John2, 7-8, 11 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” It is interesting that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding celebration.
Wine plays an important role in the bible: Genesis 27:28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. Wine in this verse is ‘tirosh’ referring to fermented grape juice. Sometimes used in sacrificial or medicinal ways. (1 Timothy 5:23). The bible also makes clear that drunkenness is forbidden (Ephesians 5:18).
According to Rabbi Jason Sobel the number of water jars the disciples were told to fill is significant. Numerology in scripture refers to six as the number of creation. God created in six days; the first verse in the bible contains six Hebrews words, and the sixth day is the crowning day of creation with the creation of mankind.
Hebrew is alphanumeric, meaning numbers are represented by letters. The sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is ‘vav’. This is the letter used in Genesis as a conjunction connecting heaven and earth: “God created the heavens and (vav) earth.” Man’s fall into sin broke the ‘vav’, the connection between heaven and earth. Jesus who came to pay for our sin and restore the connection died on the sixth day.
So, we see Jesus’ first miracle, turning six stone jars of water into the best wine was significant; Jesus came to restore God’s original blessing for creation. His miracle is symbolic of what the Lord wants to do in you. Like ordinary water he wants to transform you into someone extraordinary. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
One more thing about this miracle in John’s gospel. The purpose was to show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Wine is one of the primary signs of the of the blessings of the coming Messianic kingdom. Amos 9:13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “. . . New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. By turning water into wine Jesus demonstrated he was the promised prophet that would be greater than the prophet Moses and that we could experience the abundant life of the Messianic Kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ.
Pr. Bob Snitzer
By the Way: Today 4:30, Confirmation
Sunday 16, 9:00 Morning worship. Sermon: Sacrifice Pt. 2
10:15 Sunday school for all ages.
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