New Wine

Welcome to another Sunday conversation from Journey Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. We're a community of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. Together we're co-learners, curious to explore who Jesus really is and to help each other move closer to him in our understanding and in our lives. Everyone is welcome at our table, so we hope you'll enjoy this discussion. And if you're ever nearby, please join us in person.

We are uh just starting a conversation around the Gospel of John. The Gospels are four biographies of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, if you read them, they're a lot alike. John seems really weird. So we thought it worthy of attention. It's the difference between reading a history book about Alexander Hamilton or seeing the musician.

John takes all sorts of licensed with historical events and he rearranges them and he's just got all of these theological pictures and purposes that he is introducing. Last week we looked at the prologue in chapter one today. That's how it works here, ladies and gentlemen. We we know we know how to count.

In chapter two, and let's start just by way of reminder, let's start by looking at the book as uh as an overview. The book is split into two parts. There's a prologue, and then the first half of the book is called the Book of Signs. And signs, these are seven things that Jesus does that reveal his identity. And we'll talk about why they're called signs.

And then in chapter after the resurrection of Lazarus, in chapter 12, the book pivots to something called the Book of Glory, which are the accounts of the end of Jesus' life and all the conversations he has with his followers. It's called the book of glory is that Jesus Himself says he is most glorified as God when he is lifted up on the cross.

And so uh then there's an epilogue and those things parallel each other and so that's the overview of In the book of signs, though, what we're going to see is that Jesus is going to encounter four different institutions in Judaism and four different festivals. And there's a pattern. So first thing he's gonna, we're gonna meet him at a wedding, then at the temple in Jerusalem, then in an encounter with a rabbi in Jerusalem, and then at a well-known well. Then he's going to attend some festivals.

Uh Sabbath, Passover, Tabernacles and Hanukkah. So eight different institutions and festivals. comprise the book of Psalm. And what how each of these is going to work is that Jesus is going to show up, he's going to talk about the sign or the festival and say that's actually pointing to me. Everyone's going to misunderstand him, controversy ensues, bam, on to the next topic.

All right, so we're gonna look at the first two of these this morning. John chapter 2, verse 1. On the third day, a wedding took place. Loaded into those a few English words is a whole bunch of background that you have First of all, anytime you hear on the third day

You're like, does that mean Wednesday? Is that a day of the week? Is it the third day since the story of Nathaniel that closed chapter one that was also in Cana? Is it the third day since that day? Or is there anything else that happens on the third day?

The answer is yes, thank you. Jesus, always the answer. And Jesus rises from the dead on the third day. So maybe we don't know this for sure, but maybe we're just getting tipped off a little bit that yes, this is about a wedding, but it's not actually about a wedding. On the third day, a wedding took place. Now, ancient weddings are big deals. You think they're big deals now? Nothing. These big these things, the whole village would be invited. These were the celebrations.

That would characterize all of the joy packed into one week. They lasted seven days. There would be a very public betrothal. And then what would happen is there would be months and months of preparations and announcements and invitations. And then the whole village would assemble the the groom to be would assemble his friends. They would march to the bride to be's window. They would call out to her. They would escort her back to the groom's.

The whole village would be invited. It was a massive deal. So important in Jewish life that prophets, the Jewish prophets, pictured the end of the age like a wedding banquet. That's how joyful. But because they involve it. Two families, there were also occasions of honor and shame. The way you did a wedding, the gift you brought to a wedding, you could honor or be dishonored.

Shame someone else and the way that all of this was conducted. So it's a big deal, is the point. On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, They have no more wine. Now, to us, big deal, to them, catastrophic and public.

In that culture, to run out of food or drink at a seven-day banquet, you could actually initiate legal proceedings against the family. And you would then, the bride's family would have the right to question whether or not the groom and the groom's family could provide. Right? And Jesus' mother, you know how moms are, they don't ask you to do something, they just tell you something.

They have no more wine. She doesn't say, hey Jesus, they have no more wine. Would you like to take care of this problem? She just says, oh Jesus, they have no more wine. Jesus responds, woman, why do you involve me? Now in English, this sounds totally rude, right? I would never call my mom woman, or if I did, I would not live to tell about it.

Woman, though, you know, in the original language, it's actually a formal form of address. He uses it of the Samaritan woman, he uses it of the woman caught in adultery, he uses it of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, and he uses it of his mom again when he is. the cross. So this is not as rude as it sounds, but his question, why do you involve me is a little more intricate. It's like, it's like, ma'am, why what do you and I, what interests do we have in common about

In other words, he says, My hour has not yet come. Now, anytime he speaks of his hour, that is John's language for his death on the cross, his ultimate glory. So you're asking me to reveal my glory fully before it's time. What mutual interest do you and I have? Now she doesn't hear this negatively. She just says to the servants, do whatever he tells you, which is so They're out of wine. Do whatever he tells you. Own is totally on Jesus now to make his mom proud or something. It is amazing.

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial. Gallons. Now, ceremonial washing. Stephanie, put up Mark 7. We read this parenthetical comment about how before meals the Jews would engage in ceremony of washing. And this was not about height. This was about being ritually clean enough to eat the meal. So this parenthetical comment, Mark seven, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing holding to the tradition of the.

So how much water do you need for a sim ceremonial washing for seven days for the entire Evidently you need like 120 to 180 gas. And just by way of modern comparison, a bathtub is typically thirty. So six stone jars, huge jars of water. And they were used for ceremonial washing, which meant they were stone. Now not that any of us would pay.

But if the the jars were made of clay, they could not be kept pure and then could not be used for washing. So the little detail that they were stone jars says they were not for it's this is not drinking water, this is purification water. Are you with me? All right, now. They each hold twenty to thirty gallons, so I'm not great at math, but that seems like a little bit of a little bit of a little

Now, Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water. So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, Now, draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that Now how how much wine are we talking about?

I mean I'm not I'm not I mean I'm not a wine person. I'm a coarse light guy, okay? I'm just gonna throw that out there and I don't care if you judge me. I don't care. Two coors lights twice a year and I'm fine, all right? I'm good. Now listen, it seems though those who know wine say this is between 600 and 900 bottles of wine. All right, so it's a lot of new wine, would you agree? The the banquet master did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who'd drawn the water

Then he called the bridegroom aside, the master did, and said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first, and then the cheaper wine, after everybody has had too much to drink. But you have saved the best. So instead of being shamed, this family gets what? Honored. Which is so interesting, right? Jesus takes their shame and turns it into honor.

Now, the the the banquet master is commenting on two things. First of all, the quality of the wine, that it's the best, and its last. Because we're not Jewish, we don't appreciate this, but one of the predominant images that the prophets use about the dawn. So let's look at Joel. We were uh I'm sure we were there this morning. And Emma.

All right, Joel chapter 2, the Lord said to them, and this is all prophesying about the restoration of Israel I am sending you grain, new wine, and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully. Never again will I That's about exile. Verse 24, the same thing. The threshing floors will be filled with grain. The vats will overflow with new wine and oil. The vats, the vessels, will overflow.

New wine. Amos, uh excuse me, Joel three, in that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk. And all The images of abundance and blessing. Amos nine, the days are coming, declared the Lord, when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes, new one So the Jewish folk At the wedding.

Those who were in the know would have understood that an abundance of new wine. This wasn't necessarily about Jesus turning water into wine, although that was impressive. It was the fact that there was a whole bunch of new wine that was available to the party when they thought all Gone. And the surprise was it was saved till now. So what's Jesus saying to those who have Hebrew He's saying the dawning of the messianic age is upon us, and here is a little And he's saying it not to the best.

Village wedding in the middle of the Galilee, a family who was going to be shamed for running out of wine now has public honor. Jesus takes vessels that were used for purification and he turns them into vessels. And he does this all over the all over the place. Remember when the Pharisees asked Jesus, well, how come your disciples don't fast like we do? And Jesus is like, well, when the bridegroom shows up, you don't deny yourself, you party. And here I am.

This is an incredible picture. And notice what the text says next. Verse 11. What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the what? The signs through which he revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him. Jake were in John. Jake's reading his Bible. It's fantastic. It looks brand new. Um, but you know, we don't we don't that's fine. Um That's that new Bible smell. Yeah, I was wondering. I could hear it like creak open a little bit. The gold leaf was still fresh.

Jake's a friend and I'm just being obnoxious. Okay. So this sentence, what Jesus did, was the first of many signs. Now, when you start numbering something, the first seems to imply that there will be. More, right? So this is the first, and then he calls them signs. Now this is important. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they're called mirrors. John uses a different word, the word that we translate signs. Miracles are displays of power, signs are displays of identity.

So miracles, everyone looks at Jesus' miracles and go, wow, he's powerful. Here, when they see the signs of Jesus, they're s learning something about who he is and what he's up to. They're revelatory. In other words, they're not just displays of power, but you learn. And there's seven of them. Interestingly enough, why do you think there might be seven? Oh, I don't know. There's seven days of creation. Seven is the number of fullness and renewal. Who knows? But here they are.

Notice the first sign, changing of water into wine. Second sign, Jesus heals. Son. Third, healing of the pool of Bethesda, feeding of 5,000, walks on the stormy sea, healing of the man born blind, and then the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And that In Isaiah chapter 25, a very well known says this on this mountain, Mount Zion, the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples and a banquet of aged wine, the best of meats and the finest.

On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations, and he will swallow. So wine is connected to the eradication of death. Are you with me? Stephanie, put up the seven signs again. What's the first sign? Changing of water into new wine. And what's the last sign? Raising Lazarus from.

So again, John is taking all of this historical stuff that has happened and he's mashing it up to make these incredibly profound points to a Jewish audience that would have been unmistakable about who they were. Are you with All right, so that's story number one, wedding, wine, Cana, messianic age upon us. Story number two is a story that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all put at the end of

but John puts it at the beginning. And again, remember John is operating thematically, not chronologically. So he's jammed this story and the wine story together for a reason. So here we go. You guys are doing great by the way. Jake, John two, verse 14. 13. Sorry, Jake, 13. Jake is here and he's writing in his Bible. I didn't even know that was allowed. That's adding to the word of God, potentially blasphemy. I'm not sure. All right.

When it was time when it was time Jake will never sit in the front row again. He's usually back in that corner. I know I'm so sorry. You're critiquing my insights. Yes. Yes. False prophets, Mike Erie equals It's a wrong. Wrong.

All right, John chapter two, verse thirteen. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now three different Passovers are mentioned. Passover happens once a year. publicly was over the course of three years. Passover was a festival that that required all Israel to make the journey to Jerusalem. Not all of them did, but that was the idea. And you would, of course, uh celebrate Israel's deliverance from

So the Jewish Passover, Jesus is a very Torah observant Jewish man, goes to the Jerusalem for the festival. In the temple courts, he found people selling cattle, sheep, doves, and other people. Now, the temple courts, um, I should have had a picture for you. They were massive and they were divided into different sections. The the biggest section was called the court of Gentiles, and where it's all the non-gentiles.

Then there was the court of women where Jewish women could go, but they they and they walked through the court of Gentiles to the court of women. And then the Jewish men had a court that was closer, the court of men, uh, and then you had something called the holy place. So it was almost like there were these spheres of intimacy with God that unintentionally communicated worth and significance, right? The Gentiles.

Jewish women less important than Jewish men, the priest more important than Jewish men, and then the high priest. So, what began to happen? There was a disagreement between the high priest, Caiaphas, and the Jewish ruling council about whether you could do commerce in that big core.

And the reason commerce was needed was this. At Passover you sacrifice a lamb, and that lamb has to be without blemish. And so the temple would raise unblemished lambs and then provide them for sale for all the pillars. From all over the country, not bringing their own lambs, but they would buy them there. So that was a legitimate enterprise that you would have to buy.

Also, while you were there, and this is not at all fascinating, you would pay the half shekel temple tax once a year for any adult. Which is interesting that Jesus only Jesus and Peter pay that tax, meaning all the other disciples were younger. And Jesus himself didn't seem to have a huge problem paying the temple taxes. He finds it in the mouth of a fish. It's like, okay, whatever. Great, great, great. Temple tax. Check.

But you did have money changers there because you had to use a shekel to pay it. And if you had Greek money, you would exchange it for Hebrew money and then you would pay it. So all of this was legit. The issue was whether or not it should happen in the temple court. And that's what Jesus objected to. made a whip out of cords, drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle, he scattered the coins of the

And overturn their tables. Now he now he only does this in a small part. I mean the temple courts are massive. There's no way the whole place shut down. Time in this like one acre uh enterprise doing all of this. This is a symbolic action in part of the temple that was to illustrate. To those who sold doves, the poor dove sellers, he said, get these out of here. Stop turning my father's house into a marble.

So did they have to have money changers there? Yes. Did they have to have people who were selling animals there? Yes. But the fact that it was in the temple, so he's publicly standing against his hyper. And saying these these these have no place here. And I wonder I wonder what Jesus would think about some of the monetization of Christianity today. You know? I mean you just kind of go, well, maybe he'd have an issue.

Get these out of here. Stop turning my father's house into a market. His disciples remembered Psalm 69. It was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. That's a quote from David. And so here's Jesus acting like David about The Jews then responded to him, What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do this? And then Jesus, whenever asked a direct question, will never answer directly, but answer ambiguously so that everyone

And so this happens to John or in John all the time. He'll say something metaphorically, they'll understand him literally. Hey, you must be born again. And what do you mean I can't crawl into my mother's womb again? This happens all the time. This is the first instant of it.

What authority do you have that gives you uh uh like power to do this? And Jesus answered, destroy this temple, I will raise it again in three days. Now it's not surprising. They all understand that to mean the temple, right? And and they respond, it's taken 46 years to build. Now little background on the temple. A guy comes to power through the grace of Rome called Herod. King Herod is half Jewish. He's Idumedium. Idumian. Thank you, Mike, for clarifying.

He uh he is not respected as a jewish king because he's not fully Jewish. So in an attempt to win over his his constituents, he decides to upgrade the temple. To make it greater and more um grand than even solid. And so B he begins this project and it takes him almost sixty years. He doesn't live. But in Jesus' day had been forty six years, it was such a huge project that uh to maintain ritual purity they trained one thousand priests to be stone cutters. So that even the stone

And overall, 18,000 people worked on this. The stones were so big, some of them weighed over 70 tons, and you can go to Jerusalem and see them. So this is a massive So when Jesus says, destroy this temple, I'll rebuild it in three days, what do they say? You're insane, dude. We've been working on this 46 years. There's no way. Then the narrator says, but the temple he had spoken of was his body. Now did the Jews realize that at the time? No. They just thought this guy's crazy.

After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said, and then they believed the had spoken. So first sign, they believed. Now Jesus does the temple thing, they believed. Write the whole book of John at the very end of it. John 20, John says, this all has been put together so that you might believe So John's got a very clear agenda. He is convincing using the modes and the pictures and the festivals and the images and the symbols and the language of the Judaism.

He is trying to convince his fellow Jews that he is, that Jesus is the Israel's Messiah. And for the non-Jewish folks paying attention, he is God come in human flesh. Now, his statement, if you destroy this temple, I'll raise it in three days, talking about his body is a reference to what? His crucifixion. So Jesus, though I don't think it was appreciated at the time, is saying what about the temple?

The real physical temple is no longer significant. It's no longer important. It's no longer relevant.

Now, John takes two stories that are not related geographically or chronologically. He jams them together. Why? What are the commonalities between the two stories? And don't say Jesus. I know. Any observations about the commonalities between the wedding story and the temple story? A new thing happening. Exactly right. Yes, what else? What is it? Three days on the third day? Come on. Yes. That's not random. Yes. What else?

What did Jesus take? Vessels? He took vessels for purification. And then what's the temple, the ultimate vessel? And in both instances, what's he do? He fills it. And one very important note, once you use the stone jars for wine, you can't use them. symbolically saying that in the presence of Jesus the cleansing of water nor the sacrifices of the temple are needed. They have been replaced by the Messiah. And then the last one.

Is he showing the wine indicates the messianic age is coming, but how is it coming through the l the the death and resurrection? Right? So the wedding story is the m messianic ages here. The temple story is that it's Jesus is gonna die and rise again. Are you with me? So this these are not random stories that they were just like, ah This sounds great. John has a very clearly got an agenda.

Now let's make three quick observations about these stories. I don't want to pass over this one, but the fact that as he reveals his glory, and again glory here is just a visible manifestation of God's glory. It's interesting that Jesus needed signs to reveal. Correct? Stephanie, can you go back and put that Richard Bacum quote up? Richard Bacum, one of my favorite New Testament scholars, says this: Jesus was not self-evidently the revelation. He needed signs.

Us. In other words, the vessel of God's glory looks just as common as the rest of us, correct? Was there anything outwardly? Would you look at Jesus? Did he have a halo? Was he glowing? No, there was nothing about it. It was just his name was Jesus, and he was from Nazareth. He was the son of a carpenter who was probably no longer alive. We don't hear Joseph mentioned after the age, Jesus' age. And he starts roaming around doing rabbi things, but he's got no form of the other.

And then he starts doing miracles, you would have just never have thought this is the glory of God, correct? And so the signs are necessary because Jesus is not self-interpreted. You would never just behold Jesus and go, ah yes. But isn't that an amazing thing about what God is like? God enters the world in a way that could easily be missed. And so the signs in John's account, these seven signs, are ways in which Jesus' glory begins to peak through the ordinary vessel.

And then the first of those signs, I find this interesting. This is the first observation. The first sign of all the ways that Jesus could have introduced himself to the world was saving us. And one of the themes of John, we'll see this over and over and over again, is that Jesus, when Jesus saves, he saves. And he saves them into honor. Remember the family, they're out of wine. That story would have been told forever, but now what's the story?

These radicals brought out the best wine for last. That's how ridiculous these And it's a throwaway, right? It has nothing to do with Jesus' character or power. It's just fascinating that it's on that occasion that Jesus acts. And I and I'm just mindful that yes, Jesus is God and yes, Jesus is glorious, but Jesus is so attentive to the circumstances of ordinary human life.

And though public shame back in the day is much different than the private shame, public shame in the ancient world had to do with how the community regarded you. Shame today is how you regard yourself. But I would hold that Jesus comes to save. And he bestows on us. Where there is shame.

If you're convinced because of your church or because of bad experiences that the voice of God sounds like a shaming voice, we can just declare that and you're going to need therapy and help to overcome it, but we can just automatically from the very beginning declare that's not the voice of God. Jesus brings honor where there is shame. He never brings more shame. Ever. And so often the church, the predominant voice of the church is the voice of shame, right? Instead of the voice of honor.

That's the first observation. The second observation is that Jesus takes like these vessels that were used for rituals that were important and the temple for crying out loud. God commanded And what does he do with those?

He replaces them, he deconstructs them, like he s he argues and suggests and pictures that those things are no longer important in And if Jesus were willing to do that with the religion his father started, how much more is Jesus of Nazareth going to do that with American Christianity and the parts of it that are just empty containers for pretend righteousness? I mean, how often do we in our quest for godliness re- just rebuild the temple?

So here's the court of Gentiles, right? Or and here's the court of women, and here's the court of men, and here's the real holy people. How often do we just reproduce the very thing that Jesus destroyed? And if Jesus really does replace the temple, that's too audacious for us to accept. And so it's much safer. Right? I mean it really is. And so we just had a very public figure again fall into public disgrace. Eight years uh of an affair, one of the most esteemed, one of the most important.

And so what should we make of this? What should we make of every single week there is more awful? And you could you could feel two ways. I feel both of these. One is I feel incredibly embarrassed. I feel like keeping my mouth shut because evidently we can't proclaim a sexual ethic that we can live. So we should shut up for a while. But I also feel a great deal of hope because the one sure sign of Jesus is when things that are done and spoken in the dark are brought out of the world.

And if Jesus was willing to deconstruct the religion that bore his father's name, how much more is he willing to deconstruct the religion that bears his own name? And so, for those of you, some of you are here who've been hurt, who have deconstructed to use a very modern word, and you've been labeled as doubters, backsliders.

Uh and you know maybe some of you are. In fact, I'm sure of it. But I would also argue I would also argue that that whole phenomenon, rather than be labeled deconstruction, is actually disciple. Because what did Jesus do? Hey, Jesus, look at our awesome temple. I tell you, in forty years not one stone will be standing on another. I mean, Jesus deconstructed everything they thought they knew about.

Well, how much more with us? Now we're in a better position, in a different position, but still the fact that many are shamed by looking at the organizational church and going, I don't know what to trust. People are shamed for doing that. I just think Jesus would stand opposed to that. I think Jesus is behind the exposing of the darkness of the American church. And I think in that way it should be welcomed. Because it's actually it's what what is left after this purifying.

There's a lot that's not. Third observation, and it's simply this one.

Was Jesus crucified because he announced the love of God? Nah. The Jewish people knew they were loved. They were God's chosen people, for crying out loud. Yes, we know God loves us. Was Jesus crucified because he announced the forgiveness of sins? No, they had the forgiveness of sins. You go to the temple for the forgiveness of sins, you offer a sacrifice.

Was Jesus killed because he announced the cleansing and purifying of people? No, you go to the temple and see a priest for that and do ceremonial walking. Was Jesus crucified because he announced the kingdom of God? No, the prophets for generations have been announcing its coming and imminent. No, Jesus wasn't crucified for any of those things. He was crucified because he had the terrible audacity to claim that he himself was the fulfillment of all of it, and that the rest was no longer.

You didn't need a priest, he's your priest. You didn't need a sacrifice, he's the sacrifice. You didn't need a place to go where heaven and earth overlapped because he's that place. You do need to go to be cleansed because he will cleanse you. I mean, that's the significance of what he's doing. He's undressing all of these incredibly significant symbols.

Some of which were given from his father directly to communicate important truths about God, but now they'd grown stale and they were just an empty husk of what And so the sign instead became the point. And when the sign, the billboard, becomes the destination, you're in trouble, correct? And so Jesus comes offering new signs.

And then he invites us to actually trust that we don't need temples, priests, and sacrifices anymore. But that's too scary. It really is for me. It really is for me. I can't handle just trusting that he's that good. So I've got to do that. And all my Christianity is designed to refill ceremonial vessels and refind a temple and s and and look at worse people than I am so that I can sit self-righteously, at least in my own brain, thinking I'm safe.

And so Jesus comes with such good news, but it's so hard to trust that there is literally nothing to do except receive and to lean back into it. Um let's do a couple of questions. We call these QRs because we love PowerPoint. And because we don't do answers well, but we have thoughts. So this is Susie. This is Sam. They're the next contestants on the prices, right?

If you have quick clarifying questions, we have 13 minutes. Oh Dave. Oh Dave. What? Not Ellen? Ellen, I don't know if you know, has a partner. Dave. Dave. Yeah perfect perfect perfect. Oh that's so good. And that is okay. Because there there are instances where, yes, um she seems to get it. And then there are other instances where remember they come to take him because they thought he was out of it.

And um and so I don't know. In fact later in John there's an episode where Jesus' brothers taunt Jesus about going up to one of the festivals. Quit showing off here with the peasants, go and do it where it really counts. So that's a great question. I have no idea. None. Over here. I mean, Mary, did you know? I think that's the perpetual that's the perpetual question.

You were contemplating whether or not you should say it's just a straight line. Good morning. Hi, good morning. Um I was just curious about like why does God put things in place? And things in like the temple or sacrifices or the cleansing waters in the first place, if he's just gonna send Jesus to replace the

If like they didn't really matter in the first place. Yeah. Because they spent a lot of time like building the temple and energy and money on sacrifices. And it's like Jesus is saying, Nope, none of that matters. Yes. Well, that doesn't mean it never mattered. It just means it doesn't matter anymore. But that's a fantastic question. Why did God? What does Psalm fifty say? We all know it. I have cattle. Is it Psalm fifty or fifty one? I don't even know. It's in the fifties. Like Jake. Um Come on.

So stupid. Um he says, remember God says, what are your sacrifices to me? I have cattle on a thousand hills. Or even he will command them early in Isaiah, like, stop bringing meaningless offerings. So, were the sacrifices for God? No, not at all. Who are they for? Yeah. Why? We are a forgetful wandering people and God is a God of props. He is a God of physical reminders. So rainbow, right? Circumcision. Okay.

Baptism. Bread and wine. So my view is that those were true representations of something about Designed to pull Israel into a bigger story than its own awesomeness, and to prepare them for the coming of Jesus, who would come in fulfillment of the signs that everyone But because I am Israel and Israel is I, I take the the point. It's like what we do with church sometimes. Um and forgive me if I step on any toes here, but this is a conviction that at least some.

Grand announcement of the church isn't how great the church is. Would you agree with that? So the fact that we is like it's anti-Jesus, just to be clear. And Jesus would look at that and say, truly you have r your reward. Great. If you want dopamine, then here's your dopamine. You know? The church is a sign. point to the reality of Christ. When it thinks it's the point, then all the mistakes happen. That's why, you know, for some of you you won't remember this, but there was this massive

And they did a study on how much church involvement impacted transformation into Christ-likeness. And they were shocked that it didn't. And why would that be? Because the church is the sign, it's not the point. Right? The grand announcement. So for me We sit in a world where if we're not careful, we take the things that are good things. Jesus established But we've turned it into an organization with a five.

Has budgets, and those things are fine, but they so easily become ends of themselves. And I think the point of John in this section is just to remind us that in the same way he's willing to take signs that became points. instruct them so that they became signs again.

That the way of power, the way of glory, the way of compulsion, the way of money, the way of fame, the way of celebrity, all of that is empty and nothing. And at the end of the day, those who walk the crucified way of life are the ones. So that's what I think he's doing, but I don't know. I could be wrong on so many things. Here you go, Mike. Eleven o'clock. Thanks, Mr. Sam. You're so good, dude. And since we're in John, we have a Jonathan force. Oh, bless you.

Oh bro, look at you cooking with gas. Look at you cooking with gas. With gas. That's a midwestern saying that means you can cook with like charcoal or you get the propane heater out and you put the grip put it on the grill. Yes. And we will explore that more robustly, but that is so good. And then, I mean, think about next chapter, John. You must be born of water.

I mean there are all of these things that are just setting us up. I mean literally the seven sides the seven signs give us seven different views of the crucifixion uh that that have this new creation feel to all of them. It's exactly right. One more over here? Yeah.

Uh quick question. So in both of the scriptures that you read it said, you know, Jesus turned the water into wine and then they believed. And then it says, you know, he

He died and rose from the dead, then they believed the scripture. Yep. Did they was it more like a kind of a profound connecting the dots or was it actually like belief came after? Like for myself, like my relationship with God blossomed once I did the actions and the belief came after the fact versus believing and then doing the actions because I believed. Bro. That's so profound. So um

You have two things happening at one time. You have the events that are happening and the disciples' reaction to them. And then you have John saying, But after Jesus rose from the dead, And we're getting the picture of both of those, right? But the disciples in real time, yes, we think that we believed, but for Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that was very much a process and very much faltering.

And so I think it's a bit of both. I think it is trusting enough to step. And when you step, you see the step is steady and worthy and it's carried, and you step further. I think that's what it looks like. So so I mean it would be similar to like any big cover. I've got to know enough and trust enough and believe enough to say I do, but then that's only the interesting. doing right the rest of your life is the I doing and you grow into that and I think that's exactly what's happening

There's enough that they go, okay, there's something happening. They don't understand it yet. They misunderstand it. They'll have questions all throughout John's gospel. and Luke. But after Jesus rises from the dead, it's almost as if when the Spirit comes upon them, the dots are all connected. And they can look back and say, ah, this was what was happening. Even

Does that make sense? Yeah. So okay, great questions. My goodness, you guys are the best. So at this point in our service, we always dive back into communion. And the reason we do is c can communion be an empty ritual? Absolutely. And can it itself be its own temple? Sure. I've had people look at me and say, you can't take communion unless you've you've cleaned your life up. I don't even know what that means. Like, if that were true, then none of the people that took Passover with Jesus.

I mean Thomas is there, and Judas is there, and Peter, who's gonna deny Jesus, is there. So it can't be perfection. So what's that? Well when Paul talks about it in First Corinthians eleven, he talks about how if you take communion Then God takes that highly personally. So what we practice that it doesn't matter what you call yourself and it doesn't matter where you are with this Jesus, if there's something compelling about him and his life, whether

Whether you believe he's God or not, but you want to take a step toward him, just like he said, then we take the bread and the cup together. There's a whole bunch of us who are convinced he is all that and more. But it's easy how even this And so we want to take communion mindful of two things today. Number one, we don't want the sign, we want the reality. This is saying, Jesus, I want you. I don't want to settle for the impact.

The second thing is, some of us, and I and I I don't know how to say this, but some of us are dominated by a shame that we think is godly but isn't. God isn't sitting and condemning you, but He's actually inviting you into liberating grace. And that the temple you've been housed in, the temple of right believing or right behaving or whatever, maybe that temple isn't needed any longer. So here's what I'd love for you to do.

But I'd love for you to think about the the two following things right before the Lord's Supper. Number one, what what are the temples that we build for ourselves to feel safe? rightly before this God. And then the second place is where does Jesus need to invade my shame? Like where have I listened to the voice of shame as if it were the voice of Jesus? And maybe if something does come to mind, maybe, maybe we bring that before God. We tell another it's five.

We're just going to give a few moments of silence and please feel free to drift, sleep, nod off, ponder, pray. Then we're going to start playing some music. And that music isn't going to have words right away. So please feel free to stay in that posture if you'd like. And then you'll see some people stand up. We take this as like the desire for the reality to which the sign is pointing.

And then we'll sing a little bit because the singing is a form of praying, the words. And then we'll close our service together. And so Lord, would you speak We are listening, would you speak?