum time taken from start to finish until you can drink your homemade
wine. However, most, if not all winemakers will highly advise against drinking
your wine after just 2 months. The longer you let your wine age the better the
taste will be. The world’s most expensive wine is the Screaming
Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992, US$500,000. How could Jesus turn water into the
best wine beyond all processes? If we believe that He is the creator, we can
also believe that Jesus can turn water into wine. We cannot explain this
miracle with our understanding, and our logic.
In
the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He
was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made;
without
him, nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)
John said that He turned the formless and empty earth to the heavens
and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
creature. (Genesis 2:7, ESV)
He turned the dust into a living creature. He created us from
nothing to everything.
The first miracle in Jesus’ age
I believe that there is a reason why Jesus turned water into
wine as His first miracle. When He had the last Supper, He said,
While
they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it
and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink
from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which
is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)
Wine is symbolized His death and resurrection. He would be
nothing by dying on the cross, but He would be everything by resurrection, like
water into wine, from nothing to everything.
The first and last miracle in the end
Water into wine tells us the first and last miracle in the end.
God promised eternal life for people believing in Jesus.
“Very
truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has
eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. (John
5:24)
For those people who believe that Jesus is our creator and that
He died for us and rose again, they will have eternal life and will not be
judged; they have crossed over from death to life, from nothing to
everything.
Miracle maker
I had a conversation with one of our church members. He said he
does not have faith. It is hard for him to believe the miracle. I do not know
how to explain the process of transforming water into wine. However, I can
explain my transformation of water into wine.
I had another conversation with a young pastor’s wife last week.
I do not know how to explain the transition from water to wine, but I know the
feeling that I was nothing, but now I am everything God made. I have seen that
miracle in my life, in my family’s life, in my church’s life, and we have many
witnesses including our all saints in our lives. 13 years ago, I could not
imagine that I could give such a message in English. I did not have the courage
and ability to provide even a children’s message. I felt like I had become a
baby again. Most of all, I was nothing. My identity was a sinner, however, God
made me a daughter of God through Jesus my living wine. I became everything in
His eyes.
What miracle are you hoping and praying for?
I am praying for all of you who do not have faith, who had faith
before but now do not have it, and for those who are looking for a miracle in
your life. We can make miracles every day with our living wine, our miracle
makers in our hearts. He is the only one who can transform you from nothing to
everything.
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