The way we view God tends to swing back and forth like a pendulum between two extremes. On the one end, we view him as our Savior God whose sole care is the big matter of our souls and our eternity, concluding that he’s unconcerned with the smaller, trivial matters in our lives. On the other end, we view him as the One who is able to address and fix every little detail of our lives, leading us to lose sight of the big reason he came: to forgive and save. Viewing God in only one or the other category fails to fully see him as he wants to be seen and known.
This morning he reveals both sides to us, that he is a God who delights in taking care of the big and the small matters in our lives. Leave behind the notion that the little things are a bother to your Father, as if you could ever possibly pester him with anything that is on your heart. Bring it all to him, from the smallest hangnail to the most shattering heartbreak – it all matters to him.
Can’t we draw that very conclusion from the first of Jesus’ miracles ever recorded for us, the wedding at Cana? Did Jesus stop the heavenly bodies in their orbit or rescue millions from some natural disaster or catastrophe? No, no he didn’t. He turned water into wine. Not, mind you, at some royal reception celebrating the uniting of two prestigious families in some powerful political alliance, but at a no-name wedding with a nameless bride and groom in an otherwise unknown city except for this miracle. Does Jesus care about the little details? Of course he does!
But you know that there is more to it than meets the eye in our Uncovered series. We are privy to this party for a purpose far greater than even the amazing truth that God does care about the details; there was much more being revealed about Jesus at Cana than just party tricks and wine tasting. In fact, John clues us into as much in his conclusion of this account: “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (v.11). So let us explore this morning exactly what was being uncovered for us about Jesus, the Savior of the world.
We simply aren’t given many details about the wedding itself – just that the wine was gone, which was a notable cultural taboo of the day. What stands out though, amidst the lack of other details, is Jesus’ curious response to his mother’s observation that the wine was gone. He says, “My hour has not yet come” (v.4). What exactly did Jesus mean by that statement? Well, obviously he wasn’t defying his mother and refusing to do anything about the wine, as he proceeded to do just that, revealing the finest wine ever sampled! So then what did he mean that his time hadn’t yet come?
It is worth noting that John records Jesus using the same phrase later in his Gospel. In chapter seven, his disciples urged him to ride his wave of growing popularity by making himself a public figure and joining them on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus declined their invitation to accompany them to Jerusalem in a showy way, but then later ended up showing up in a low-key, under-the-radar fashion. It was clear that he was not interested at that time in drawing attention to himself in the ways and for the reasons that the disciples had in mind.
So if not at Cana, and not later in Jerusalem, when would Jesus’ time come? Jesus’ hour, – his time – came at the close of Holy Week, at the arrival of his hour of suffering and death (cf. Mt. 26:44-46). That was why he had come. To many though – including his own disciples – Jesus’ suffering and death didn’t appear to be the reason for his coming, but a roadblock in the way of something greater.
The disciples and the crowds had become so accustomed to witnessing Jesus address pain and problems and death and dying and sickness and sorrow on a small scale. They couldn’t imagine him addressing all of those things on the grandest scale of all. They couldn’t envision him doing what needed to be done to address those pain points not just temporarily, but to address their underlying cause permanently. Suffering and pain were merely the symptoms; sin was the cause. Jesus ultimately came to address the cause and not just the symptoms. Jesus came for a greater purpose than changing water to wine; he came to change sinners into saints.
When in our pursuit of Jesus we reverse those priorities and are more concerned with having Jesus treat the symptoms than the cause, we run the risk of being disappointed. Disappointed because in some cases he may not choose to deal with the symptom the way we’d like – he may let it languish. A season of unemployment lingers for weeks and then months. A chapter of life filled with sickness isn’t followed by recovery, but by an even more discouraging diagnosis. An individual who has wronged us in the past does so yet again while it seems God stands idly by doing nothing.
And when we are more concerned with having Jesus treat the symptoms than the cause, we also run the risk of being disappointed because when we zero in so much on just seeing the symptoms in our lives, we can’t see the bigger picture. It’s like the child parked inches away from a screen. When looking at it that closely, he can really only see one or two details of what’s happening on the screen. But when he backs up a bit he can see the whole picture. When we stop focusing on just the symptoms of sin and step back to see the big picture, that is when we get a fuller sense of everything that Jesus is able to do.
At Cana, Jesus took care of a rather trivial thing – running out of wine – but not for a trivial reason. John highlighted the reason: this was a miracle – better yet, a “sign.” A sign points to something. A sign makes something known or uncovers some information that wasn’t previously known or if it was, makes it more commonly known. If you’ve been a member here for a while, you don’t have to ask where the restrooms are, but if you’re a guest or first-time visitor, a sign is a pretty helpful thing to make that information known. At Cana, Jesus was making it known that his power to miraculously provide wine from water made him different. He was getting attention, not just for the same vain purpose so many today seek attention, but ultimately to turn more eyes and hearts toward the Savior.
Behind all of Christ’s kindness to others throughout his ministry as he compassionately cared for and healed others was a great purpose: that through his kindness others might see not just a good samaritan, but their God-sent Savior. One of our readings from last Sunday captured it well: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:4-5).
When we only look to Jesus for the little things, we run the risk of missing out on the bigger thing – the biggest thing. But when we see him first as coming do deal with the biggest thing, we get the other stuff, too. If we look to Jesus only to “get us through” this life, where does that leave us for the next life, the real reason he came?
Notice how surprised the wedding guest was that the best wine was saved for last? Don’t be shocked – that’s also what the Lord promises to you today. Oh, he may – he will – do some absolutely amazing things for you during your life here on heart, but like the wine at Cana, the best is being saved for last.
Heaven will hold nothing back. While we see glimpses and samples of God’s kindness and love and infinite blessings during our time here on earth, the door to storehouses of eternal blessings will be thrown open in heaven, revealing the full measure of God’s goodness and grace. The best is saved for last.
So with that confidence, stay dialed into that truth and appreciate more fully the stuff that God does for you here and now, because you know that something better is coming along. But if you’re looking for God to bring you heaven on earth right now, then step away from the screen so you can see the big picture and see that God has done so much more for you.
Changing water into wine was pretty impressive, but not nearly as much as changing sinners into saints! The large jars that held the wine were there for ceremonial washing, but the kind of washing that Jesus came to bring would render them useless! He came to wash away sin, to forever repurpose every jar previously used for ceremonial washing. They could only serve as a symbol of the kind of washing Jesus came to do. There is no washing, no works-righteousness, no penance possible – or necessary! – that can achieve for us what Jesus came to do: forgive sins and save sinners.
Jesus shows us that God isn’t interested only in the small details of your life – he cares about the big things and the little things. He will keep food on your table and clothing on your back. But he does so much more. He forgives and restores. He refreshes and fills us. Do not look to him for just the little things, for he has taken care of the big things, too. And if he takes care of the big things, look to him for the little things as well. He delights in handling all things for you.