You have to love that Jesus's first miracle in John's Gospel is turning water to wine. At a very basic level he is exchanging the hosts' would-be shame for running out of wine into gladness and honor for holding the best until last. It is a miracle that represents great care and sympathy toward his hosts.
But more than that, this miracle is about Jesus doing what the law of Moses could not. Jesus takes the jars for ritual cleanings and he turns them into vessels of joy. He is not just here to clear the deck from sin. He has come to bring the greatest prize, life with him.
Remember that wine is always the sign of joy and gladness. Don't pretend it doesn't make a party better. It is supposed to have that affect (when rightly used!). Jesus is a cup of gladness. Is he that for you?
Finally, there is a strong biblical motif about weddings and marriages. There is something about a wedding feast and a bride and a groom that are fairly important to the scope of God's work. I'm just saying'...
I would like to comment on the wedding. A study I have read likens us to the water pots; beaten & battered pots. Christ wants to use us and fills us with the water that is the Word of God. Then he wants us to ladle it out and when the water (which is the Word of God) gets to those for whom it is destined, it becomes the wine of joy through the working of the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDelete(Eph. 5:18) “And be not drunk with wine, wherein excess; but be filled with the Spirit”
To me it is comforting to know Christ can use me, beat up and unworthy as I am, if I will just surrender myself to His will for me. Part of my daily prayer is for me to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit each day.