John 2:8-10 The Master Vintner

John 2:8-10  "And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him.  When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." (NASB)

The first recorded miracle of Jesus was at this wedding in Cana.  Jesus’ mother came to him and said they had run out of wine.  She knew Jesus had the ability to do something about the problem, how she knew or what she knew is not shared but she knew.  So she asked.

Jesus responds in mild protest indicating that it wasn’t yet time to reveal His ability which in turn would point to who He was, God incarnate.  John writes, “And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." John 2:4  None the less He calls for some large pots and without ceremony the water is turned into wine.  It was no small sample either.  All told in the six clay pots that ranged in size between 20 and 30 gallons each He would  have made between 160 and 240 gallons of wine.  I’m a novice wine snob so I know a little about wine and with this special knowledge I can report to you, that is a lot of wine.  A normal bottle of wine would be 750 milliliters so 5 bottles makes approximately one gallon.  There would be between eight and twelve hundred bottles of wine in the batch Jesus produced.

To think this wedding was just a tiny gathering of a few friends would be incorrect.  It is logical to believe they had prepared for a typical crowd with enough wine but had unexpectedly run short.  The wine Jesus made was the re-fill.  This was some party.  It’s safe to say it involved the whole town plus extra guests.  Cana of Galilee was eight or nine miles north of Nazareth.  Since that is where Jesus was from He was one of those out of town guests.

So Jesus was obedient to the request of his mother and made the wine.  He didn’t make the ancient equivalent of “Two Buck Chuck” either, He made it right.  It was such good wine the headwaiter pointed out the obvious problem.  He questions the bridegroom's reason for holding the best wine until this point in the evening when it won’t be appreciated by the guests as much.  He says the best wine is usually served first when it will be most appreciated.  The point, Jesus was obedient to his mother's request although by this time he is a grown man and God incarnate.  Further, Jesus didn't just go about meeting her request halfheartedly he exceeded the expectation in both quantity and quality.  That's a fair challenge for us in all things.

So raise your glass to the Master Vintner.  AMEN!