JESUS: The Ultimate Party Person!

Let’s talk about parties!  There’s a pretty impressive party story recorded by the Apostle John in the second chapter of his gospel.

In this text John describes the first miracle Jesus performed.  Now, if you’re going to present yourself as the Jewish Messiah in the 1^st century, you want to be sure that the first public demonstration (John called it a “sign”) of your power summarizes what your Kingdom is all about.

With that in mind, it is interesting that Jesus chose a wedding feast as the context for his first miracle and the miracle he chose was to turn water into wine.  He could have healed someone who was born blind or even raised someone from the dead.  But instead, for his first miracle, Jesus chose to supply a party with wine.  Why?

When Jesus came to them, the Jewish people had been oppressed for many years.  Amos’ vision of the land of Israel being a place where “new wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills” must have seemed like a distant memory.  (Amos 9:13-15)  But those attending the wedding feast that day saw a Messiah who could make wine flow from water jars.  Over 120 gallons of wine! Now that’s some party!

I believe there is something very important going on here.  I think this miracle is a definitive statement about the nature of Jesus’ ministry.  Ultimately Jesus Christ came to host a party.  Jesus is the Lord of the feast and those who come to him are invited to taste and see that he is good. 

Over and over again in the gospels Jesus describes the Kingdom as a party to which all are invited.  In the book of Revelation, John (the same one who wrote about the wedding feast in his gospel) describes “the wedding supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:6-9)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget that the story we’re living in now ends with a really big party where “the dwelling of God is with men…” and “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Perhaps you and I need to re-read the story of the wedding feast from time to time. Maybe we need to read it and remember that Jesus is the Lord and the Life of the party… literally!  This is the Jesus we walk with every day!  This is the Jesus whose Spirit lives within us!  This is the Jesus we tell people about!  This is the Jesus who invites us all to the party!