Chapter 8
The Bridegroom
 

9: When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew:) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom.
10: And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, than that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

John 2:9-10
 

The Governor of the Feast represents those in the body of Christ who have the discernment to recognize the new wine. The Wedding Guests represent those who have allowed themselves to become intoxicated on the knowledge which brings the glory of man to the point of becoming dulled, selfish and stagnant. And the Bridegroom represents the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that the Governor of the Feast called to the Bridegroom and said that, ‘You have kept the good wine until now.’ The Lord is to get the credit for the new wine. Those who recognize the Lord’s goodness will let Jesus know that they’ve tasted of it and it’s good!

"…I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, (literally house of wine), and his banner over me was love." Song of Solomon 2:3.

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Those who truly recognize the value of what He gives will worship Him. It’s not enough for you to enjoy the new wine, you have got to tell Him. You’ve got to praise Him. You’ve got to call out to Him and say, "Hey Jesus, this is awesome. This is better than anything else so far!" Because the essence of the new wine comes from being close to Him, you will continually want to call Him close to you. It wasn’t enough for the Governor to recognize that the new wine was better—he had to tell the Bridegroom. This is what praise and worship is. It’s when you tell the Lord how good He is. The Governor didn’t send a messenger, He wanted to tell Jesus himself. Notice he didn’t talk about it to all the others around him, not that that would be wrong, but he didn’t try to rally a group of supporters first to agree with him and then tell the Bridegroom. He knew within himself that it was good and he didn’t need anyone else’s approval or opinion.

A true wine taster realizes that each person has his own taste and will not try and interfere with a person’s opinion of the wine. Each person’s taste is just a little bit different. One might appreciate a certain taste much more than another does. Your experience in tasting is not meant to replace another’s. You’re not to tell another what is the ‘right’ taste for them. Each one needs

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to taste for themselves. All of us need to tell the Lord personally what He means to us. You need to make it personal and tell Him how much you appreciate the Spirit of God moving in your life. You can’t tell others how to worship the Lord. You can’t tell others what is the right thing to say or do when they worship Him. Each of us needs to express ourselves according to what we have experienced and how we perceive what He is doing. And although we may not agree in our explanation of how it tastes, we can all agree that it is good!

When you truly worship the Lord this way from your heart then Jesus is no longer just a hope in the room. He’s no longer just a possibility. He’s become the Bridegroom. The question in all of this is are you looking for a deeper intimacy with Him or are you willing to settle for less? Are you content to stay where you are and continue drinking the same wine, (which is running out), or do you perceive that there’s a greater depth the Lord is calling you to? But do you want this greater depth for your own glory and to impress other’s with or do you want it because you truly recognize the value and appreciate all that He gives to you? These are questions you need to honestly search your heart for and ask the Lord to show you your heart. You need His light to shine and reveal the truth of your own life to you. Not what you think, but His truth. And you need to be willing to take what He shows you and surrender it to Him.

Do you really want Jesus, your Bridegroom, close to you? How close do you want to be with Him? How intimate do you want your relationship with Him to be? And how do you ‘call Him near?’ Remember Jesus said when two or three of us gather in His Name He would be in our midst. We gather in His Name. We seek to be in the place where He put His Name, the place of His presence. We come together in His Name for the purpose of worshipping Him. Again, under the Old Covenant the Lord told them to seek out that place where He chose to put His Name and His presence and then go there and offer tithes and offerings and rejoice over all of

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God’s blessings in their life. (Deut. 12:5-7).

We gather together for the purpose of giving to the Lord and rejoicing in His goodness. How many of you can say that the reason you go to church is to pay your tithes? We usually think of going to church in order to get something from God. But the Lord told them to gather together in that specific place for the purpose of giving tithes and offerings and rejoicing over what He’s done. We really should go to church with the attitude of rejoicing and giving to the Lord and not for what we’re going to get. When you go to a wedding, you go and bless the couple with gifts and you rejoice over their union as husband and wife. This is what should be happening at church. You come to give and to rejoice over your union with Him. Of course, you do get something out of it when the Lord blesses you with His presence but your purpose is not to be selfish, but to be giving and rejoicing—thankful for what He’s already done for you.

The devil tries to do whatever he can to keep you from worshipping God and he doesn’t care if you gather in the Lord’s Name if you’re looking to take. It’s when you look to give and worship and rejoice and celebrate His goodness that you make him nervous. Because your desire to enter into intimacy with the Lord will not only bring signs, wonders and miracles into your midst but even more importantly, will deliver you and bring such freedom into your life that others will be drawn to you seeking the Lord for themselves.

The Bridegroom is calling you to become intimate with Him. And worship is the expression of your love towards Him. It’s also the response of His love towards you, which you must receive first. This miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine is a message of His love, hope and faith. It’s a message that invites you to become intimate with Him. Will you respond to His invitation?
 

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We’ve looked at all the person’s John discusses in the miracle at Cana and each one carries a message for you. But you are in this story also. You’ve been called to the wedding, not as a guest, but as His Bride. We’re going to look now at who John didn’t directly write about—the Bride.

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