Restoring all things at Cana

I listened to a good lecture from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis (PCA). They have a lot of really good stuff available for free here. As I recall one of you readers sent me here first, when I got my ipod. Well, I'm still listening!

The latest was an introduction to the Gospel of John.

Chpt 1 - Prologue
Chpt 2-11 - Signs
Chpt 12-20 - Glory
Chpt 21 - Epilogue

Then he went into the first of the signs, Jesus turning water into wine, pointing out that wine is an Old Testament picture of the restoring God's Kingdom by the Messiah. "The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it"(Amos 9:13). Our guide in Israel pointed this out as we stood on Mt. Arbel, overlooking the olive and grape vineyards near Nazareth. It's a powerful image when you look down on all the green, rolling down the hillside. "And in this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees" (Isa 25:6). And so He came, making 120-180 gallons of wine at a wedding feast. The new business of restoring God's presence with a feast replaces the need for ritual cleansing, signified by the 6 stone jars (John 2:6).

One reader points out that Jesus wouldn't make this much fermented wine (6 jars of 20-30 gallons each) - that it would surely lead to drunkenness and sin. Yet, the word used is the same one Paul uses in Eph 5:18 - "Do not be drunk with wine." I don't think we can say Jesus made unfermented wine. Also, from what I know of the way weddings went back then, there were a LOT of people: 400-800 or so. So you're talking, on average (600 people, 150 gallons), 1/4 of a gallon per person, maybe 1 gallon for each adult, if there are 4 kids to each adult. And that is spread over a few days, too. It seems to work out to a decent, moderate amount.

The point is that Jesus provides us with a feast of joy and gladness at His coming, and will replace the old order of things with a new, perfect kingdom of righteousness, begun with a wedding feast for Him and His Bride, the Church (Revelation 19:6-9).