A Better Vintage than We Hoped For - John 2:1-11
The story of Jesus turning water into wine is very familiar to most of us. It even enters popular culture fairly often, usually in comical ‘even Jesus appreciates a good drink’ kind of ways. However, this recounting of Jesus’ early ministry, and its positioning in John’s Gospel, really serve to distinguish Jesus and the ministry of His Kingdom from the kingdoms and values of the world around us.
The passage comes right after Jesus has recruited his early disciples in John 1, which makes this the first account of Jesus’ miraculous ministry to the world. As the account goes, it seems the first public miracle was not strategically planned, but the result of some newlyweds’ misfortune. There they were, publicly hosting the celebration of their union with friends, family, and neighbors when they embarrassingly run out of wine to serve their guests. Such a thing may be more forgiving in our culture today, but in that time it was bad enough for Mary to effectively say, “Jesus, won’t you do something to spare them?”
In a way, Jesus responds saying, it is not yet my time and the social faux pas of this world are not what I’m here for. However, he then proceeds to turn this story into a profound parable for a key feature in his Kingdom teaching: abundance. What Mary likely expected of Jesus, and what the wedding guests expected of their hosts, was for the wine to continue to flow well into the celebration. The worldly custom and strategy for this (as noted in verse 10) was to serve the best wine you had first, and then serve a lesser wine as the drinking went on. It makes practical sense. People are less likely to notice or care if the wine isn’t as good after they’ve already had a few.
But Jesus turns this worldly notion on its head. Rather than miraculously solve the problem with the standard vintage of wine, he provides the wedding with the finest wine (likely much more costly than the family could have afforded) and takes them from being social outcasts hosting an under-prepared wedding party to being the talk of the town. This is the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus does for us every day. He brings a better vintage than we ever could have imagined into our lives. The world’s values are to be shrewd, calculating, and frugal- but the Kingdom’s values are to be generous and overly extravagant in service to others.
This is the first ‘lesson’ Jesus brings us in the Gospel of John. He says, My ways are not your ways and I’ve come to give you so much more life than what you could imagine or hope for. So in the hustle and bustle, and juggling of our day or week, be sure to constantly check your posture. Ask God, am I approaching this day from a world-view of scarcity and self-preservation (for me and my family) or am I living in the abundance of a risen Christ?