This
study on the Wedding at Cana will be in-depth and will continue over
the next few weeks. The Lord has impressed upon me how important it
is for His Body/Bride to understand the consistency of scripture and
the depth of meaning of the scriptures using the natural to speak
spiritual truth. There is an unveiling going on throughout the
world. May we all hunger and thirst after the wisdom and knowledge
of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in scripture. Blessings, Sandy
Wedding
at Cana – John 2
For
30 years, Jesus was a humble carpenter. Now He will begin His public
ministry and build His spiritual temple in the hearts of His
followers. Thirty is the age of maturity when a man could serve in
the tabernacle according to the Jewish scriptures. (see
Numbers 4:3)
Jesus could not begin His public ministry until this age in order to
fulfill this scripture. Jesus will do in the spiritual what He did
in the natural. He built houses as a carpenter. Now He will begin
building the spiritual house of His Heavenly Father. God oftentimes
takes our natural gifts and uses them for His supernatural kingdom.
After all, He is the Giver of both our natural and supernatural
gifts, so we are to use them to bring glory to Him.
Jesus'
ministry in the Gospel of John begins with the wedding at Cana.
Jesus was making His way to Cana when He called His first disciples
to leave everything and follow Him. Cana is in Galilee. The
population of Galilee was made up of both Jews and Gentiles. It had
been influenced by Greek culture, so many Greeks (gentiles)
lived
there as well as Jews. Because Galilee had foreign influence, many
Jews didn't consider it pure and, therefore, second class. The Lord
always intended that He would have a Body of believers made up of
both Jews and Gentiles. This wedding feast took place outside of the
territory of Judah. Jesus and His disciples have left the Jordan
Valley (low
place) in
Judea to go higher to Cana and this wedding feast.
Jesus is spreading His ministry beyond Jerusalem and Judah. The
transformation of the water into wine will be the first of seven
miracles Jesus will perform in the Gospel of John.
The
wedding feast at Cana is a foretaste of another wedding Jesus will
have – the wedding supper of the Lamb. Revelation
19:7: For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made
herself ready. The
host was not ready in this earthly wedding. They ran out of wine,
but the wine that Jesus gives – the wine of His blood that saves,
His love, grace, truth, abundance and blessing will never run out.
These are eternal and in fullness in Christ. The Incarnate Word of
God – Jesus – will now be at work establishing the Kingdom of God
on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus' ministry began at an earthly
wedding, but will end with a spiritual wedding – His own. This
earthly wedding is a small taste of what it will be like to live with
the Godhead for all eternity.
Jesus
will reveal His transforming power through the fullness of the Holy
Spirit within Him at this wedding. His disciples have been called.
Now they must see His transforming power. Every believer in Christ
is first called, then transformed by His powerful Word and Spirit.
His
earthly mother and His first five disciples (student-servants)
have
been invited to this Jewish wedding feast. Only His mother and His
servants saw the transformation of the water into wine by Jesus.
Christ's Bride must be prepared and clothed properly for her wedding.
Revelation
19:8-9: Fine linen, bright and clean was given her (Bride
of Christ) to
wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints).
Then the angel said to me, “Write.” “Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” We
are to be clothed with righteous acts done for our King and His
Kingdom. Only the Word of God within us, the Holy Spirit and the
righteous acts we have done for His Kingdom will go into the Heavenly
place with us. These are the only things within us that are eternal.
All of the rest – our fleshly ways, our earthly riches and
possessions we have gained – are all wood, hay and stubble and will
be burned up. This is why Jesus told His disciples and us to store
up treasures in heaven. (Matthew
6:20). Jesus
is our Treasure, and we are His treasure when He abides in us.
Third
Day
This
Jewish wedding took place on the 3rd
day at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother, Mary, was already there so it
was probably the wedding of one of Mary's relatives. The third day
is a significant day in scripture. Most importantly, it is the day
of Jesus' resurrection. (Matthew
16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Mark 9:31; Luke 9:22; 13:32;18:33)
The
third day and the seventh day are the days of the Lord.
- Abraham saw the place of sacrifice and resurrection afar off on the third day. Jesus said, “Abraham saw My day and was glad.” In type and shadow, Abraham saw Jesus' sacrificial death for atonement and His resurrection in the sacrificial offering of his only son Isaac on Mount Moriah. In essence, Isaac was raised from the dead by the Angel of the Lord stopping Abraham from killing his son. (Genesis 22:4) God would do this through His Son.
- On the third day, the Lord appeared to His people on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:15
- Anyone who touched anything dead had to purify themselves with water on the third and seventh day. (see Numbers 19:12)
- On the third day, Esther changed her garment. She put on her royal robe and stood before the king. (see Esther 5:1)
- Hosea prophesied, “After two days, He will revive us; on the third day, He will raise us up.” 6:2
- At creation, God did a miracle on the third day involving water (Genesis 1:9-13) just as Jesus did a miracle involving water on the third day at this wedding.
The
third day represents the day of Christ's resurrection power and the
day of the Lord.
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