NO. 63 THE MARRIAGE IN CANA

TEXT: JOHN 2: 1- 10 1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother said unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

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

7 Jesus said unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim,

8 And he said unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And said 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. (KJV)

Today we are going to see the parable of the marriage in Cana.

It is written in the Bible, “without a parable spake he not unto them.” It means what Christ says and does can be taken not only literally but also have hidden meaning as a parable. So we like to understand the parable mentioned in the story of the Marriage in Cana.

At first it is the story of the Marriage. We also see some others of the marriage and wedding in the Bible. Then we understand that many represent the relationship between Christ and His believers. For example we know the parable of the wise virgins and foolish ones.

And also in Revelation is written as below.

REVELATION 19: 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (KJV)

This is also the story of the marriage and shows the relationship between Christ and the true believers.

So if the story of the marriage in Cana is the parable, we can take it as the marriage of Christ and the Christians.

The central theme of this story is that the water is changed into the wine. As to wine we see other passages. When we refer some others, we understand that wine biblically symbolize the Holy Spirit. We go to the passage below.

ACTS 2: 12, 13 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. (KJV)

This is the account of Pentecost that expresses of the people filled with the Holy Spirit as being drunk of wine. The Bible tells that there is the relation between the Holy Spirit and the wine in this passage.

It is also written, “And be not much drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

Now when we come back to the parable of the text, it tells of the story of the wine to be served twice. They are former wine and the latter. The former is already served at the beginning of the marriage and the latter is served to the people after Jesus changes the water into wine later. If these wines represent the Holy Spirit, it tells of the twice showering of the Holy Spirit.

And this wine, the Holy Spirit, is served in the marriage. If we say of the Church age in another way, it can be said to be the period when Christ marry His bride. For through this period many saints are going to be united with Christ. And for that the wine, the Holy Spirit, is indispensable.

The Bible tells of the twice showering of the Holy Spirit in the Church age. They are called the former rain and the latter rain. The former produces the first fruit and the latter the great harvest. They are symbolically the first fruit as Pentecost and the harvest as the great harvest of the souls in the end time.

JEREMIAH 5: 24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. (KJV)

So it is appropriate that we take the parable of Jesus’ changing water into wine as the one of the showering of the Holy Spirit, the great revival in the end time.

Jesus says to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” We so understand that the work to fill the waterpots with water is needed before the great revival coming.

And, if we read the Bible well, we come to know that these waterpots are related to Pentecost. We see the passage below.

LUKE 22: 10- 12 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.

11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, the Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. (KJV)

There we see the man who shows the guest room for eating the Passover. The mark of that man is that he is carrying the waterpot. The waterpot seems very heavy but is the mark. And this large upper room means the one in Pentecost, too. The Bible tells the relation between Pentecost and the waterpot in this way. And the same waterpot is also used in the parable in the great revival.

Now we come back to the text again.

“And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.”

It is written here that there is no more wine in the marriage feast. If wine is none in the feast, the atmosphere may become dull. And it is also the same that we can expect none of the mission works even in the Japan, if we do not have the work of the Holy Spirit. We are still waiting for the revival.

And the miracle begins with the request of His mother to Jesus. It is not His voluntary one. So the revival in the end time will come out only with praying and seeking.

“Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”

“What have I to do with thee?” means essentially the nuance of no relation. Why does he say such words of impoliteness? Humanly speaking, it is inconceivable. But what the Bible says of anything is of some meaning. Attention should be paid to “Woman.” This means that the focus is not on the relation of parents and children or of Jesus and Mary. Jesus says He has no relation with a woman, not His mother or Mary.

We search the word woman in the Bible. The first woman is made of a man and is a helper. This relation between them is the mystery and means one between Christ and the Church.

Jesus says to the woman He has no relation before the end time revival. The woman represents the Church and His word implies the state of the Church in the end time. So the showering of the wine of the Holy Spirit will be given to the Church, woman once separated of God, for the seeking and praying. This is said to be the revival of His mercy and it will be surely given.

Yet despite of such thing the condition of the woman, the Church, will not change much from such state as it is separated of God. That is temporary, and the judgment and the end time are set. We can see the fact of them as below.

“His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

They are the servants. The condition of the revival is that the servants follow whatever Christ says.

“And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins a piece.”

It is quit a lot in the volume. Many may attend the marriage, but it is still too much. This tells some thing. That is, the wine is for many people and for the great harvest.

“Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they fill them up to the brim.”

They filled the waterpots with water up to the brim. Their submission and prayer may reach to the utmost.

We should pay attention to the fact that the water is instantly made wine by Jesus just when the six waterpots are filled with water up to the brim. They do not fill them one by one. Until all the six waterpots are filled with water up to the brim, the water, even a drop, is not made wine.

Yes, the revival will come out suddenly and in a great scale.

“When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;)”

The water is made wine. The revival has happened. But there are two kinds of peoples at the time. They are one who do not know where it is from but taste it and the other who draw it and know it. The Bible says there is difference between them.

“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.”

It is mentioned here that the latter wine is of superior quality to the former. The work of the Holy Spirit at the great revival in the end time is no less than that of Pentecost. The Lord will keep the good wine until then.

Let’s do the will of the Lord in the end time.

End.