INTRODUCTION John 2:10 ... Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept THE GOOD WINE until now.

When we come to this portion of John’s gospel, we see the marriage feast in Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine, and the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem where Jesus drove the money changers out of business.We could spend the next 45 minutes talking about wine. I could cite several scriptures that specifically speaks against drunkenness; or we could spend the next 45 minutes focusing on how many churches today have become as the temple of Jesus' day and how he might react if he were to walk into one of them today.

But, I believe that the most important thing we can get out of this chapter is a little less obvious to the average eye. The most important thing you can get out of this chapter is that God kept THE GOOD WINE until now.

THE FAILURE OF ISRAEL John 2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Israel had no joy. They had quenched the Spirit of God for years and had fashioned their religion after man’s traditions. The temple had become a den of thieves. The priests were hypocrites. Their religion was dry, routine, ritualistic.

Some of our churches today are so dry and ritualistic that a person couldn’t get saved there if they wanted to! I’ve heard a few of those preachers on the radio on Sunday mornings, and I like to listen to them just to remind myself that preaching ought to stir the souls of men, not sing them to sleep!

They Were Thirsty

Isaiah recognized their condition many years before Christ came and said, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters … (Isa 55:1)"

Those who slake their thirst with that which the world has to offer will be satisfied for a season and will return right back to world for more. But those who truly thirst for righteousness, cannot be satisfied with the things of this world, they need to be filled spiritually!

THE FILLING OF VESSELS John 2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

I wonder what the servants thought when Jesus said “Fill the waterpots with water”? Mary had told them to just do what Jesus said. That’s what servants do, they do as they’re told without question. We may not always understand what the Lord is up to, but we ought to always obey him. Remember, He uses the foolish things to confound the wise. Surely the servants thought that filling the ceremonial waterpots with water in the middle of the wedding celebration was foolish. But notice, “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.” If we do our part, the Lord does the rest.

The Waterpots Were For Ceremonial Cleansing

John 2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

To get people saved, we start with the word of God. People need to be filled with the word of God.

People Are Vessels

The people had no wine, no joy, no salvation. They were trusting in their ceremonial waters. Today, there are many people trusting in their ceremony. They believe that the ceremony of communion saves them; they believe the ceremony of baptism saves them; they believe that church attendance saves them; they believe that if they just do enough good things, they can save themselves. They’re dead wrong! The need Jesus Christ!

THE FIGURE OF CHRIST John 2:10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept THE GOOD WINE until now.

I believe that the most important thing we can get out of chapter 2 of John’s gospel is that Jesus is The Good Wine which was kept until last.

This miracle speaks of Jesus Christ.

John 2:1 And the third day …

This miracle speaks of Christ's glory.

John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory ...

This miracle speaks of the change that takes place within every person who will be filled with the Word of God and let the Lord change them.

CONCLUSION Israel was dry, without joy; they did not know that the Messiah was in their midst. The symbolism runs deep here. Mankind is dry, without joy. Ceremonial washing doesn’t help. Nothing can except Jesus.

[This is the second in a series of messages that will take us through the Gospel of John, chapter by chapter. A copy of this message is available in MP3 format by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" at the right side of this page and selecting "John 2." If you are interested in obtaining a copy on CD, please e-mail us at randallrevrick@embarqmail.com.]