In the Gospel of John, there are seven signs of miracles. Each miracle has a spiritual meaning that we can learn the true identity of the one who performs the miracles.
Jesus' First Miracle
Today, I'll talk about the first miracle, which is turning water into wine. In John 2:1-11 Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding banquet in Cana, Galilee. During the feast, the servants found out that they had run out of wine. So, they told Mary about it because she was one of the main hosts for the wedding banquet for her relatives. If they had run out of wine, it would be embarrassing for Mary and her family. That’s why Mary asked Jesus to help.
When she asked Jesus to help, Jesus had six empty stone jars filled with water, and he turned them into wine. The master of the banquet tasted it and declared that the wine Jesus had made was even better than the wine served earlier, calling it the best.
However, I will share with you two reasons to explain why and how Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine. First, I will discuss the logical understanding of how Jesus turned water into wine. Then, I'll explore the spiritual reason behind it.
Story of Vine
Do you like grapes? What kind of grapes would you like to eat? We have a vine in our backyard and it is one of the things Lisa is most excited about in her new home. She loves looking at the vine and its fruits. One day, she got excited and shouted, 'Cloud, come here!' When I asked why, she said, 'I found a bunch of grapes!
These days, Lisa has a new enemy to deal with that are the sparrows. Because, they keep picking and eating the ripe grapes, and she doesn’t like them coming to her vine.
Let me talk a bit about how vine trees start their annual growth cycle in Michigan. The vines begin blooming from April to May, and tiny green grape clusters start to form. During the summer, the vine absorbs nutrients from the soil and stores water, sugars, acids, and tannins in the grapes, which ripen over about 120 to 150 days. By August to September, the grapes are ready to be picked. Throughout this cycle, the vines produce grape juice that people can enjoy.
Everyone believes that a vine can absorb water from the soil and turn it into grape juice without question. However, some people find it hard to believe that Jesus can turn water into wine. So, think about it: Is a vine greater than Jesus Christ, who is creator of the universe? Of course not. Jesus is greater than the vine. If a vine can turn water into grape juice, then Jesus can definitely turn water into wine—and even make it better than what the vine can produce. It’s just a simple logic.
Time is the Keyword
Time is key to understanding the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. Think about how long it takes for a vine to turn water into grapes. It takes about five months for the vine to absorb water and nutrients from the soil and then turn that water into grape juice by mixing it with sugars, acids, and tannins. But Jesus turned water into wine in just a minute. The big difference is that while vines take 120 to 150 days to make wine, Jesus did it instantly.
Understanding the concept of time is crucial to understand this miracle. The Bible actually presents two different qualities of time. If we have a deep understanding of these concepts of time, it becomes easier to see how Jesus was able to turn water into wine.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'time' as 'the indefinite continued progress of existence from past and present to future.' It is a common concept in our understanding of time. However, Greek has two words for time: “Chronos' and 'Kairos.”
Chronos time is the measure of quantitative time with sequential order. It is measured by clocks and calendar. On the other hand, Kairos time is known as qualitative time and is defined as the right time or perfect moment. There’s a clear difference between the two: one is controlled by the rising and setting of the sun, while the other is controlled by God’s plan. However, we need to remember that even though it feels like we live our lives by the clock and calendar in a sequential order, we are also living in God's Kairos time.
Biblical Examples of the Times
There are two biblical examples that show how these two types of time work. The first is example in Numbers 17, where Korah challenged Moses about Aaron's role as High Priest, claiming that God had not chosen Aaron alone to be the High Priest. To settle the matter, Moses asked the 12 tribes to each bring wooden staffs to see who God had chosen. They placed the staffs in the Tabernacle, and the next day, when Moses went in, he found that Aaron's staff had sprouted, blossomed, and even produced almonds overnight. God applied Chronos time to the eleven staffs, but for Aaron’s staff, He applied Kairos time, making it the right moment.
The other example is a parable of Jesus in Luke 12:16-20. "A rich man harvested an abundant crop and said to himself, 'This is what I’ll do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. Then I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry."’ But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.'"
The rich man was planning his life based on Chronos time, thinking he had 40 to 50 more years to enjoy. But God was working on His Kairos time, saying, “Tonight is the night you have to stand before me.”
When you take the Kairos time perspective, you can see the world through a different lens. It does not depend on the clock but relies on the right moments that fit within the God’s plan.
A grapevine takes about four to five months of Chronos time to produce grapes. But when Jesus turned water into wine, He didn’t use that kind of time. Instead, He used Kairos time, making the change instantly. For example, if you have a Kool-aid, you can turn water into grape juice in a minute. When God said, “Let there be light, there was light.” It is Kairos time for Him.
Jesus is the True Vine
In a spiritual interpretation, how could Jesus turn water to wine? The answer is clear because Jesus Christ is the true vine to give us the true wine. In John 15:1, Jesus said, "I am the true vine." through him, the true wine has been flowing to people to satisfy their souls.
In the time of Jesus, if there was no wine, there would be no joy in the banquet, and the banquet was over. Likewise, there was no blood of Jesus Christ for us, and there was no joy of salvation. Just as Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding banquet, today Jesus is changing the water that we prepared in the baptismal into his precious blood and giving us the joy of a new life.
Conclusion
Today's passage tells us two things. First, Jesus Christ can use his Kairos time to change everything in a second. Therefore, Jesus Christ will heal and fix our physical, spiritual, emotional, and all kind of addiction problems in a minute.
The other one. Jesus Christ is the true vine that sheds his blood, and his blood is still at work to cover our sins and has the power to give the joy of salvation through his blood.
@ 08.11.24 Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash의Amos Bar-Zeev
