God’s faithfulness

In John 4:46-54 Jesus is traveling to Galilee. He had been preaching in synagogues about who God is and that he is the Son of God and that forgiveness for sins had come from God through him. Jesus had been preaching that the promises of God’s word were being fulfilled through him. Jesus had also been performing signs to reveal the glory of God.

John 4:46 says that Jesus returned to a city he had visited, Cana in Galilee, the place where he had turned water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). 

God is faithful to bless through Jesus

Jesus’ words and actions are literal and symbolic. Jesus says that he does nothing of his own will only what his father tells him (John 6:38). In John 2:1-11 Jesus was at a wedding because he and his disciples had been invited (John 2:2). At the wedding, the wine had ran out and his mother, Mary, who knew who he was said, I know that you can do anything by the power of God and I want to inform you that there is no more wine. Will you do something about this? (John 2:3). 

At a wedding feast the wine is important to the celebration and a good wedding host never allows the wine to run out. Mary was saying to Jesus that they have invited the Son of God to celebrate and are ill-prepared. There is no more wine to celebrate with. Jesus says to Mary, that God did not send him to intervene on this kind of matter. I am not a circus act to do tricks to please them; and it is not my hour, my time to show visibly who I am and the power of God to these people. Why are you involving me? (John 2:4)

Mary hears what Jesus says and looks to servants at the wedding feast and says, ‘if this man tells you to do something, do whatever it is he asks’ (John 2:5). Which is also a word about being a servant and disciple of Jesus. Being a servant does not mean that Jesus wants to debase you. Being a servant means being available to be called and used to do his wonders and show the glory of God. 

Jesus knew that he was sent, like a servant, to do what God wanted him to do. His mother had made a request and he knew that he could honor both his mother and father. John 2:6 says that Jesus saw six water jars that were used for ceremonial washing that could hold 80 to 120 liters of water. So he said to the servants, “fill the jars with water” (John 2:7). “So the servants did what Jesus requested and filled them to the brim” (John 2:7).

“Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet (symbolizing both the actual event coordinator and God himself) (John 2:8). Jesus was saying that you can take his words directly to God himself. The scriptures say that the servants “did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water, and it had been turned to wine (John 2:9). The water of purification had been turned into a drink of celebration. 

Then the master of the banquet called the bridegroom (which symbolically is Jesus himself) and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now’ (John 2:10).

“What Jesus did in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11) What was Jesus demonstrating through this sign, what is the symbolism?

The symbolism of the wedding feast symbolized that Jesus has come as the bridegroom for the body of Christ. His presence on earth is the wedding ceremony, a celebration that will unite people under a new covenant and that covenant will be what God has promised through his word. Through his word, God has promised to provide a means of forgiveness and reconciliation back to him.

The symbolism of the water jars symbolizes that Jesus has come as the ceremonial water of purification to purify and cleanse. A type of forgiveness that was not for superficial washing but a spiritual righteousness before God, a cleansing work that God sent him to do.

The symbolism of the purification water becoming wine at a wedding celebration symbolizes the blood sacrifice that Jesus would make that would bring purification. That day that had come through Jesus was a day to celebrate. The reason the purification water had become wine was not only to please his mother or the guests but his Father. It was done to reveal to people who Jesus was, not a performer of tricks, but the Son of God, a sacrifice that would bring joy. Jesus says in Mark 2:22 and Matthew 9:16-17 that he is the new wine, describing himself as the new covenant of God and a reason to celebrate. 

These signs revealed the glory of God’s faithfulness to send a sacrifice that would reconcile his people back to him and make them pure before him and that this sacrifice would bring a day of celebration.

Wine symbolically is a drink consumed at a wedding in celebration and the account said that every other reason to celebrate had ended, had ran out. The old wine or the wine that was distributed first was finished, symbolizing the joy of the first covenant between God and humanity that came through Moses. They celebrated because God had given us a way to be forgiven through ceremony and sacrifice that were continually brought before God to purify and cleanse.

But Jesus comes as the better wine brought out last, at the wedding feast, to all of the guests at the wedding, a wine of eternal rejoicing. The master of the banquet even testifies that this wine is the best reason to rejoice and was saved until now (John 2:10). God saved his best and greatest gift of mercy until Jesus and now he is pouring out that gift of mercy to everyone at the wedding feast. 

God is faithful to believers and unbelievers 

News of this sign spread throughout the region. So when Jesus returns to Cana in Galilee, the place where he had turned water into wine (John 4:46) people there remembered what he had done. 

“And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death” (John 4:46-47). 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, but he lived in Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus said in John 4:44 that a prophet has no honor in his own country. He said this because he knew that because people in Galilee had seen him from childhood, they would think that they knew him. Because they had been witnesses of his life when they saw him they said, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Jospeh and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us? Where did this man get this wisdom? How is he able to perform miracles?” (Mark 6:2-4). 

When the royal official heard that Jesus had arrived, he, like many of the other people in Galilee remembered what Jesus had done at the wedding. He knew Jesus from the area as the carpenter, the son of Mary, Jame’s brother and that somehow this man had turned water into wine and he was desperate for a miracle. But he did not ask Jesus to come because he believed that he was the Son of God able to work wonders because of the power of God, he asked Jesus to come as the circus act, the town wonder who could perform tricks. 

Jesus knew that this was the only reason that the royal official was asking him to come and heal his son, and said to him, “Unless people like you see signs and wonders you will never believe” (John 4:48). He was saying to the royal official that what he was doing is from God and unless God shows his power to you in a literal and tangible way you won’t believe in the spiritual power that he has given me to do greater things than perform signs and wonders. 

The royal official was desperate and said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies” (John 4:49); and Jesus, whose entire ministry was literal as well as symbolic says, “Go! Your son will live” (John 4:50). When Jesus said this symbolically, he was saying, believe in me that I have already come down so that your son and everyone who believes in me will live.

John 4:50 said that the man took Jesus at his word, that his son would live, so he left him to go back home (John 4:50). “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with news that his boy was living. When he enquired as to the time when his son got better they said to him, “yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed” (John 4:51-53). 

“This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee (John 4:54). What was the symbolism of this sign? Literally Jesus healed the official’s son, just by speaking the words “your son will live”. Jesus’ second sign through which he revealed his glory revealed who God is and who he was.

When Jesus says, unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe. Jesus was revealing that he was sent to believers and unbelievers. God sent him so that people would believe in him and be saved.

When Jesus tells the royal official that his son will live, Jesus was revealing God’s faithfulness to believers and unbelievers, that his life is a sign of God’s faithfulness. Jesus was symbolically showing that when God speaks a word, he is also faithful to make what he said happen and he was also revealing this truth about God that whenever God speaks believe him and wait for it to happen because God is faithful.

When the royal official’s son was healed from a sickness that had him at the point of death, Jesus was revealing that God had sent him as the giver of life. That his word could raise them from a spiritual death and give spiritual life. When the royal official saw the faithfulness of Jesus’ word, then he believed. But when Jesus said, “your son will live” he was saying anyone who looks to me for salvation will live, anyone who believes in me will live and will find out that I am faithful and prove my faithfulness to believers and unbelievers. 

Who is Jesus? Who are we being asked to believe in and put our faith in? The giver of life. The new reason to celebrate. The gift of a new covenant. The purifier of souls. The one who cleanses. The one who has been sent from God to save. Even when we are unfaithful God has proven his faithfulness to us through the gift of sending his Son Jesus. God’s gift of mercy, God’s gift of unfailing love. God’s gift of great compassion that blots out our transgressions, washes away all our iniquity and cleanses us from sin (Psalms 51:1-2).