MORE THAN A MIRACLE!

Remember the account of Jesus at a Wedding in Cana when they ran out of wine. He performs His first sign there. This is perhaps the greatest of all His miracles. In that it unveils the purpose of His earthly ministry as the bridge between the Old and New Covenants. Ephesians 2:14-22 

Water Turned to Wine 

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2   Has that last line ever bothered you? 

It has bothered me, plenty! In fact it made me believe that somehow this miracle was not that significant: if Jesus did it only by compulsion... can you hear your teenager responding when you suggest that they display a talent in front of a group at a family get together. "Okay mom!!!" 

But that is not what Jesus did...in fact in another place in Scripture 

Jesus said, 

"I only say what I hear the Father saying, and only do what I see the Father doing" 

Therefore when he went ahead to perform this first of signs, He must have seen the Father turning the water into wine. He must have heard the Father speaking about the significance of this sign to have it take place before it was "His time". 

There is one other thing, to consider, in the Hebrew culture the 'first' is not only the first chronologically, but also the first in import, the first in preeminence. For instance when Jesus tells the parable of the Sower, Scripture records it was the first and most important parable. Well, this, His first miracle, was also the most important because it laid out the entire purpose of His first coming and his plan to redeem us. Why would I say that? Let's look a little closer. 

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, (containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.) John Chapter 2:5-6

First, let me say that according to Scripture, the number six, is the number of man, Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day. 
Secondly, there is this Scripture compares us to earthen vessels. 

But we have this treasure in earthen (stone) vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

2 Corinthians 4:

Thirdly, water is also a sign of the natural, John the baptist is the last of the old covenant prophets, he baptized with water for the remission or cleansing of sins, the water pots were at the wedding for the ceremonial cleansing of the Jews (old covenant, Church in the wilderness).

Back to the Wedding passage in John 2 

 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. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!

In the passage just preceding this story we find that John's baptism is with water and Jesus' baptism is with the Holy Spirit John 1:29-33

Later, when Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night, Jesus tells him he must be born again, Nicodemus responds, "must I enter again the womb of my mother. Our natural birth comes by water, as does our first ceremonial cleansing involve water (water baptism). However, our new birth, is of the Spirit.
Jesus said, "that which is born of the flesh is fleshly and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 

When Jesus turned the water into wine, He was displaying what His entire earthly ministry was about; taking those who were born of water and make a way for them to be 'baptized' with fire and with the Holy Spirit. To be 'born again' of the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit is compared to being filled with new wine, in this case it was NEW wine, since it had no time in order to age.

Jesus completed His work on the cross and through His Resurrection, opened the door to what is beyond merely Emmanuel "God with us"; but by His ascension into heaven He secured for us another comforter, the down payment of Tabernacles, the reality of GOD living inside of us through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came to turn our water birthed life, into His Spirit filled "new wine life. 

Even the context for this miracle is the highest priority of Jesus' ministry, He came to redeem His bride. Even the declaration of "saving the best for last" is characteristic of His ministry. 

Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what the Lord has prepared for them that love him and are called according to His purpose.

The indwelling of the Spirit is only the down payment on what God has prepared for then that love Him.

He has indeed saved the best for last.