Bellwork: Read over John 1:14-15 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

Objectives Students will know John’s humility and faithfulness to his calling was a result of John knowing, his life was not about him. Students will identify who is the center of their life and formulate what needs to change. Students know the events of Jesus’ first miracle and understand it’s purpose. Students learn about and research the customs of wedding celebration in biblical times then plan an event.

John Passed the Baton to Jesus Lesson 2.4

John the Baptist John is Arrested and Doubts Arrested for calling out Herod for marrying brother’s wife His expectation for his ministry and how he thought Jesus would be were different than reality https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=52-aRqDzPkw John’s Disciples follow Jesus John was fine with his disciples leaving him His humility John knew Jesus was most important https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=TGXtkRFfH3o

Let’s Plan a Wedding

Jesus’ First Miracle: Water to Wine Lesson 2.5

Jesus’ First Miracle

When and Where? Immediately after Jesus called his first disciples, he journeyed to Cana in Galilee. Cana was just a small insignificant town; nothing special. Why would Jesus pick this place for his first miracle?

When and Where? John tells us that this happened on the 3rd day of the week. For Jews, that is Wednesday. We also know it was Wednesday because Jewish brides always got married on Wednesdays. What was significant about the 3rd Day?

The Problem Embarrassingly, the host of the wedding had not provided enough wine to satisfy and provide for all of the guests. Jesus stepped in, not just to meet a need, but to teach us a lesson about ourselves. In order to understand the meaning of Jesus’ miracle though, we must understand the significance of the water pots.

The Water Pots 1. They were empty. 2. They were made of stone. Emptiness is the fundamental problem in this story. Man has an empty spot inside him that can only be filled by Christ. (what kinds of things do we use to try and fill our emptiness?) 2. They were made of stone. The pots were made of the same cold, hard material that covers the heart of an unsaved person. (Ezekiel 11:19)

The Wine Many people question whether Jesus turned the water at the wedding into fermented, alcoholic wine. 2 Wine Theory: theory that suggests there were 2 different types of wine that existed in Israel “grape juice” unfermented “real wine” fermented

The Wine The Greek word (οἶνος) for “wine” in this passages is a generic term for all kinds of wine except shekar which means “strong drink”.

The Solution Mary asked Jesus to fix the situation. He responded by saying, “What does this have to do with me?” In the Greek, this is better translated as, “What do we have in common?” meaning, “Your concerns and mine are not the same.” Mary was concerned with purely earthly matters (there was nothing to drink); Jesus was concerned with heavenly matters (glorifying himself and God). He performed the miracle, not for Mary, but to “manifest God’s glory.”

The Servant’s Responsibility 1. Bring the water pots to Jesus. 2. Fill the pots with water. Each one held 2 or 3 “Firkins” (primary Greek unit of measurement for liquid). 1 Firkin = 8 7/8 gallons (how many total gallons of wine?) 3. Take the wine to the governor of the feast. The Governor’s job was to preserve order, keep people laughing, assign seating, decide how much water went into the wine, and how much each person was allowed to drink.

The Wine Though there are many negative references to wine in the Bible Ephesians 5:18 - And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Proverbs 20:1 - Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. 1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Corinthians 6:10 - Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

The Wine There are also a some positive references to wine in the Bible. Numbers 15:5, 28:14; Exodus 29:40; Lev. 23:12-13 – wine as a drink offering Nehemiah 13:12 – Judah brought tithe of wine 1 Timothy 5:23 - Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. Ecclesiastes 9:7 - Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.