Pastor Michael Neumann

January 17, 2010

John 2:1-11

Jesus is the Savior You Need

1) humble

2) wise

3) loving

4) powerful

 When driving, it is important to pay attention to the signs along the road. If you don’t follow the arrow, and go the wrong way down a one way street or if you run a stop sign - you could cause a serious accident. If you don’t take the right exit, you could end up lost. Those road signs help to point us in the right direction.

 The same is true when it comes to recognizing our Savior. If you had been living in Israel at the time of Jesus, how would you know that he was someone special? How would you know that he was the promised Savior? He looked just like any man of his time. Mary and Joseph were his parents - there wasn’t anything special about them - Joseph was simply a carpenter. So how would you know that was that Savior promised in the Old Testament?

 Jesus’ miracles testify to the fact that he is not just another man. His miracles are signs pointing to the fact that Jesus is the promised Savior, pointing to the fact that he is the Almighty God. Here before us this morning, we have recorded the first of those miracles performed by Jesus. Near the end of his gospel, the apostle John writes that “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Those miracles point us to the Savior Jesus. Here with his very first miracle, we see - Jesus is the Savior you need. We see that is his humility, in his wisdom, in his love and in his power.

 Jesus humility is shown in the simple fact that he accepted this invitation and took time to attend. Jesus had just begun his public ministry. He had recently been baptized by John in the Jordan River. Where would you expect a great religious figure to begin his ministry? You would expect him to go to Jerusalem – the political and religious center of Israel. You would expect to find him preaching and teaching at the temple. There he might find some men with credentials to be his disciples. But instead, Jesus traveled to this small town in Galilee. Just a few days earlier, Jesus had called the first of those twelve men who would serve as his disciples – several of them were fishermen from Galilee. Now Jesus in humility attended this wedding celebration. He shared in this couple’s life and in this special moment in their life. Not, what we might expect.

 That same humble Savior participates in our lives. He isn’t simply off in heaven somewhere. But he is concerned about our lives. He is there to share our joys and sorrows. He is always ready to listen when we come to him in prayer.  Nothing is too small or insignificant that he doesn’t pay attention. If it is a concern to us, it is a concern to him. What a great comfort for us to have such a Savior.

 Unfortunately, we must confess that we often act far differently than Jesus. Instead of humility, we are often proud. We are selfish – we think first of ourselves and not others, think ourselves better than others; after all look at the faithful Christians we are. We like to think that we know what is right and what is best. Humility is a characteristic that too often we lack. And as proud sinners, we do not deserve a humble Savior who is concerned about us.

 But Jesus was humble. His humility is displayed for us in the very fact that he came to this earth to be our Savior. He left behind the glories of heaven, took on our human flesh to be our substitute to suffer and die for us. The apostle Paul sums it up in this way, Jesus “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” What great humility! We need such a humble Savior, because as proud sinners – dead in sin, we are unable to save ourselves.

 With his first miracle, we also see Jesus’ wisdom. Jesus’ mother came to him with the information that the wine was about to run out and really a request that he help out in some way. Mary was possibly helping to serve. Perhaps one of the wedding couple was a relative. But in some way she came to know that the wine had run out before the rest of the crowd knew.

 What did Mary expect Jesus to do? Was she expecting a miracle? We aren’t told, but based on Jesus’ reply, it wasn’t simply that she was asking Jesus to go to the local store and buy some more wine. Finally, she could have told the servants to do that. It seems that Mary was perhaps hinting at something special here. But why? Why might she be expecting a miracle? Remember that Mary knew who Jesus was. She knew the special events surrounding his birth. She had heard the angel announce to her that this was the Son of God, the Savior. She understood that about Jesus. In fact, we are told that “Mary treasured up all these things (concerning Jesus birth) and pondered them in her heart.” Mary no doubt also knew of Jesus recent baptism and recognized that with act Jesus was now entering publicly into his work as the Savior. Perhaps she thought this was a good opportunity for Jesus to show who he was by means of a miracle. If that was her thinking, it turns out she was right. But it wasn’t her place to suggest such an action.

 And that is why Jesus responded as he did. “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” This was not disrespect for his mother. But by his response Jesus was making it clear that his mother was not the one to direct and determine his ministry. That was determined by God the Father. Finally, when it came to Jesus’ ministry and work as the Savior, Mary didn’t have any special position. As far as Jesus work as the Savior was concerned - Mary was another sinner in need of that Savior. What great comfort – Jesus loves you as much as his own mother.

 And so at the right time, the time determined by God, Jesus did act. Notice again the faith of Mary.  Jesus had not said no. In fact, he had perhaps hinted that he would do something. And so Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” What complete trust and faith. No matter how strange or ridiculous, do it!

 Do we trust our Savior’s wisdom in our lives? Are we always willing to do whatever he tells us? How often don’t we question what he has to tell us? How often don’t we think that we know a better way? God tells us to preach the gospel, but we are tempted to think that somehow that isn’t enough to get people to come to church, we have to do something more. We need the right program or the right style of worship to get people into church. Or the Bible speaks to us about the role of man and woman and we think, well that was fine in Bible times but our society is different, that doesn’t work. We want to see peace and unity among Christians, we want to be able to pray and worship and join together in other activities with friends and family who are of a different fellowship - so we are tempted to set aside differences and join together. After all, we’re all Christians; we all believe in the same God. Instead of taking all of God’s word seriously and holding to all of his teaching, we set aside those parts of God’s word were we don’t agree. We think we know a better way than the all-knowing Creator. But follow Mary’s advice, “Do whatever he tells you.”

 Even in our lives, we see our Savior’s wisdom as he works at just the right time - even though that may not always be on our time table.  We pray and pray for something, perhaps that God would deliver us from some trouble or grant us some blessing, and sometimes we begin to wonder if God has forgotten us. Yet how often can’t we look back and see that when God did act, it was at just the right time. He is the all-wise, all-knowing God and he always acts in the way and at the time that is best for us. Even when we can’t see that wisdom with our own eyes, or it doesn’t seem wise to our human logic, we can trust his promises and wisdom. We know God’s love and faithfulness.

  At just the right time in history he was born, and when the time was right, he went to the cross and died to pay for our sins. Jesus gave up his life at that time appointed by God the Father. His wisdom and love planned and carried out our salvation. What a wise, loving Savior we have. Trust his wisdom. 

 We see Jesus’ love here in our text as well. This newly married couple faced a potentially embarrassing situation - the wine was about to run out. The typical Jewish wedding celebration time lasted seven days. Somehow in planning for this celebration, the couple had failed to purchase enough wine. It wasn’t that this had become a rowdy, drunken party - we can hardly imagine Jesus being part of that kind of celebration. Wine was drunk with the meals; without refrigeration most other drinks were unavailable. The end of the wine probably would have put an end to the wedding celebration. Jesus in love solved the problem. He provided a generous gift to meet this couple’s need.

 Jesus also cares for us. Probably not too often by means of miracles - but he does provide for us. It’s God who gives us the ability to work. He sends the rain and causes the sun to shine and the seeds to grow. He provides for our physical needs everyday. King David rights in Psalm 37, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Our Savior provides for all our needs and in fact, provides much more than just our basic needs. He blesses us very richly. We may not always have everything we want, but we certainly have everything we need and more. 

 Yet what is often our response to our Savior’s love and care for us? We complain about the things we have or don’t have. We often aren’t content or satisfied. 

 Our Savior’s love moves him to provide for our physical needs – and to provide for our even greater need -  the need to be rescued from the clutches of sin and Satan. Our Savior’s love moved him to go to the cross, to give up his perfect life for us, so that we might have eternal life. What tremendous love our Savior has shown us.

 Finally, we also see Jesus’ power.  Jesus told the servants to fill the jars up with water and then commanded them to take some to master of the banquet who was charged with making sure that what was served - the food and the wine - was suitable. Little did those servants know that Jesus had miraculously changed that water into wine. And not just any wine - the best. The master of the banquet said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” Not only was the quality of the wine something special, so was the quantity - the amount. It’s estimated that those six jars held at least a total of 60 gallons, but probably the amount was two to three times that, probably 120 to 180 gallons of wine. That would be even more than just what was needed for the rest of this wedding celebration. It was a generous gift. 

 Now, certainly Jesus was not encouraging the people to drink too much and to get drunk. Many times the Bible and even Jesus himself speaks against the sin of drunkenness and of abusing alcohol. But this gift shows what a generous, loving and power Savior he is.

 What a comfort for us to have such a Savior. He is in control of everything here on earth. He simply wills it, and it happens. When we see trouble and danger around us - what a comfort to know that we have an all-powerful Savior on our side. In his love he not only wants to help us and to give us the best, but in his power he is able to do just that. Our Savior always gives us what is best for us. He gave himself to us and displayed his almighty power when he took up his life again on the third day. We can trust that Savior to always be ready and able to help us.

 The result of this miracle John tells us, “He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” Jesus’ miracles show us who he is, namely God’s Son and our Savior from sin. Like the disciples, put your faith in him.