Christ-Light Connections: The Wedding at Cana & Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

Don’t we long for Jesus to instantly and thoroughly solve our problems?

“Jesus, please let my car start.”

“Jesus, please make the rain stop.”

” Jesus, please heal my loved one.”

The two stories this week initially seem to address basic human problems. Yet, if we look beyond the desire for satisfaction of our earthy needs, we discover the greater purpose of Jesus’ miracles.

The Christ-Light theme this week is Jesus’ first miracles show that he is God.

NT1 6A

The Wedding at Cana — John 2:1-11

Context

This is in the early days of Jesus’ ministry. It is just three days after he called his first disciples (likely Andrew, Peter, John, James, Philip, and Nathaniel). In this culture, it was typical for wedding celebrations to last several days. Customarily, the hosts would serve the best wine first and eventually switch to the less expensive wine as the celebration continued. To run out of wine would have been an embarrassment and a disgrace, souring the wedding and bringing shame to the family.

Big Ideas

Mary’s Prayer (John 2:3)

Knowing her son’s heart, Mary informed Jesus about the problem. She did not make a request or give him instructions. She merely presented the problem and left him to it.

Our prayers can also reflect Mary’s. Often we do not know what the right solution is as we pray. Many times it is easier to say, “Jesus, this is happening.” “Jesus, the one you love is hurting.” We, too, can have the confidence that Mary had when she walked away. God will act according to his love and wisdom.

Conversation Starter:

• Stop and pray together. Try just telling Jesus about the troubles without making specific requests. (Discuss how you feel about this style of prayer. Was it difficult? Easy?)

Jesus Cares about Physical Needs

Let’s take a step back for a moment. Jesus was on a mission to save humanity from eternal damnation. In the grand scheme of things, this problem was minuscule. Yet, Jesus paused to attend this family’s wedding and to bless them abundantly with the best wine.

Sometimes it is hard to remember that God cares for both my eternal welfare and about my daily joys and struggles.

Conversation Starters:

• Can you think of other Bible stories that show God cares for our daily needs?
• Have you ever prayed for something and received more than you asked for? How has he blessed you beyond your expectations? (Try to be specific.)

The Sign (John 2:11)

Take note of who is witnessing this miracle. It seems that only the servants and the disciples were aware of it. There is nothing in the text that indicates that anyone else knew what actually happened. This miracle was the first of many that would reveal Jesus’ glory and build up the faith of his followers.

Conversation Starters:

• Describe the people to whom Jesus revealed his glory. Why do you think he choose them instead of “more important” people?
• Why did Jesus not preform the miracle in front of everyone? (John 2:4) What do you think would have happened if he had?

Digging Deeper

Seeds of Faith provides Law and Gospel points as well as application questions.

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NT1 6B

Jesus Heals the Official’s Son — John 4:43-53

Context

There is a bit of time between the wedding and this story. John records Jesus’ journey to Samaria to meet the woman at the well. Many from that town believed that Jesus was the Savior of the world (John 4:1-42). Now Jesus is returning to Cana. We see that he is gaining a reputation among the Jews. Previously, he had attended the Passover in Jerusalem and there gave the people miraculous signs (John 2:23).

Big Ideas

Signs (John 4:48)

Jesus gave his people many signs with the purpose of revealing himself as the Son of God and Savior. Yet many people were only focused on the miraculous signs. The Jews were so impressed by the miracles that they did not stop to ask why Jesus was doing them or what this power meant. If the miracles were to cease, so would their faith.

Would you travel to Arizona to just see the sign that marked the Grand Canyon? No, you would continue until you arrived, and you would marvel at the canyon itself.

Conversation Starters:

• Contrast this with the Samaritans in John 4:42.
• What signs do we have today showing us that Jesus is the Savior of the world?
• Do we ever get stuck marveling at the sign instead of the Savior? ( I applied this to myself as I thought about Christmas preparation. Sometimes I will spend so much time creating a meaningful celebration for others that I forget to stop and marvel at the Savior himself.)

The Official’s Journey (John 4:46-54)

Here is a man who had been brought to the point of desperation. Knowing his son would die, he gave up his last few days with him with one last hope in the miracle worker who was traveling through Galilee. The trip from Capernaum to Cana was about 16 miles, a long day’s walk. He finally finds Jesus and begs him to make the long walk back to Capernaum and save his son.

Jesus’ answer at first seems harsh, but it was not without purpose. The comment is directed at both the officials and the observing crowd. They had a deficient faith that was only grounded in the miracles. This time, Jesus performed the needed miracle, but only with his voice. He did not need to go to the child. Jesus gave the official and the crowd the opportunity to believe in just the power of his word. Who but the Son of God could have this kind of power?

Conversation Starters:

• Read John 1:1-3 Who was the “Word”? What do you learn about him in these verses?
• Why was it necessary for the people to have faith in the power of Jesus’ words?
• How do we have the power of Jesus’ words today?

Digging Deeper

The One O’Clock Miracle by the Good Book Company is a picture book written about this Biblical narrative. It takes a few liberties but does a great job of sharing the meaning of the story with children.