Filled to The Brim

I want to point out a wonderful truth in John’s gospel regarding Jesus’ first miracle (John 2:1-11) or to be more specific to John’s words, the first of Jesus’s SIGNS (v.11).  

Why do you suppose that John talks about this miraculous event as a sign?

This is an important distinction for us to understand. A SIGN, as you know, is designed to point beyond itself to something of more significance.

John is saying that Jesus did His miracles not for their own sake but to point the observer and now us, the readers, beyond the miracle to something greater…something of eternal significance.  

The short section in John 2:1-4:54 we find a running theme. The Apostle Paul writes about the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:17saying, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Jesus turning water into wine, is not about the wine. It’s a SIGN saying that God is replacing the OLD with the NEW, through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Please take a moment and read John 2:1-11

Rather than unpack the whole story, let me draw your attention instead to one little detail. In verse 6 we see that there were six stone water jars that were used for the Jewish rites of purification (ceremonial washing). Each jar held twenty or thirty gallons. That’s roughly 180 gallons of water.

The wedding guests who came had to go through a purification rite before they could enter. If nothing else, they at least had to wash their hands and feet when they arrived for the wedding feast. Jewish law and custom stated that in order to be clean and in right standing before God you must wash yourself.

When the wine ran out (v.3) and Jesus’ mother came to Him for help, Jesus told the servants to take those stone water jars and do two things: “Fill them up to the brim” and “draw some out and take it to the master of the feast” (v.8)and so they did.

This first miracle highlights the glorious truth that water cannot make you clean only Jesus can!  

Why did John tell us they filled them to the brim?

Jesus instructed the servants to fill the stone jars to the brim meaning nothing could be added to them. Jesus filled all the jars completely with the superior wine He provides.

Nothing could be added to those jars. If something was added then what Jesus provided would spill out.

And just like they couldn’t add anymore to the jars, neither can anything be added to the work of Christ to purify us and make us clean before God.

Friends, we are not justified and forgiven before God our Marker and our Judge because of Jesus’ work plus what we add. We are justified by grace alone through faith in Christ.

The groom had nothing to brag about when the master of the feast praised him for saving the best wine until last (v.10)…he didn’t supply the wine.

God supplied ALL of it!

 And as Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing (your own washing); it is a gift from God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Through Jesus’ sinless life, His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, He completely satisfied God. There is nothing else you can add, nothing else you need to accomplish in order to be right with God. Jesus filled it to the brim and cried out it is finished!!

If anyone is in Christ…that is if you are trusting and resting in Jesus’ work…then you are a new creation…the old has passed away; behold the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

And the disciples believed in him – John 2:11

Can I ask…are you completely relying on Jesus today? Do you trust that He is enough for you? Enough to satisfy God’s righteous anger against your sin? Enough that God delights in who you are?  Do you find yourself trying to DO more (Bible reading, devotions, prayer, serving on committees, etc.) to please God? Are you trusting in your performance instead of Jesus’?

If so, confess this to God and run to Jesus our Lord, renew your trust in Him…He is more than enough (2 Cor. 12:9).