The Sign Reveals ... (John 2:1-11)
Rev. David French
01/16/22

Near the beginning of the rite of Holy Matrimony, there’s an explanation of the purpose of marriage. In that explanation we find these words, “Our Lord blessed and honored marriage with His presence and first miracle at Cana in Galilee.” Today’s gospel reading is the account of that first miracle or, as John refers to it, “the first of his miraculous signs, that revealed his glory.” And so, while we see in this lesson how Jesus honors marriage - and marriage could certainly use a little honoring – and we can see how Jesus gives to all much more than they or we deserve, still neither of those is the focus of this lesson. 

In fact, the Holy Spirit inspired John to summarize his entire gospel with these words, “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.”

So the purpose of the miraculous signs, including changing water into wine, wherever it happened, was to reveal the glory of Jesus in whose name we have eternal life. God uses signs in Scriptures to highlight, if you will, the mysteries of God that we might otherwise miss. The result of the disciples seeing that mystery, even though they didn’t understand it, was that they were led to believe Jesus was the Son of God, and by believing, they had life in His name.

And that’s why this matters to us. Jesus not only choose to come and reveal Himself to those first disciples using signs, but He still comes and reveals Himself to His disciples today in signs and wonders. Signs and wonders that, in turn, bring us from death to life as we die with Jesus in order that we might also live with Him. But there is a problem and, as you should guess, the problem is not with the signs. The problem is God’s signs aren’t the kind of signs we want. I mean, even the virgin birth sounds amazing, but how would you prove this article of faith to someone today? 

But like it or not, what Jesus has chosen to do is to reveal Himself through signs. The signs we have today are the proclamation of His Word, that same Word, combined with water or combined with bread and wine. Christ has given these signs to us as gifts, and yet so many today are not satisfied. So many complain, but we want more than just word and sacrament. We want God’s gifts to attract unbelievers even though, from the star the Magi saw in the east to the cross and empty tomb, none of these miraculous signs attracted even one unbeliever. That is because it is only believers, those who see with eyes of faith, who see the signs for what they are.

And yet, sinful beings that we are, we continue to look and pray for some sign from God in our times of trouble instead of trusting the promise of the signs He has already given. Why? Why would we do that? Can it be that in our heart of hearts we’re afraid that Jesus can’t or won’t do what He has promised unless we see or experience some sort of miraculous sign that agrees with our own expectations of how God should work? While none of us likes to admit it, it’s that fear that we work so hard to hide that robs us of the peace and comfort offered in what Christ has already given for and to us. We hear the Gospel and what Jesus has done, and instead of saying “thank you,” we think, “I can do that too,” and end up searching for comfort in our own works, seeing in them proof of our faith and so, our salvation. 

And, oh how satan [sic] wants us to trust what we see in ourselves instead of trusting the signs Jesus has given. How satan [sic] wants us to believe that we can fulfill the law with prayer and determination, trusting the Father just like Jesus did. Satan wants us to believe that we really can be good, but the Law, when used as God intended, will always and only accuse and destroy and finally deliver us to death.

But the sign of the cross was not the last sign, because the One who was dead is now alive! The One who promised “the sign of Jonah” has risen. The new and greater Jonah, after spending three days in the belly of the earth, leaves us His greatest sign when He leaves an open and empty tomb.

Jesus, God’s only Son, drank the cup of wrath filled to the brim and, by grace through faith, our cups now runneth over. Jesus replaced the old covenant, with its laws and regulations, with a new and better covenant. No longer do we turn to the Law for purification, because the blood Christ shed on the cross has washed us clean. In Him and through Him, all things we be renewed. We see signs of this renewal in the holy sacraments that Jesus has given to us. Surely, you know your faith, the faith that receives and trust God’s promise, is itself a miracle - a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit using the signs that Jesus provides to bring us to Him. 

In the waters of our baptism, Jesus makes us his own. And, you know it’s not about the water; it’s about how Christ uses water when combined with His Word and comprehended in His command to make us His own. And like the water Jesus turned into wine, there’s nothing special about baptismal water; nothing, that is, until it’s combined with God’s Word and, by grace, becomes the water that washes our sins. And so, in your baptism, you were renewed and you were restored into a right relationship with God, and now have new life in Christ.

In the same way, the Lord’s Supper is a sign of our redemption in Jesus. In 1 John we find that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. The miracle of Jesus’s true body and blood, in, with, and under the elements of bread and wine, are a sign that our salvation is found in being united with the body of Christ. That is, we are like a couple who, united by God’s Word in marriage, become one flesh.

On that day at the wedding celebration in Cana, our Lord revealed who He is to His disciples, to us, and to the world. In “this, the first of his signs,” Jesus revealed His glory. It seems like kind of a boring ending for a miracle; that is, until you look up the word glory. Look it up sometime; maybe this afternoon. It’s a little word that, even in English, carries a lot of weight. 

So Jesus has given us signs in the sky at Cana and Calvary, at the font, and on the altar; signs that point to the glory that show Jesus is the Son of God. Signs that both point to and deliver what they promise. Signs revealing that the life and death of Jesus - by God’s grace - are your death and life eternal. Signs that reveal that Jesus’s offering of Himself as your sacrifice has been accepted by God. Signs that reveal the glory of Christ to all, but can only seen through eyes of faith. The faith that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The faith that receives and holds to God promises. The faith - a sign reveals – which God has created and sustains in you. The faith which trusts that you are forgiven. 

In His name, Amen.