Water To Wine

Q. Why Did Jesus Turn Water into Wine?

A. Jesus Demonstrated a Great Kingdom Principle!
(plus it wasn't alcohol:)

If alcohol is so bad why did Jesus turn the water into wine for His first miracle? That is something often asked by those given to wine/alcohol. But the story of water to wine demonstrates God's power packed plan and how He would accomplish salvation/redemption as the Word of God, Jesus Christ.

Lets begin with a few scriptures first from the gospel that demonstrate the importance of God's Word:
(Scriptures are from the NLT, KJV, KJER, NAS, ESV - or as stated Bible versions.)

John 1:1    "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us , and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Hebrews 11:3 "For by faith we understand that the worlds were fashioned by the word of God, and these things that are seen came into being out of those things which are unseen."

First we must keep in mind that God spoke the world into existence with/by/through His Word. His plan was formed in His mind and He caused it to come into being by speaking it. Peter repeats this key to understanding God's nature and plan here:

2 Peter 3:5 "But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water " [out of water and by water!!]

Now, the Apostle Paul says that not only did God create the world through His Word, but also God has chosen by the "foolishness of preaching" (speaking God's words to people) to save those who believe...and that faith can only come to us by (us) "hearing the word of God"! So when we were/are dead in sin, God's word can create life in us! If we believe and receive His word [gospel -- words of salvation]!

1 Corinthians 1:
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸For the preaching [words] of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ²⁰Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching [the simplicity of speaking words] to save them that believe. "

Jesus used the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) to reinforce this kingdom teaching where only 1 out of the 4 types of hearers [people who heard the word of God] received and believed [demonstrated faith] sufficiently enough to be saved.

First and foremost all the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself preached words...words of God...for that is the only method God has chosen for mankind to be saved! That is why Satan hates the recorded scriptures! Yet Jesus has promised that heaven and earth would pass away but His words shall never pass away or fail!

God's word that has gone out of His mouth will not return void, but shall accomplish everything it was sent out to do! (Isaiah 55:11)

So why was water changed to wine for His first miracle? [Hint: Not so the wedding guests could get drunk.]

Q: But I read that Jesus was a winebibber and a glutton and a drunkard?

Did you? Read it again. Here's what it says...

Matthew 11:18 "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon. "

John [the Baptist] didn't eat or drink with anybody, he dwelt alone, and people came to him...but the unbelievers and mockers wrongly said that John (the Baptist) had a demon! However, God said John was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth!

Matthew 11:19 "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."

Jesus visited and dined with all kinds of people, but He wasn't a glutton and He certainly wasn't a drunkard,
yet that is what His accusers falsely said - even as they had falsely said that John was demon possessed!

Okay so let's look at the First Miracle: It actually has nothing to do with alcohol...

First of all, if you study the Jewish culture of the time you will quickly find out that it was a shame to be drunk at a wedding. A wedding was a very sacred and honored ceremony in God's eyes and also to the Jewish people of the time (and many today too)! Next, if the people were drunk as with alcohol why would the Holy One of God make more alcohol...to get them drunker or drunk? 6 pots of 30 gallons each is 180 gallons of alcohol at 4 ounces per serving that would be enough for over 5000 servings! Enough to get 500 guests completely intoxicated. About 500 would have likely been the maximum size of a wedding at that time. Remember God does not tempt with sin, only Satan the accuser tempts with sin. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith...the very word of God made flesh and the scriptures tell us about fermented wine in Proverbs not to look upon it (alcohol) when it is swirling in the glass. [We will look at a few of the Wine (alcohol) vs. Wine (juice) verses later.]

John 2:1 (KJ21) "And on the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; ²and both Jesus and His disciples were called to the marriage. ³ And when they lacked wine, the mother of Jesus said unto Him, “They have no wine.”
⁴ Jesus said unto her, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”
⁵ His mother said unto the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.”
⁶ And there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, holding twenty to thirty gallons apiece.
⁷ Jesus said unto them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
⁸And He said unto them, “Draw some out now, and bear it unto the governor of the feast.” And they took it.
⁹When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, not knowing from whence it had come (but the servants who drew the water knew), the governor of the feast called the bridegroom
¹⁰ and said unto him, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have drunk well, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”
¹¹This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed in Him."

This is a very spiritual lesson and most people will miss it if they just glance at it or are not familiar with the rest of the scriptures. But lets unpack this great story! There is some definite symbolic teaching in this -- including Jesus went into heart of the earth and rose on the third day. But we will concentrate just on the parts that have to do with the great miracle itself.

Let us start with verse 6 - and bear in mind that Jesus knew that most would reject His Ministry and He would be crucified, but before that He would instruct many in the ways of righteousness, but after His resurrection, He would baptize us with the Holy Ghost - and with fire.

Jesus also knew that most of the resistance to His preaching would come from religious people who were self righteous: Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes/lawyers, and Chief priests, the Sanhedrin (High Court), etc - whose hearts were hardened with sin, pride, etc. These were the ones that were always critical of Jesus, never accepted His teachings, and stirred up the people to reject Him as their Messiah, and to call for His death . They often substituted their own traditions ( and/or oral law) and rejected God's words.

The waterpots, the water, the wine, the supernatural miracle itself, the wedding, and of course Jesus are the key elements of this teaching.

⁶And there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, holding twenty to thirty gallons apiece.

Now these stone waterpots for ceremonial washing were common throughout Jewish history. However like many of the Old Testament ceremonies or rituals, it had been abused and the true purpose of this act had become lost by most people. The washing of hands was originally intended to indicate repentance and indicate the resolve to live godly. However this was a tradition and not a commandment as Jesus makes clear here in Mark 7...

Mark 7: 1 "Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who came from Jerusalem. ²And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they found fault. ³For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands often, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. ⁴And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, bronze vessels, and of tables. ⁵Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not your disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? " ⁶He answered and said unto them, "Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such things you do. " ⁹And He said unto them, "Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.... ¹³Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such things do you. " ¹⁴And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, "Hearken unto Me every one of you, and understand: ¹⁵There is nothing from outside a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. ¹⁶If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. "

¹⁷And when He was entered into the house from the people, His disciples asked him concerning the parable. ¹⁸And He said unto them, "Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive, that whatsoever thing from outside enters into the man, it cannot defile him; ¹⁹Because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the drain, purging all foods?

²⁰And He said, That which came out of the man, that defiles the man. ²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²²Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: ²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. "

So here in Mark's gospel, Jesus explains the purpose of the waterpots of stone and what He thought of their tradition after having observed 1000's of years of human behavior [the longsuffering of God]. The religious people were performing these washing/cleansing ceremonies to be seen of men, but their hearts were evil and far from God. They had come to Jesus from Jerusalem with the purpose of attacking Jesus and His gospel message. Matthew record's Jesus saying this to them...

Matthew 23:25 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. ²⁷Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whitewashed sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Well we might not be as vicious as the scribes and Pharisees, but we definitely need to be born again and exchange our sinful nature for a heart for the things of God...we need a new spirit...a Holy spirit! Jesus said their tradition of washing ceremonially in waterpots of stone was not doing anything for their hearts that were full of sin. In fact, He said they looked like clean tombs on the outside but inside they were full of dried up dead men's bones plus all matter of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Those six (6) waterpots of stone represent the stony hearts of men/mankind!

Full of all manner of sin and not able to live according to the commandments and will of God...not able to fulfill the purposes for which God created us in His image to achieve!

There are six (6 ) of these large waterpots...6 is the number of mankind in the scriptures (including 666)

Man's capacity to sin is quite large and [until we receive salvation through Christ] represents a lifetime of sin. A stone cold heart can and does harbor, and spew out all manner of sinful thoughts, iniquity and evil deeds, as Jesus pointed out. But when the true gospel is preached and received with an open mind, we have a desire growing inside us for more and more...and more and more truth and cleansing from His word.

The Water - represents the living word of God, the cleansing word, the healing word, the teaching word, the word of reconciliation...the power of God unto salvation...and all the Word verses we looked at above - especially the creative power of God! Sharper than any two-edged sword - the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart! (Heb. 4:12)

Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:"

In this first miracle Jesus demonstrates that He had come with the words of reconciliation, the gospel, not ceremonies and traditions of men that only washed the external flesh and had no effect on hearts of stone. He commanded the servants at the wedding to fill those waterpots of stone [hearts and minds] to the brim and then miraculously they were changed to new wine (grape juice) which represents the Spirit of God.

The gospel or the water of God's word is the cleansing and faith building method, [even as we read above] that God has chosen by the foolishness of preaching (the gospel of Jesus) to save us who are being saved.

Ezekiel 36: 25 "Then will I sprinkle clean water [the Word] upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. ²⁶A new heart [Mind] also will I give you, and a new spirit [Holy] will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. ²⁷And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Being the Living Word made flesh, Jesus has taught us that if we fill our hearts [our minds] with His Word - it will cleanse us, heal us, draw us further towards Him, we will understand His purpose for us, and as we are filled to the brim with the Word, it will become Spirit and Life to us! Jesus says in John 6:63 - "The words that I speak to you they are Spirit and they are Life."

The Word of God in us will not only produce repentance from dead works [activity] but blossom into Spirit and Life in us as we prayerfully drink it in! Jesus said we must be born again ...of the Water and the Spirit! The apostle tells us that one sows seed [preaches], another one waters [drinks it in, nurtures it], and then God gives the increase [Spirit].

Notice that in Jeremiah, God stated His people were in their lost and sin hardened condition because they committed 2 evils:

Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."

But looking forward to Christ's ministry, He says:

Jeremiah 31:33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

Hebrews 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;" ¹⁷And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."

After Jesus changed the water to wine He went to Samaria and was met by the woman at the well.

Berean Study Bible
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
John 4:1 "When Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John ²(although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples), ³He left Judea and returned to Galilee. ⁴Now He had to pass through Samaria. ⁵So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹“Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? ¹²Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”

¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

Jesus is the living water and so that is what He pours out and gives...His Living word!
[How we receive His word is what counts - as in the parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13.]

Living Water
John 7:37-39 ³⁷On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸To the one who believes in Me, it is just as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”³⁹He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified."

Isaiah (Isa. 9:6,7) prophesied of Immanuel - God with us- Jesus!    And Jesus - is the well of salvation!

Isaiah 12:2-4 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation. ³Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. ⁴And in that day shall you say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His deeds among the people, make mention that His name is exalted."

God is putting His words in our hearts [of flesh] and in our minds!

Hebrews 8:10 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. "

Isaiah 59:21 "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the LORD, "from now and forever."    [we should accept this covenant!]

Ephesians 5:25-27   "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; ²⁶That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

So returning to the wedding feast described in John's gospel:

John 2: 10 ."..and said unto him, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have drunk well, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”
11 This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

So there it is - The word (water) of God placed in the minds of men will change hearts of stone (waterpots) into hearts of flesh...and prepare us to receive God's holy Spirit (new wine) which is symbolized by the miraculous changing of the water to new wine (unfermented as in pure, fresh, first fruits, bursting with flavour - the fruit of the vine).

Now for those who still think Jesus changed water into alcohol so the folks could have a good party...well that's pretty sad. Jesus was without sin, and He guarded and disciplined Himself - so that He could shed His blood for us and wash away our sin. He is not the tempter, but God was made manifest in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil...for the devil is the tempter.

Habakkuk 2:15 (KJ2) "Woe unto him that gives his neighbor drink, that presses your wineskin to him, and makes him drunk also, that you may look on his nakedness!"

God's word commands us not to be filled with fermented wine (alcohol) for our joy ..But rather to be filled with the HOLY Spirit [for our joy] The scriptures says in Galatians that a drunkard shall not even enter into the kingdom of God! That's why we need a change of heart and renewing of the mind - to be born again.

Regarding alcohol:

The key to understanding which scriptures are talking about grape juice and which are talking about alcohol is easily determined by the context of the verse it is used in. If it is sinful context, it refers to fermented wine [ alcohol ], if it is a good context, the wine being referred to is grape juice. Very simple. Look at Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." So this type of wine (fermented) is alcoholic (spirits), and its purpose is to deceive and make one unwise. Now, is that how Jesus manifested His glory by His first miracle?...NO!!!!

Look at Proverbs 23: 29-35 "Who has woe? who has sorrow? who has contentions? who has babbling? who has wounds without cause? who has redness of eyes? 30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31Look not you upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it moves itself aright. 32At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. 33Your eyes shall behold strange things, and your heart shall utter perverse things. 34Yea, you shall be as he that lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lies upon the top of a mast. 35They have stricken me, you shall say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again."

So obviously the wine that is fermented is the one that is not to be looked upon and consumed as we read here. The wine that Paul tells Timothy to drink for his stomach problems is grape juice. Because traveling around in some of those middle east areas they had (still have) bad water so the juice would be better. If you want to look at some in-depth analysis of terminology used for alcohol, wine, juice in the bible, here are a couple of articles that may help you.

https://ipressupward.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/should-christians-really-totally-abstain-from-alcoholic-drinks-or-does-god-tell-us-we-can-drink-in-moderation/

http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume45/V4501180112.htm     ["Wine Is A Mocker" article]

What does the grace of God teach us? [and are we willing to be taught?]

Titus 2:11-12 (KJVER) ¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹²Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Ezekiel 18:31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, O house of Israel?"

Praise God! For indeed He has made a simple way for us to get a new heart and a new spirit that brings the gift of eternal life!
Jesus Christ clearly demonstrated this with the first miracle of His earthly ministry at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

We are His bride - the Bride of Christ! Jesus [our Bridegroom] loves us and willingly gave Himself for us [at Calvary] that we might be sanctified and cleansed - washed by the water of His word - and made a new creation by His Spirit!   [ Ephesians 5:25-27 ]

And that is "water into wine" in the spiritual application of the Word.

Isaiah 55:6 "Seek you the LORD while He may be found, call you upon him while he is near:⁷Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ⁸For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the LORD.

⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

¹¹So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.