Rev. David Holwick Z Encountering Jesus in John
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 16, 2015
John 2:1-11
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I. Every family has one.
A. Who was the black sheep in your family?
1) Signs that it may have been you:
At some point a relative has disciplined a child by saying
they don't want them to turn out like you.
(Your name alone is a cautionary tale.)
Your section of your parents' Christmas letter is the
shortest and includes at least one error about your life.
Bad language comes out of your mouth even when you are
holding a 5-year-old nephew in your lap.
People refer to the year you couldn't attend the family
reunion as "the tame year." [1]
2) Famous examples:
* Alice Roosevelt - Alice was the eccentric oldest child of
President Theodore Roosevelt.
She smoked, partied until late at night, and kept a pet
snake.
Her exasperated father once remarked, "I can be President
of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot
possibly do both."
* Billy Carter - The younger brother of President Jimmy
Carter loved the spotlight.
His outlandish public behavior embarrassed the White
House.
He relieved himself on an airport runway in full view of
the press corps and dignitaries.
He also endorsed a beer called "Billy Beer" and appeared
on late night talk shows.
The clincher was when he accepted a $220,000 "loan" to
help the rogue nation of Libya sell oil in America.
#64913
B. What about a white sheep?
1) One interesting example is Vince Capone.
You have probably never heard of him, but perhaps you've
heard of his brother, crime boss Al Capone.
Vince embarrassed his family by moving to Nebraska, changing
his name, and becoming a federal Prohibition agent.
2) A more extreme example - Jesus.
a) Imagine growing up with Jesus in your family.
b) He would make all of you look bad.
c) How would you handle it?
C. Mary's interaction with her son teaches much about discipleship.
1) There was a lot she knew about her son's important because
of the circumstances surrounding his birth.
2) But there was also a great deal she did not understand.
3) This did not keep her from being a faithful and humble
follower of God.
II. A blow-out wedding party.
A. The Holwicks know all about these.
1) Here is a sample:
Boneless breast of chicken stuffed with spinach - $2,204
Maple-roast pork loin with apple cranberry chutney - $1,566
Ceremony on top of a mountain - $1,500
5 hours in a function room - $2,000
Beverages my son-in-law took out of his little room
refrigerator - $32.40.
2) Jews saved up for years because they would have invited
most of the village.
B. Crisis - the booze ran out.
1) This didn't happen for us - making it a cash bar cut down
on consumption greatly.
a) Apparently the Cana family didn't think of this.
b) The supply ran low and they mentioned it to Mary.
2) Mary turns to Jesus.
a) She doesn't make a request, just an observation.
1> But every man knows that a mom's observation is
actually an order.
2> Jesus saw it this way, and responded, "Why do you
involve me?"
b) His response may seem rude to us.
1> The King James sounds harsh: "Woman, why do you
involve me?"
2> But Jesus also addresses her as "woman" from the
cross, so it is probably not meant in a rude way.
A> The NIV makes it "Dear woman" but that may go
overboard.
B> Perhaps it was more of an annoyed, "Mom!"
C> His concern is to not go against God's timing.
c) Mary is not put off by his apparent refusal, but
instructs the servants to obey his commands.
C. The alcoholic miracle.
1) Jesus tells them to fill large jars with water.
a) These were jars used for ritual cleansing ceremonies
and together probably held over 100 gallons.
b) Then he tells them to serve it to the master of
ceremonies.
2) The master of ceremonies is impressed by the quality.
a) He notes that it is typical to use the best stuff
first to impress the guests; later on, they won't
notice the watered-down stuff.
b) But here, the best has been saved for last.
III. The spiritual point is obvious.
A. Jesus may have come late in time, but he is God's best for us.
1) God has spent hundreds of years preparing his people
with kings and prophets.
2) Now the ultimate king and prophet has arrived.
B. The setting of the miracle is important.
1) It does not overcome death, like raising Lazarus.
2) It does not feed starving people, like the multiplying
of the loaves of bread.
3) Instead, it helps a wedding couple save embarrassment.
a) But weddings have a deeper theme in the Bible.
b) God often describes his relationship to Israel as a
marriage that begins with a wedding.
c) And Jesus will use the theme of weddings in several
of his parables, with the implication that he is
the groom.
d) So this miracle is the beginning of his love story
for us.
C. Wine is more than a drink with some zip.
1) The prophet Isaiah has a beautiful passage that depicts
what Jesus is offering:
Isaiah 55:1-2
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;
and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without
cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your
labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and
your soul will delight in the richest of fare."
2) The good wine is an image of salvation, and all the good
things God wants to give us.
3) Are we interested in receiving it?
IV. Faith is not about having all the answers.
A. Mary did not know a lot about her son.
1) She had been told at his birth that a sword would pierce
her heart, but she didn't know about the cross until
she stood below it and saw her son there.
2) She believed in God's promises because she was a good Jew,
but she didn't know her dead son would be resurrected
until Easter morning.
3) Most of the particulars of God's plan were kept from her.
B. She did have an inkling about some things.
1) Her son would be mightily used by God.
a) Therefore his miracles would not have shocked her.
b) This is why she palmed the servants off on Jesus.
2) Her son would make God his first priority.
a) Jesus made this clear when he was only 12 years old.
b) Mary understood this, but she didn't like it.
1> There were times she tried to thwart it.
2> At the height of his popularity, she and her
other children tried to rescue Jesus and take
him home, only to be rebuked by him.
C. Even with limited knowledge, she knew what to do.
1) She gave the problem to her son, with full confidence he
could do the right thing.
2) He never disappointed her.
V. Our vision is also limited.
A. We don't have to have all the answers.
1) God's will for your life is rarely cut-and-dried.
a) Christians who act like it is, are deceiving themselves.
b) Stark moral choices are rare so you have to learn to
discern the finer points.
2) Even when your choices are all good, you can be torn about
what to do.
B. We just have to put Jesus in charge.
1) Learn to trust him in every new situation.
2) Example of our new regional pastor.
a) She was born in the Bronx, lived in New Jersey, then
moved to Oregon.
b) Recently God put it on her heart to move back to New
Jersey.
1> She had family here, but no job.
2> She said she felt God wanted her here, and God had
always worked out things for the best previously.
3> Soon after she made that decision, our state office
contacted her and hired her to be a leader here.
C. He can do more than we imagine.
1) Mary didn't know what Jesus would do, but she knew he
would do something, and he did.
2) Many believers can testify that God has taken hard
situations, even horrible ones, and turned them into
something good.
a) It is not always instantaneous, but God's hand is
evident in how it works out.
b) In the meantime, you have to trust him in faith.
3) There is one big thing you have to trust him in, as well.
a) We must trust him to give us salvation.
b) Have you tasted his good wine?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Adapted from “13 Signs You're The Black Sheep Of Your Family,” by
Chrissy Stockton, < http://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2013/12/signs-youre-the-black-sheep-at-your-family-gathering/>.
#64913 “The Black Sheep of a Family,” blogger "FlourishAnyway,”
April 22, 2015; <http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Tell-If-You-Are-the-Black-Sheep-of-The-Family>
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
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