Epiphany 2 Sermon

In the Name of Jesus, our savior who justifies us, Amen.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us, Amen.

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."


Jesus does what He says. He told the lame to walk, and they walked. He told the blind to see, and they saw. He told the deaf to hear, and they heard. This is the same with the water in our Text today. They have no wine. Jesus commands the water become wine. The master of the Feast drank not water from the stone jars, but the sweetest and most delicate of wine tickled his taste buds. Jesus made water into wine, not by some manmade method, but by making it so solely by His Word. He is God and created something out of nothing. He took that which was by nature the liquid of the workday and made it the drink of joy and happiness. It is without a doubt, Jesus took normal water and changed it into wine. He did this, as St. John records, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Christ Jesus did many miracles in order to manifest or reveal Himself as God in the flesh. He was not just some carpenter’s son, but the only begotten Son of God truly united with man in the personal union of the divine and human nature. Because He is God, He has authority over His creation. That which was a moment ago water is now wine. You can’t explain it. All you can do is receive faith that believes in the words and promises of Christ Jesus. All you can do is taste the wine. Just like the disciples, all you and I can do is believe.

Oh, what unshakable faith those disciples had. They saw Jesus perform miracles and they believed and confessed Him to be the Messiah, or the anointed one to redeem Israel. They never doubted for one moment the divinity of Christ Jesus. They never had a moment of weakness or unbelief in their Messiah. Oh, if this were true then there would be no need for the Son of God to become man to save us Lost and condemned sinners. The disciples doubted Christ. They betrayed Christ. They persecuted Christ. They denied Christ. Even though they believed after seeing the miracle at Cana, their faith or belief would be short lived for it quickly turned into doubt and skeptism. For believing Peter denied Christ. Faithful Judas betrayed Christ. And trusting Thomas is now known as the doubter.

And what of you and me? Do you have faith in Christ that knows no bounds. Oh yes, you have those moments of great faith, when everything seems to be going according to plan. You have those times in life where you say, ‘Everyday is a gift from God. I am truly blessed. I have a good husband or wife. My kids are good students. I have a house that doesn’t leak and a car that starts. I am not starving and I just got a raise at work.” Oh yes, it’ easy to believe that God is the giver of all when things are good. It’s easy to believe in God when he gives you a joyous life.

It’s easy to believe when you’re not tested and persecuted. But the moment something bad happens in life, where do you run? Oh yes, when death draws near you cling to God because you hope your last minute conversion or deal with God will bring you into heaven. But what of those times in life that aren’t life threatening. What do you do when you lose your job? What do you do when you are the outcast at school? What do you do when you need to replace your engine and your sub pump breaks at 1am without you knowing it and floods your entire basement which will take thousands of dollars to fix? Do you praise God for being the great giver of all good things. Or do you take His Name in vein and curse He who created you and sustains you. Repent. For just like the believing disciples at Cana, your faith is short-lived. You quickly cling to the things of this world, or worse, you curse and deny God like Peter and betray Him as Judas did.

The disciples believed in Jesus at Cana. But their faith was short lived. For some of the disciples abandoned Christ along the way, and the rest fled from Him at the cross, except for St. John. The were not saved by their steadfast faith and obedience. Neither are you. They were redeemed and forgiven their weakness as are you by the glory of God in Christ Jesus. For Christ did not come to perform miracles. He didn’t come to feed the thousands with temporal bread. He didn’t descend from Heaven as a new Law giver, nor did He humble Himself to be born of a virgin in order to rise up and defeat earthly powers. No, Jesus came for one reason. He came for the unbelief and sin of the world. He came for that glorious hour. For when His Mother requested help, He answered, “My hour has not yet come.”

The disciples were not saved because of the water turned into wine. That miracle was done in order that they may know that Jesus is not just man, but true God united with man in the personal union in Jesus Christ. He is God. Because Jesus is God, when His hour came to go to the cross, He did not die as a mere man, but as true God and true Man. Because He is God, His death on the cross satisfied the wrath of the Father forever and eternally overcame sin, death, and the power of the devil. Because Jesus is God, the hour of the cross is not one of sorrow or defeat, but of glory and victory. For Jesus did not remain dead in the tomb, but rose triumphant over the grave in order that you and I may be justified by His death. The disciples were not saved by the belief in His divinity, nor are you saved from eternal condemnation because you think Jesus is God. No, you are redeemed and rescued from everlasting punishment on account of the vicarious death of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death was for you. He did not die for Himself, but for you. Just as He gave the wine to bless the marriage at Cana, so He gave His own blood for the joy of the world, in order that He may forever be your Lord and savior.

His death is for you. Just as St. Paul declared to the Ephesians saying, “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Christ gave Himself up for you on the cross by dying your death and suffering the wrath of God on your behalf. But that was 2000 years ago. What is that to you today? You can meditate on the cross as much as you want, but just as the disciples at Cana, you may believe, but it is temporary and weak. However, Christ doesn’t wait for you to have great faithfulness in His sacrifice. No, for today He brings the benefits of that Sacrifice to you. For on the day you were baptized, you were washed clean through the water and the word and presented in splendor to Christ Jesus. For Christ comes today to preach His word of life and salvation accomplished for all on the cross. You are holy and without blemish, not because of your great faith and acts of love, but through the declaration of Christ Jesus that you are holy and righteous in His sight. Your sin now belongs to Him and His righteousness is your eternal possession. Be at peace little flock, for today He who turned water into wine is present in His Body and Blood for your forgiveness. Hear the eternal words of joy, though you are a sinner, by the Word of Christ, you are a saint, a blessed one in the eyes of the Father, without a spot or wrinkle before Him. Yours is the banquet feast. Yours is the Kingdom. For by the word of Christ, you are forgiven. Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Amen.