John - Lesson Three Outline

I. John's Approach.

A. Purpose. In writing what we call the Gospel of John, John has a clear guiding purpose which he states in John 20:31: "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

B. Selection. John's guiding principle in choosing what to include in his gospel was what would best tell us who Jesus is and what would lead the readers to a living faith.

C. Signs. John uses the Greek word for signs instead of miracles because he wants his readers to see beyond the miracles to their significance.

III. The Cana Story.

A. A Wedding. Roger L. Fredrikson (The Preacher's Commentary: John) says that marriage had a rich, deep meaning in Jewish religious life. The intimate relationship between Yahweh and Israel is portrayed in the Old Testament many times through the image of the marriage covenant (Hos. 2:7). The fullness of the messianic age was prophesied in Isaiah and spoken of beautifully through the symbol of marriage (Is. 62:5). We recall the vision of the celebration in marriage of the Lamb and His bride found in Rev. 19:7. "How highly suggestive then that Jesus' first miracle, inaugurating the messianic age, should be the sign given at a wedding." (Roger L. Fredrikson)

B. Jesus' "Time." All throughout the gospel story, Jesus talks about "His hour" or "His time." Jesus' time refers to the time of His glorification when he would receive His true place as the Son of God. Everything Jesus said and did pointed toward that time.

C. Water Into Wine. Warren Wiersbe tells us that in Scripture, wine is a symbol of joy (Judges 9:13; Ps. 104:15).

D. Stone Jars.

1. The stone jars were not merely jars for holding water. They were used for Jewish ceremonial washings.

2. "The six stone water pots stand for all the imperfections of the Jewish law. Jesus came to do away with the imperfections of the law and to put in their place the new wine of the gospel of his grace. Jesus turned the imperfection of the law into the perfection of grace." (William Barclay)

E. Abundance. 180 gallons of replacement wine was a tremendous amount of wine for a party in a humble home in a small village. William Barclay points out that nothing can deplete the grace of Jesus Christ; there is a "glorious superabundance" in it.

F. New Wine: Replacement. The wedding scene, the huge volume of wine and the reference to stone jars all suggest a second level of meaning. The story is about messianic replacement and abundance, two themes we find in John's gospel. The time of Judaism is over. Its major institutions and figures are replaced by Jesus Himself.

G. The Best for the Last: Grace after Law. The old wine of the law has been depleted. Through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ the new age of grace, the new wine, has come. And the best has come at the last.

H. Jesus' Glory. In the pouring out of the new wine, the glory of Jesus is made known. After His death and resurrection, Jesus would be fully glorified and all people would know that He is the Son of God. Until that time, Jesus revealed His identity through His miracles or signs.

I. John's Audience.

1. John was a Jew writing for the Jews. His message to them was that "Jesus has come to turn the imperfection of the law into the perfection of grace."

2. The Greeks, too, had stories somewhat like the Cana story. To them John was saying, "Jesus has come really and truly to do the things you only dreamed the gods could do." (William Barclay)

3. John tells us not only of things that Jesus did while living on earth, but of things that He still does today. "What John wants us to see here is not that Jesus once on a day turned some water pots of water into wine; he wants us to see that whenever Jesus comes into a person's life, there comes a new quality which is like turning water into wine. Without Jesus, life is dull and stale and flat; when Jesus comes into it, life becomes vivid and sparkling and exciting. Without Jesus, life is drab and uninteresting; with Him it is thrilling and exhilarating." (William Barclay)

IV. Cleansing of the Temple. Immediately following the Cana story, John tells of Jesus' traveling to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, Israel's greatest national festival, and what He finds going on at the temple there.

A. First, a bit of background.

1. The temple set the moral, religious and political tone of the country.

2. Every adult male Jew within a 15-mile radius of Jerusalem was required by law to come to the Passover. Every Jew over 19 years of age had to pay his yearly temple tax of a half-shekel, the equivalent of two days' wages. Then there was the cost of purchasing an animal for the sacrifice. These came from temple herds and were overpriced.

3. This market activity took place in the outer court of the temple, the only place in the temple where Gentiles could seek God and worship. The market activity essentially shut out the Gentile seeker.

B. Jesus enters the temple (a place of sacrificial purification) and does a symbolic work demonstrating that the temple, too, will be replaced and fulfilled (just as the stone water jars in Cana were filled with new wine). Jesus is the fulfillment and replacement of Judaism's festivals and institutions. And through His death the temple will no longer serve God's purposes.

"On a historical level, Jesus is confronting the chief religious institution of His day. Implicit in His ironic, closing statement is that something will be destroyed (the temple? His body?) and something again will be raised in three days. Jesus is pointing out the deficits of the institution of the temple; He is confronting its misdirection and its brokenness, and in the process . . . He indicates that the real activity of God, the real temple, is Jesus Christ Himself. In other words, the focal point of Jewish religious affections must be replaced by someone new. And that replacement will undergo a violent and miraculous death and rebirth." (Gary M. Burge - NIV Application Commentary: John)

V. Two Contrasting Stories. So we have what seems to be two very different contrasting stories.. Both involve "vessels" used in Judaism's purification rites. Both hint at the replacement of the old with the new. Both hint that Judaism with its rituals and its system of sacrifices will no longer be relevant when Jesus finishes His redemptive work.

VI. Summary. So, what are the key elements about Jesus we have learned today?

A. We have talked a bit about His "time" or "His hour."

B. All of His miracles and signs reveal His "glory." They demonstrate not only His power over all creation but particularly in John's gospel they all point to who He is.

C. We've talked about replacement of Judaism. However, we should remember that Jesus did not come to do away with the Old Testament law but to fulfill that law.

D. And aren't you glad that we come into God's presence today through grace alone. No travel to a specified place; no temple tax; no animals to purchase.

VII. Life Application Questions. Here are some things to think about as we close our session today.

A. Mary came to Jesus and quietly said, "They have no wine" - and left the matter there. What lesson can we learn from that to apply to our prayer life? Do we pray about something and then continue to fret about it?

B. What is the relation between signs or miracles and belief or faith? John tells us that after the sign at Cana, Jesus "revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him." What miracles have you experienced in your life? What affect have they had on your spiritual journey?

C. Does our worship need "cleansing" in any way? Do our worship services or congregational gatherings shut out the seeker in any way? What can we as individuals do to make sure that doesn't happen?