There is a comfort in the old: old friends, old traditions, old clothing, old bedsheets.
Yep, old bedsheets. Kelly and I recently took the plunge and purchased a new mattress and box spring. It was a scary experience—not just for the ol’ bank balance, but also because of the new language. “Coil density”, “innerspring”, “memory foam”, “independent suspension”, “hybrids”, “split box”, “5 ½ vs. 9”. Egads. But we did it. And, while we were at it, we thought we’d buy new bedsheets. With fear and trepidation, we climbed in on day one, and…
I liked my old bedsheets! They were comfortable: They felt good; They were well-broken in; They “made sense”. I don’t wanna change!
There are lots of reasons why we might resist change—change for change’s sake is not necessarily a great thing. Change can sometime lose track of what was good. Change can sometimes mean embracing something less. Change can be hard.
But sometimes the hard part of change is simply recognizing that the new has come. The incarnation of Jesus initiated a New Age, brought about a New Kingdom, showed a New Way for God’s own. By in large, the people of Jesus’ day missed or explicitly rejected this newness. I’m sure there were various reasons for that: for some, they just couldn’t see it; for some, they liked the old and feared the new; for some, they thought the new was wrong; for all, they couldn’t shift to the New and all that meant.
So much of the New Testament is built upon the Old Testament. The New does not reject the Old, but is certainly surpasses it. The Old was good while it lasted; but it was intended to pave the way for the New—the Old was intentionally incomplete so that when the complete arrived, everyone would notice and embrace it in its fullness.
Throughout the Gospel of John (and especially in the opening six or so chapters), the author stresses the transition of the Old to the New, a theme explicitly picked up by Paul’s memorable Gospel summary: “The old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). New Testament scholar D.A. Carson describes this section of John’s Gospel as: the replacement of the old purification for the new wine of the Kingdom, the old Temple by the new body of the risen Christ, the old water by the new living water, and the introduction of a new worship in Spirit and truth.
With Jesus, the Kingdom of God is at hand! (Mark 1:15). The newness of the Kingdom continues to be new for us today. Together let’s open our hearts to the newness of the salvation of Jesus Christ and the transformation He brings.
As you prepare for worship this week, read John 2:1-11.
1. The “third day” means that one week has passed since John the Baptist first witnessed to the Lamb of God. Most think we have an illusion to the week of creation here. Can you find some of the reasons people think so?
2. The Bible does not say, but can we make any educated guesses from the idea that both Jesus and His mother and His disciples were all invited to the same wedding?
3. Why do you think Jesus’ mother told him about the lack of wine? What do you think was her motivation?
4. We will examine Jesus’ response on Sunday; but if I’m correct, there was a mild rebuke here. What is the essence of His rebuke of His mother?
5. On the other hand, Mary’s response in verse 5, telling the servants to do as Jesus directs, is an awesome response of faith! How so?
6. What might the servants be thinking when they took water from the purification jars (the place where people washed their hands and feet) to the master of the banquet?
7. Read verse 11 slowly. How do the different phrases link together—the first sign, manifested glory, and belief?
