The first eleven verses of John chapter 2 tell the story of Jesus’ first miracle. He was at a wedding with his mom and his friends (disciples). Mary (mom) informed him that they had run out of wine. This was a horrible social faux pas in that time and place. She knew that He could do something about it and wanted to spare the bride and groom embarrassment. She was basically asking Him to perform His first miracle. Up to this point, He hadn’t done any public miracles but had just lived a humble life among the people. He was waiting for God’s timing to reveal His glory. Using the most respectful reference possible (Saying “woman” in that time was the term that a servant would use towards a queen) He gently got after Mary for running ahead, telling her that His time had not yet come.
Mary probably didn’t fully understand what He meant by this. But instead of continuing to push Him, she gives up control knowing that because of His compassionate nature and who He is she can trust that He will address the need, and tells the servants to do whatever He asks of them.
And what does Jesus ask of them? To fill some huge stone water jars with water. And they do. They fill them to the absolute brim, so that nothing else can be added. And then He asks them to “draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet”. Scary! The servants taking a cup of “water” to the master. Water that, as far as they can see, is still water. But they obeyed. They trusted. And what was the result? Water that was turned into “the best” wine – v. 10.
Jesus could have given a miracle that just supplied the need. But He went above and beyond and gave the best. A picture of His blessing poured out on us. His first miracle. Where His glory was first revealed and where His disciples (after only following Him for a few short days) put their faith in Him.
So many things I can learn here….
1. Like Mary, I see things that need to be done and tend to run ahead and fix it or tell God how to do it. I need to trust that He knows the need, let go, and then watch what He does.
2. Like the servants, I need to trust and obey, even when it seems scary or ridiculous. When Jesus is clear in what He asks me to do, I need to respond so that I can witness the miracle of what He will do through it.
3. Like the master of the party, I need to be in awe that Jesus gives us the best, just because He loves us.
4. Like the disciples, I need to not just follow Him, but truly, truly put my faith in Him alone. Trust Him. See His glory and recognize who He is and what He can do.
I love what C.S. Lewis said, referring to Jesus’ first miracle….
“Every year, as part of the natural order, God makes wine. He does so by creating a vegetable organism that can turn water, soil, and sunlight into a juice which will, under proper circumstances, become wine …. Once, in one year only, God, now incarnate, short-circuits the process; makes wine in a moment; uses earthenware jars instead of vegetable fibers to hold the water.”
Jesus does miracles every day…we just need to be on the watch for them…
