The wedding is in full swing, the guests are enjoying themselves, and then three words fall that, in that culture, announced a shame lasting for generations: they have no wine. From that scene begins a reflection on the first sign Jesus gave in Cana of Galilee (John 2), where six stone jars for ritual washing turn out to be far more than a backdrop to the miracle. The sermon moves from a surprisingly blunt exchange between Jesus and his mother all the way to the banquet foretold by the prophet Isaiah. Listen if the wine has just run out in your life and you need a foretaste of what is best.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What consequences did the groom's family face in a shame culture when the wine ran out, and how does that change the way you hear Mary's words in John 2:3?
- Why do you think John points out that the wine came from water in six stone jars used for ritual purification, and what does that detail say about what Jesus brings?
- Jesus answers his mother, "My hour has not yet come." What does this reveal about his mission and who sets its course, given that this hour finally leads to the cross?
- Mary tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Where in your life is Jesus asking for your obedience now, even though you cannot yet see where it leads?
- The preacher says the wedding at Cana points ahead to the wedding feast of the Lamb, where the best wine is saved for last. How does this hope shape the way you live with imperfection, illness and suffering today?
- In what specific relationship or situation this week can you invite Jesus to give you a foretaste of transforming what is fragile and imperfect?
