Jesus turns water into wine (John 2:1-12)
When I read about this miracle, the first of Jesus' ministry, I had always thought that the lesson was given by the host of the party. I always thought that it was about saving the best for last. But the host is hardly the best spiritual role model. So we take a look at Jesus.

It puzzles me that Jesus, in verse 4, would be so unwilling to help. the mother of Jesus, fits the universal mold of a mother. When there surfaces a problem during the wedding, she calls on her son to help. Why did she do so? Was it because she knew He could solve the problem by going to get more wine? Or that He could to try to appease the guests? I'd like to think that she knew her son better than anyone else. Enough to know that He was someone special enough to be able to do something miraculous.

My mom also used to have a knack of volunteering my help to others. Thats why I can really relate to Jesus' reaction.
"Why do you involve me?" (NIV)
"What has this got to do with me?" (NKJV)
"How does that concern us?" (NLT)
It sounds like He's really reluctant to help. Sounds like any indignant, rebellious son doesn't it? But we find out the cause of his annoyance. He wasn't ready to start demonstrating His power.
"My time has not come..."

But we see that mummy dearest instructs the servants to be ready for His instructions. She doesn't force Him into helping but instead waits for Him to agree. Jesus goes on to perform His first miracle transforming water to wine. So here we see that there is a need, a lack of wine. Don't we find that we face that very same problem quite often? That we are always lacking one thing or another? Where there is a need, we remember that we have a God who can handle it.

Isn't it wonderful how we have a God who can take the ordinary and transform it into something incredible? Into something of high quality! The pots containing the water-turned-to-wine were ordinary stone pots. Used for ceremonial washings. He didn't need fantastic, priceless China vases. All he needed were common stone pots. In the same way, God can take people like us to achieve His purpose. All we need is to be filled with the water, the Holy Spirit and something good will pour forth. Something wonderful, something different, something of high quality.

Jesus, sensing a need, a request and an opportunity to provide, displayed His miraculous power and glory. He went ahead with it despite His initial reservations about demonstrating His power so early. Because He knew that this miracle would cause the disciples' faith in Him to increase. So it is with all of His miracles, they always work to build our faith.
| written by daryl |