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Series C – Second Sunday After the Epiphany – Sunday, January 17, 2016 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:29	the holy Gospel According to Saint John
0:31	Chapter 2 verses 1 through 11. on the
0:35	third day there was a wedding at Cana in
0:37	Galilee and the mother of Jesus was
0:39	there
0:40	Jesus also was invited to the wedding
0:42	with his disciples and when the wine ran
0:45	out the mother of Jesus said to him they
0:47	have no wine and Jesus said to her woman
0:50	what does this have to do with me my
0:53	hour has not yet come
0:54	his mother said to the servants do
0:56	whatever he tells you now there were six
0:59	Stone water jars there for the Jewish
1:01	rights of purification each holding
1:03	about 20 or 30 gallons and Jesus said to
1:07	the servants filled the jars with water
1:09	and they filled them up to the brim and
1:11	he said to them now draw some out take
1:14	it to the master of the feast so they
1:16	took it
1:17	when the master of the feast Taste of
1:19	the water now become wine and did not
1:22	know where it came from though the
1:24	servants who had drawn the water knew
1:26	the master of the feast called the
1:28	bridegroom and said to him everyone
1:30	serves the good wine first and when
1:33	people have drunk freely then the poor
1:36	wine but you have kept the good wine
1:39	until now this is the first of his signs
1:42	Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and
1:45	manifested His glory and his disciples
1:47	believed in him
1:50	in the name of Jesus
1:52	amen
1:54	Epiphany we are in the season of
1:56	epiphany and Epiphany means
1:58	manifestation and Jesus is manifesting
2:01	who he is this is dangerous work by the
2:04	way for the Son of God and so we come to
2:07	this text which on a first reading you
2:10	sit there and go
2:11	why did John record this passage I don’t
2:17	get it I don’t understand it yeah I’ve
2:20	actually wrestled with this text many
2:22	years I’ve wrestled with this text and
2:24	thought what am I supposed to do with
2:26	this I mean Jesus turns water into wine
2:29	you got kind of the whole awkward
2:32	exchange between him and his mom and
2:36	never was really able to start to put it
2:38	together until I began to see in this
2:42	text that there were well fulfillments
2:45	that John is pulling on certain Old
2:48	Testament types and themes and so we’re
2:52	going to take a crack at our text today
2:54	and we’re going to unpack it and look at
2:57	it in light of its typological
2:59	significance and it’s pointing to Christ
3:01	his crucifixion the bride of Christ and
3:06	kind of all the different themes and
3:08	believe me when I tell you I’m not even
3:09	going to come close to pull them all out
3:13	this is if you would a little bit more
3:16	in depth than a 10 000 foot overview but
3:19	still I I fear that I may not be doing
3:22	this full Justice
3:24	so let’s return back to our text I’ll be
3:26	reading from the ESV today and here’s
3:29	what it says on the third day there was
3:32	a wedding at Cana in Galilee and the
3:35	mother of Jesus was there Jesus was also
3:38	invited to the wedding with his
3:40	disciples we’ll pause there for a second
3:42	on the third day man there are so many
3:48	important things happening in scriptures
3:51	well on third days if you would this is
3:54	a major theme this is like writ large
3:58	pay attention there’s something going on
4:00	in this text and it’s huge let me just
4:03	give you a couple of passages as well
4:05	cross references to start kind of
4:07	teasing out this third day theme Genesis
4:10	chapter 3 10-13 we read this about the
4:15	third day watch this God said let the
4:18	Earth Sprout vegetation plants yielding
4:21	seed fruit trees bearing fruit in which
4:23	is their seed each according to its kind
4:25	on the earth and it was so and the Earth
4:28	brought forth vegetation plants yielding
4:31	seed according to their kinds and the
4:33	trees bearing fruit and which is their
4:35	seed each according to its kind God saw
4:38	that it was good and then there was
4:40	evening and there was mourning on the
4:43	third day
4:45	yeah so on the third day is the day in
4:48	which God brought forth the very well
4:51	grape Vines
4:52	that make wine so something going on
4:56	there you say you’re going is that all
4:58	you got no I got more let’s continue
5:01	we’ll take a look at Hosea chapter 6
5:04	verses one through two here’s what it
5:06	says come let us return to the Lord for
5:10	he has torn us that he may heal us he
5:13	has struck us down and he will bind us
5:16	up and after two days he will revive us
5:19	and on the third day
5:21	he will raise us up that we may live
5:24	before him
5:26	or the Gospel of John Chapter 2 starting
5:29	at verse 13 immediately after this
5:31	pericope same chapter listen to this the
5:34	Passover of the Jews was at hand and
5:36	Jesus went up to Jerusalem in the temple
5:38	he found those who were selling oxen
5:40	sheep and pigeons and the money changers
5:42	sitting there and making a whip of cords
5:45	he drove them all out of the temple with
5:47	the sheep and The Oxen and he poured out
5:49	the coins on the money changers and
5:50	overturned their tables and he told
5:52	those who sold the pigeons take these
5:55	away do not make my father’s house a
5:58	house of trade and his disciples
6:00	remembered that it was written Zeal for
6:03	your house will consume me so the Jews
6:06	said to him what sign do you show us for
6:08	doing these things Jesus answered them
6:11	destroy this Temple and then three days
6:14	I will raise it up the Jews said it’s
6:17	taken 46 years to build this Temple and
6:21	you’ll raise it up in three days
6:24	but he was speaking about the temple
6:27	of his body
6:29	scripture teaches there’s significant
6:32	things happening on third days very
6:36	important things tuck that away we’ll
6:39	use it again in a little bit
6:42	next the passage continues when the wine
6:46	ran out the mother of Jesus said to him
6:50	they have no wine and Jesus said to her
6:55	here it is boy this is an awkward moment
6:57	for us woman what does this have to do
7:00	with me
7:03	yeah now see here’s kind of the thing
7:05	and there’s a little bit of debate on
7:07	this
7:08	in the culture of the time
7:12	it is very likely that Jesus saying to
7:16	his mother calling her woman is not
7:20	disrespectful but is actually
7:24	well very respectful cultures change and
7:28	so in our culture if my son were to call
7:32	my wife his mother woman well I’d
7:36	probably take offense
7:38	but Jesus never has broken the fourth
7:40	Commandment and so it’s fascinating here
7:43	that he uses this term of Honor not
7:45	derision
7:47	and says woman what does this have to do
7:50	with me now remember Third Day important
7:52	things happening Third Day something’s
7:54	going on the wedding has run out of wine
7:59	which is kind of important too
8:02	we’ll tease that out in just a minute
8:04	but
8:06	Mary comes to Jesus he says woman what
8:09	does this have to do with me
8:12	there’s another time in the Gospel of
8:14	John where Jesus
8:16	calls Mary woman I want you to hear it
8:20	Gospel of John chapter 19 verses 25
8:24	through 27. while Jesus is being
8:27	crucified but standing by the cross of
8:30	Jesus where his mother and his mother’s
8:32	Sister Mary the wife of clopus and Mary
8:35	Magdalene when Jesus saw his mother and
8:37	the disciples whom he loved standing
8:39	nearby he said to his mother
8:43	woman
8:44	behold your son
8:47	then he said to the disciple
8:49	behold your mother and from that hour
8:51	the disciple took her to his own home
8:55	so there’s something going on here Third
8:59	Day water turned to Wine
9:03	washing water that’s what this water’s
9:07	for washing water turned into
9:10	wedding wine
9:13	not just any wine wedding wine
9:18	so there’s something going on here woman
9:21	what does this have to do with me Jesus
9:23	continues my hour has not yet
9:25	come
9:27	well Jesus can only be referring to one
9:29	thing
9:31	when Jesus talks about his hour coming
9:33	what is that hour
9:37	answer
9:38	it’s the hour of his death the thing for
9:41	which he came
9:42	the thing he came to do to bleed and to
9:46	die for our sins it seems so out of
9:49	place here in this text my hour has not
9:54	yet come
9:56	referring to his death
10:00	interesting
10:01	and it’s from these words that now marry
10:06	apparently has the signal from Jesus
10:09	that he’s going to do something my hour
10:12	has not yet come referring to Jesus’s
10:14	death and then the last recorded words
10:19	of Mary of Nazareth
10:22	his mother said to the servants
10:26	do whatever he tells you
10:28	do whatever he tells you these are good
10:32	words
10:33	these are important words what Mary has
10:36	to say to us is very important to
10:39	whatever Jesus tells you
10:42	if he says repent be baptized for the
10:45	Forgiveness of your sins
10:46	to whatever he tells you
10:48	if he says that the work of God is to
10:51	believe in the one whom the father has
10:53	sent
10:54	do whatever he tells you
10:57	if he tells you take eat this is my body
11:00	broken for you for the Forgiveness of
11:02	your sins
11:03	do whatever he tells you if he says take
11:06	drink
11:07	this is my blood of the New Covenant
11:10	shed for you for the Forgiveness of your
11:14	sins do
11:16	whatever he tells you
11:18	Jesus seems to know what he’s doing
11:21	and now the typology and the symbols
11:24	start to stack up
11:27	passage goes on to say
11:29	now there were six Stone water jars
11:32	there for the Jewish Rites of
11:34	purification each holding 20 or 30
11:40	gallons
11:42	it’s a lot of water
11:45	what’s this all for
11:47	Jewish purification rights rights of
11:52	purification related to what
11:55	the law of Moses
11:58	the law
11:59	so here we’ve got six not Seven
12:03	Stone jars
12:05	Stone
12:07	making an illusion back to the Ten
12:10	Commandments the law of God chiseled on
12:14	stone tablets and notice it says six
12:17	jars not seven
12:19	and this is important because the six
12:22	here well you could talk about the six
12:25	days of work but what’s missing is the
12:27	seventh day the seventh is the day of
12:30	rest
12:32	and Jesus is our Sabbath rest so there’s
12:35	all kinds of themes this are just
12:38	teeming In this passage
12:41	again it’s hard to do it justice
12:43	so they had six Stone water jars and
12:47	keep this in mind the law of Moses
12:49	cannot truly save us see you can think
12:54	of it this way water in the stone jars
12:57	is really capable of only cleansing the
13:01	outside but not getting down into the
13:03	heart the scripture says that wine makes
13:06	the heart glad you see you don’t party
13:10	with water used for purification rights
13:14	wine parties well wedding parties are
13:18	celebrated with wedding wine
13:20	so there’s another a whole other theme
13:22	going on there as well
13:24	so now there were six Stone jars there
13:27	for the Jewish rights of purification
13:29	each holding 20 or 30 gallons Jesus said
13:32	to the servants and watch this this is
13:34	fascinating servants know what’s going
13:36	on the lowest and the lowly not the high
13:39	and the Mighty the lowest and the lowly
13:41	said to the servants fill the jars with
13:44	water
13:45	and they filled them up to the brim
13:48	and he said to them now draw some out
13:50	and take it to the master of the feast
13:53	and see Jesus Takes the water in the
13:56	stone jars filled to the brim
14:00	totally full
14:02	and it turns into
14:05	wine
14:08	very fascinating you could say that
14:10	Jesus himself
14:13	is the one who fills all of the
14:16	requirements of the law to the brim this
14:19	is pointing to Jesus in a fascinating
14:21	way so draw some of it out take it to
14:23	the master of the feast so so they took
14:25	it and when the master of the feast
14:27	tasted the water now become wine and did
14:30	not know where it came from though the
14:32	servants who had drawn the water they
14:34	knew they knew
14:37	kind of reminds you by the way wine here
14:39	wine
14:41	is a sign it’s a symbol of Future Hope
14:46	in scripture Isaiah 25 verse 6 talks
14:49	about it this way on this mountain
14:51	Yahweh the Lord of hosts
14:55	will make for All Peoples a feast of
14:59	rich food a feast of well-aged wine of
15:05	rich food full of Morrow of aged wine
15:08	well refined
15:12	yeah wine is a symbol
15:15	of the Hope to come
15:18	and here just like in Isaiah 25 6 well
15:24	aged wine this is stuff that you know
15:27	the wine magazines if they were to rate
15:29	this wine it would be scoring 98 99
15:33	almost a perfect 100 I mean that’s what
15:36	we’re talking about not really cheap one
15:39	no no no no this is this is not
15:41	manishevitz
15:43	this is not Mogan David this is
15:45	something else right so the master of
15:48	the feast he calls the bridegroom and he
15:50	said to him Hey listen everyone serves
15:53	the good wine first
15:56	and when the people have drunk freely
15:59	you can literally kind of translate this
16:01	as have had a little bit too much to
16:03	drink they’re pretty happy they’re
16:06	flying high right then you bring out the
16:09	poor wine after their taste buds are
16:11	shot
16:12	but you
16:14	you have kept the good wine the best
16:19	until now
16:21	and that’s and that’s another key phrase
16:24	think of it this way as God’s revelation
16:27	unfolds
16:29	right it’s God’s revelation unfolds God
16:34	Saves the best wine
16:36	Christ himself his blood shed for us for
16:40	the Forgiveness of our sins he saves it
16:42	till the last you see
16:46	the law is incapable of providing the
16:50	wine really for the wedding Feast at all
16:54	it doesn’t provide the wine it would run
16:56	out it’s would fall woefully short like
16:59	each and every one of us does but see
17:01	God is the one who supplies the wine for
17:04	the wedding feast
17:06	and he saves the best until last and
17:10	that’s his son Jesus Christ come for you
17:14	to die and bleed for you
17:18	suffer your punishment on the cross so
17:21	that you can be pardoned and have peace
17:23	with God God Saves the best wine
17:27	till the last and then the text ends
17:29	with these words
17:31	this the first of the signs Jesus did at
17:35	Cana in Galilee and manifested there’s
17:39	the word the epiphany of his glory
17:42	and his disciples believed in him his
17:45	disciples believed this was the first
17:47	sign in fact
17:49	the Gospel of John contains Seven Signs
17:55	regarding Jesus that are written so that
17:58	we can believe the seven signs are the
18:01	first the changing of the water into
18:03	wine the second the healing of the royal
18:07	officials son in chapter four
18:10	number three the healing of the
18:12	paralytic at Bethesda
18:14	four the feeding of the five thousand in
18:17	chapter six also in chapter six Jesus
18:21	walking on the water that’s the fifth
18:23	sign the sixth sign the healing of the
18:25	man born blind in chapter nine and seven
18:29	the raising of Lazarus from the dead
18:32	seven full signs of the seven days of
18:36	the first week of creation
18:39	but then John gives us an eighth sign an
18:43	eighth sign the first sign of the new
18:46	creation that took place on the third
18:49	day
18:50	Jesus’s resurrection from the grave
18:53	there’s so much going on here and it’s
18:58	just teeming and it’s hard to tease it
19:01	all out and just when you think you’ve
19:03	exhausted it you find five more but
19:06	that’s what’s going on in this text
19:08	these signs this is a sign so that you
19:11	will believe and all of the typology now
19:14	being pulled in from the old Covenant
19:16	and the law as well as the eschaton and
19:19	the future wedding Feast of the Lamb all
19:21	of that is just packed into this short
19:25	little pericope
19:27	of the of the miracle the sign the
19:31	manifestation of Jesus’s Glory at the
19:34	wedding feast in Cana of Galilee
19:38	so let me leave you with these thoughts
19:41	the very thoughts that John gives
19:43	at the end of his gospel as to why these
19:45	things are written he writes this in
19:47	John chapter 20 verses 30 and 31. now
19:50	Jesus did many other signs
19:53	in the presence of the disciples which
19:56	are not written in this book
19:58	but these things are written so that you
20:01	might believe that Jesus is the Christ
20:04	the son of God
20:06	and that by believing you too might have
20:10	life in his name
20:13	that’s why Jesus changed the washing
20:16	water
20:17	into wine that’s
20:20	well and how that’s why all of this is
20:22	pointing to what we find in the
20:24	baptismal font the washing water of the
20:27	Forgiveness of sins the wine that we
20:29	drink
20:30	in our Lord’s Supper for the Forgiveness
20:33	of our sins
20:34	and having believed in him
20:37	having believed that this Jesus has come
20:40	to die and rise again on the third day
20:46	so that we might have life we do have
20:48	life
20:49	we are believing in the promises of God
20:53	believing that we have life life eternal
20:56	in his name forever and ever
21:00	amen

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