Baptism and Wine

Last week I was looking up verses and information on baptism for the Bible Study for X-session, and I came across a verse that kinda confused me. I was searching for "baptism Christ" on YouVersion and the verse that popped up was John 2:6. What really confused me about this verse was that it did not contain the words "baptism" or "Christ," and was not in a section of the Bible dealing with baptism at all. Here is what it says:

"Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained 20 or 30 gallons."  

So what in the world does this have to do with baptism? It's actually really cool. In case you don't know, this verse comes from the passage in the Bible dealing with Jesus' 1st miracle, turning water into wine. The six stone water jars that are mentioned are the jars that Jesus instructed to be filled with water, and it was this water that He transformed into the choice wine for the wedding.

In Old Testament Jewish law, ritual washing and purifications were very important, and in some ways, baptism is an extention of this. Baptism is symbolic of ritually cleansing yourself, removing the grime and filth and dirt of your old sinful life and becoming clean before God. Just as the Jews would ceremonially clean themselves to remove the stain of sin, we are baptized, representing the cleansing and removal of sin that Christ has performed in our lives.

Now, what I find to be incredibly interessting about this is the fact that Jesus chose these jars, this water to turn into wine. These were holy jars and important water, and Jesus took that and transformed it into a LOT of wine for celebration. In some ways, this could be viewed as a statement against the old system, a representation of the fact that while, there had been a certain system in place in the past to keep people clean before God, the bridegroom had now come, and it was time to celebrate, to bring out the best wine in celebration of the wedding between the perfect bridegroom (Christ) and His bride (The Church).

Secondly, the symbolism in the use of these jars is incredible! As we see multiple other places in the Bible, wine is symbolic of blood. We see, at the Last Supper, that Jesus directly relates the wine to His blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins and which seals the new covenant. The jars and water that Jesus turned into wine were to be used for purification and cleaning under the new covenant. When He transformed this water into wine it was a statement that the old system of purification was over. People would now be cleaned through the washing with blood, Christ's blood. The wine was not just any wine, it was the best wine. The blood that cleanses us now is not just any blood from animal sacrifices, but the best, perfect blood of Christ. Where we once had to be ceremonially washed with special, holy water, we are now washed, through baptism, in Christ and His blood. We are buried with Him and cleaned through Him and raised with Him in a new, clean life.

One other interesting thing about this: In the OT, one of the 1st plagues on Egypt was the turning of water into blood, and these all led up to the Passover Meal, the salvation of the Israelites, and the establishment of the 1st covenant.
In the NT, Christ's 1st miracle was the turning of water into wine (blood). This began his ministry, which led up to the Last Supper (The Passover Meal) and the crucifixion of Christ, which established the new covenant and brought about the salvation for all.

Just some interesting thoughts.