The New Wine, Part I (John 2:1-11)

It seemed as if the celebration was going so well – maybe, too well. Then, suddenly they were about out of wine to give to the guests. In the background there was some discussion that took place. The Gospel of John is so beautiful in that it is portrayed in many cases almost like the drama of a stage. Out in the foreground you see all kinds of things going on with people, but in the background there are some things taking place that people out front don’t know anything about. This is why John’s Gospel is different. He was in the inner circle. John saw what was going on behind the scenes while others only saw the front stage.
In most cases the real inspiration and faith and excitement of what’s happening is here in the background and some out front are never aware that miracles take place. You know that’s the way it is now. Jesus can be in a place and some people can sit right next to a miracle and never see it. But some people are behind the scenes, so to speak, in their understanding and faith. In their seeing deeper than others and in their looking behind the scenes they see the handiwork of God and see God moving. They’re not so excited or carried away with their own things and what they’re doing that they miss what God is doing.
I would rather stand in the shadow sometimes if that means seeing Him closer. I would rather stand in the background sometimes I think if that means hearing His voice and seeing Him perform in a special way. Wouldn’t you? I certainly don’t want to be so busy until I miss Him. But that’s exactly what happens to us sometimes. We become so busy until we miss out on what He wants to do for us. We talk so much we can’t hear Him speak.

So behind the scenes, His mother comes to Him and says, “…they have no wine.” It’s amazing the things that mothers will do. A few days ago I was visiting with my mother who is eighty-one years old and you know she still says, “Son, do so and so!” And I say “Yes, Mom.” Because that’s the way it is. You know, there’s just something about your mother that when she asks a direct request of you, there’s no argument. So Jesus mother just comes to Him and says, “…they have no wine.” But all of a sudden He turns to her and speaks to her somewhat sharply. He does not call her mother. But He says, “…Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour is not yet…”

We will hear Jesus say in the Gospel of John three times, “…my hour is not yet come.”
Then later on in the time of sorrow and darkness and agony and grief when He’s yielding up His life to the will of the Father and He’s ready to drink the bitter cup, He will say, “…my hour is come, glorify thy son.” Then when He is there in Gethsemane He will pray and say, “…Father the hour is come.”
But three times He will say it as here, “…my hour is not yet come.” The meaning of course is that even though this is His earthly mother and she has come and exerted some human pressure upon Him about a real need, yet Jesus will not be manipulated and He will not be directed by human pressure. He is more aware of the divine will of God.
For when He says, “…my hour is not yet come,” He has in mind the divine eternal will of God that covers His destiny. It causes Him to act strangely at times. Not that He isn’t concerned with human needs and human desires and human requests – not that at all. But when the dominating influence of the divine inspiration and will of God overshadowed Him, it took priority. That ought to be the way with us in this world. Regardless of human pressures that pressure from high, the divine will of God has first place pushing down upon our lives to
direct us and control our wills.
I was amazed when I walked in this place because there was such a relaxed restful peaceful atmosphere and such an atmosphere of worship and praise and oh, you just don’t find that everywhere. I’ve gone into places where immediately you were thrown at attention because you just felt confusion and clamor and it took a while for God even to penetrate and touch the peoples heart but thank God for His holy presence.

Jesus is saying, “…my time is not yet come, woman.” She will lose her son. She will lose him as a son before she gains him as a Saviour. As if by divine hands, divine scissors seem to clip the apron strings from off his life. Because now He is beginning His ministry and He is hearing the voice of God and He will hear that voice and follow it regardless of who presses upon Him.
In each case when He says, “…my hour is not yet come,” it is in response to requests by people who are close to Him, who are pressing their needs and desires upon Him. Here, it’s His mother. In chapter seven, it’s His brothers and they’re saying, “…there is something wrong with your P.R., Jesus. Why don’t you come over here and do some great works so people will believe on you?” And John adds a little footnote and says, “…for his brothers were not believing on him.” Later on it is his close friends of the family of Lazarus that press a need upon him.

In each one of these three cases He does not respond immediately in the way that they want. But later He does respond and takes care of the need and comes back on an entirely different level. He comes in a richer, more wonderful glorious way, in ways that they really do not even understand completely.
Let me just say this to you. Every time you come to Jesus Christ with a human request, and it may be a legitimate and even urgent need, don’t get upset and impatient if the Lord doesn’t hear your prayer immediately. It may be that He wants to teach you something about patience and about faith and how to take hold of His Word and His promises and take hold of His power and hang on in faith. Hallelujah! It may be that He 4 wants to teach you something about endurance and perseverance always coming back later to answer your prayer and move in your behalf in a far deeper more important way than you could imagine.

So His mother just simply turns and says no more to Him and turns to the servants and says now, whatever He says, you do it because she figured he would do something sooner or later. Oh what a marvelous thing that is. What simple childlike faith. That’s all that faith is. Faith is not screwing your mind up in some kind of a supernatural knot where you reach out in some unknown place and take hold of reality, a supernatural. Faith is hearing the voice of Jesus Christ and just simply saying, “Whatever He says, do it.” That’s obedience to His Word.
You see when you don’t fuss with God, you don’t argue with God, you don’t argue with His will but you just simply as soon as He says it without any hesitation you start to move that’s faith and it brings results, powerful, glorious, wonderful results. It would be a marvelous thing in this world if somehow we could get to that place where we say in our own hearts whatever Jesus says, I will do it.
How long has it been since you’ve fussed with Jesus? You’ve said, “No, no, no Lord. Not me! Not that! Somebody else. Surely you don’t mean me Lord.” How long has it been since you’ve quenched the Spirit? I say to you now, whatever He says to you, do it and you will see the glory of God. In your obedience will be your greatest act of faith and that kind of faith will bring to bear on your life the supernatural and the miracles and God will be glorified and His mighty presence will be manifested through you for His glory.

Then He said to the servants, “…now draw out…”– not out of the pots but go back to the well. That seventh source is a living source. Go back to the well. And as they went and started drawing water out of the well and brought it in He said, “…now bear it to the governor of the feast.” And as they did, somewhere between the well and the table, the water turned to wine. The governor said, “…oh my, that’s the best I’ve ever tasted you’ve saved it to the last. What’s this you’re doing? Usually it is customary,” he said, “All these parties I’ve been to they always give you the best first and then after you’ve kind of eaten and talked and you don’t care so much, you’re just eating for the fun of it, and just drinking for the fun of it and you don’t care what you put in your mouth, then they bring the worst. But you’ve turned it around.”
Jesus poured the same thing the Jewish system had used all these centuries – water. In all their ritual and ceremony Jesus took the same thing and poured in His divine blessing and grace and He made it much richer and much more beautiful and brought real life and joy to that party. But I want you to know that Jesus is not just the life of a party my friends. He is the source, the living source, of true joy and victory and grace and power, hallelujah. I think He would have turned the whole well into wine if he had needed to. I think that Jesus wants you to understand that there is a living source from which you can draw to satisfy the longing of your life and will bless you far beyond any expectations that you have ever known.