Sermon May 17

May 17

 

So far Jesus has found Andrew and Simon who he renamed Peter, and James and John the sons of Zebedee as disciples, and a tax collector named Mathew Levi.

We were not told a lot about these men except that four of them were fishermen and as I said Mathew was a tax collector

We were also shown that all Jesus said was to follow Me and these five men dropped everything and followed Jesus from that day on

But He also called two others and one made an amazing statement

 

John 1:43-45 (ESV)
⁴³  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
⁴⁴  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
⁴⁵  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

The next day here refers to the day after Jesus called the four fishermen

He is still in Galilee which was a fishing town and now he finds Philip

I think we can safely assume he was a fisherman as well.

Philip then goas and finds Nathanael and says something interesting

“We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

How could he possibly know all of this?

I am convinced that most of these first disciples were also disciples of John the Baptist

If that is the case, then John could very well have told them this as it was revealed to him

 

But what puzzles me is the last part, that Jesus was the son of Joseph

Technically Jesus was not Joseph’s son but was Mary’s son by the Holy Spirit

So I do not think this part was revealed by God but may have been John’s understanding

 

Now watch what happens here

John 1:46 (ESV)  ⁴⁶  Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

I always say that if I were God, I would have done so many things differently

Maybe born in the palace or temple instead of a stable

Surrounded by servants rather than shepherds

My first announcement would have been to the priests and not those shepherds

 

And now we find after returning from Egypt, after Herod’s death the family settled in Nazareth

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

That seems kind of harsh

But at the time Nazareth had become a place where many gentiles and Samaritans migrated.

Neither was well respected or liked by Jews

Because it was a fishing town, there was very little decency and much rough language and behavior

So  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

 

But there may be something else to this question

When God promised the Messiah to Jeremiah he made some specific predictions

Jeremiah 33:14-15 (NASB)
¹⁴  'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  
¹⁵  'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

Every religious scholar knew that “a righteous branch of David” meant that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city David was born in

 

When the wise men questioned Herod as to where the new King of Israel was born, Herod called together the scribes and asked them

Matthew 2:5-6 (ESV)
⁵  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
⁶  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

If Nathanael was familiar with the prophecies it would explain his question

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

 

Philip tells him come and see, but see what?

Jesus has not done one thing that would point to Him being the Christ yet

John 1:47-48 (ESV)
⁴⁷  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
⁴⁸  Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

There is more going on here than meets the eye

“Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

Behold a true descendant of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel

We all know that Jacob was a conniver and tricked his brother into selling his birthright and also tricked his father into giving him the blessing of an older son

But Jesus says you are an Israelite in whom there is no deceit

You are a descendent of Jacob but of far better character

Nathan is surprised at the statement and asked how do you know me?

This could have just been simple flattery on Jesus’ part to win Nathanael over

But it was far from it “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

How could Jesus possibly know where Nathanael was before they even met?

Over in Mathew 16 when Jesus asks the apostles who He is, Peter gives what is known as the good confession

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”

But here we are 2 ½ years earlier, before Jesus has done any great works and Nathanael says

John 1:49 (ESV)
⁴⁹  Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

 

John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

Andrew and Philip called him the promised Messiah

But Nathanael calls Jesus the Son of God and King of Israel

There is a progression here that can only be explained by things either done or said that are not recorded for us in the scriptures

 

John 1:50-51 (ESV)
⁵⁰  Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
⁵¹  And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 

It is doubtful that an actual vision of angels and ladders will be given, but there is a definite promise here

As I said earlier, the statement of an Israelite, a son of Jacob was meant and is here justified

Remember that it was Jacob who in a dream, saw heaven opened and a ladder with Angels ascending and descending

It is interesting what Jacob said when he saw this vision

Genesis 28:16-17 (ESV)
¹⁶  Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
¹⁷  And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Clearly a promise that Nathanael as well as the other apostles would see greater things than this

That the intervention of heaven, and God’s heavenly messengers on earth is now opened with the heavens and the ladder is Christ Himself

You will see greater things than these.”

 

With this we are led into Jesus’ first earthly miracle

I have heard some of the most absurd discussions about the wedding feast at Cana

Did Jesus really turn water into wine?

Would Jesus sanction or allow wine drinking?

This is the result of interpreting scripture with 21^st century bias rather than looking at the culture of the first century

Wine was a common drink in different strengths

So, what was Jesus trying to teach in this, His first miracle?

 

John 2:1-5 (ESV)
¹  On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
²  Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
³  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
⁴  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
⁵  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

The words on the third day most likely refer to the third day after Jesus called Philip and Nathanael

It would have taken him 2 days to travel from Bethsaida to Cana in Galilee

Why Mary was there is unclear as is Jesus and His disciples being invited

But Mary seems to have had a close relationship with the bride or groom’s family which will become clear soon

Now, running out of wine at a marriage feast that traditionally lasted for days would have been not only embarrassing but an insult to all the guests

It’s not something you would want your guests to know and yet Mary knows

She then goes to Jesus and says “They have no wine.”

Well excuse me, but what did Mary expect Jesus to do about this situation

To our knowledge Jesus has never done any miracles and we know from His own words that he did not possess any financial means

And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Now do not think this term woman was meant as an insult

I call Marion woman all the time….just kidding

In first century Israel the term woman was actually a term of respect like our madam or sir

But Jesus needs to be very careful

Revealing Himself too soon would cause many to want to make Him their king rather than their atoning sacrifice.

 My hour has not yet come.”

The fact that Mary addresses the servants leads me to believe that she was very close to the bridal party

And may have even been in charge to the refreshments

But here is where Mary shines

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

 

Remember when Gabriel came to Mary and said she would conceive even though she was a virgin?

Her response was “be it done to me as you have said”

The NASB puts it this way, whatever He tells you to do, do it

Perfect words to live by for every believer

 

John 2:6-10 (ESV)
⁶  Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
⁷  Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
⁸  And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
⁹  When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
¹⁰  and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

 

Six large stone pots used for the purpose of cleaning ones self as was the custom of the Jews both before eating and also for the plates and utensils etc.

Matthew 15:2 (NASB)
²  "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

Mark 7:3 (NASB)
³  (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders;

 

Some of these may have even been used to wash the feet after coming in from the dusty and dirty roads

It would seem that Jesus told the servants of the feast to do this, so no one could say his disciples added anything

This may also be why Jesus said to fill them to the brim. Nothing could be added. This is not a trick

When the master or chief steward tastes the contents, it is no longer water but the best wine

So why would Jesus do this?

A few answers have been given

First as I said this would have been very embarrassing for the bridegroom and an insult for the guests to run out of wine

The fact that there were six large pots tells us this was a very large gathering and so this would have been perhaps the whole town

 

But I think the lesson is more for us today than it was for those who knew what happened

What could be dirtier than water used for each guest to wash their hands and feet and not just once

If someone left to relieve themselves they would have to go through the whole cleansing ritual again

Jesus took this dirty and defiled water and turned it into something good and beneficial

 

In Gods eyes, nothing is dirtier or more defiled than a sinner

But Jesus can, like he did with that dirty water, cleanse us and transform us into something good and beneficial

Hebrews 10:22 (NASB)
²²  let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 9:14 (NASB)
¹⁴  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

Jesus did not perform miracles to entertain people or draw attention to Himself

They were evidence of who He was, and all had a lesson to teach us

The lesson here is that Jesus can take the dirtiest of things and make them clean and new

But there is another lesson and we learn that one from His mother Mary

Whatever He tells you to do, do it

Had those servants not listened the whole wedding feast would have been a disaster

Listening to Jesus changed everything

 

If we do not listen to Jesus and His word, our lives will be a disaster

But listening to Him can change everything for the better

A new life and a new future in eternity

LET US PRAY