2016 "The Gospel of John" Lesson 3, Q3~Q5

John 2:1-12.

Q3a. ~ the problem that occurred at the wedding and the embarrassment it could have caused?

At the wedding Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother worried the guests won’t be happy if they didn’t have enough wine to drink, so she asked Jesus because she knew he’s capable to help.

Q3b. ~ beginning, was Jesus’ mother’s thinking perfectly in tune with her son’s mind? 

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied.

“My hour has not yet come.”

A: No, Jesus’ mother was thinking different from her son’s mind. The timing for Jesus’ glory was not yet come.

Q4. ~ Jesus revealed about Himself in His first miraculous sign? 

Jesus had 6 empty jars of stone filled with water, which He then turned into wine. The master of the banquet proclaimed the wine Jesus had made to be superior to the wine they had served earlier, saying they had saved the best for last.

Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life.  Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper.

What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6).  This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living, joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration.

The miracle may also be interpreted as the antitype of Moses' first public miracle of changing water (the Nile river) into blood. (Exodus 7:14-25) This would establish a symbolic link between Moses as the first savior of the Jews through their escape from Egypt and Jesus as the spiritual savior of all people.

Q5. ~ Jesus revealed His glory through this sign?

1, Jesus revealed His glory through this sign about the timing ~ for Jesus’ glory was not yet come in John 2. In John 12:23, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

2, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transforming ~ This sign is a transformation: water changed, water transformed into wine. It fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 25:6, on this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. He is the transformer.

3, Jesus' glory is revealed in his Transferring ~Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. Hebrews 8:13, By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated (aging) will soon disappear. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!