John 2:1-11
Jesus was
God in human flesh. This joining of God
with flesh is a mystery. Many do not
believe it. Many have tried to explain
it.
There are
those who recognize that Jesus was a great teacher. Many do not know what to think. Jesus lived among us in a body like ours two
thousand years ago, and He is still talked about, written about, hated and
loved around the world.
Two
thousand years ago, when He was among us, the people that he lived among faced
a unique challenge. They saw Jesus
physically. They saw His eyes and, if
they were attentive, they could have told us what color His eyes were. They saw His hair and they could have told us
how He wore His hair. The challenge they
faced was to see past the physical and see God.
His glory
was hidden.
We have an
account of Jesus showing a small part of His glory on what is known as the Mount
of Transfiguration. Matthew 17:2 says, “As
the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like
the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.”[i] However, this transfiguration was seen by
only three men: James, Peter and
John. These men were Jesus’ closest
disciples. For the rest of those who saw
Jesus, He looked normal. The prophet Isaiah
told us in advance that, “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his
appearance, nothing to attract us to him.”
(Isaiah 53:2)
Since my
youngest days, I have heard that Jesus turned water into wine. Usually, it was in the context of someone
making an argument for the drinking of alcoholic beverages. However, Jesus did not make water into wine
to give tacit approval to the abuse of alcohol, no more than He created sex to
give approval to its abuse. Everything
God has created is appropriate and good for its intended purpose and in its
place. By focusing on the wine, we miss
the whole point.
The Apostle
John, one of the three who was on the Mount of Transfiguration, was the one who
told us about Jesus turning water into wine.
He tells us the reason Jesus did this.
He says, “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time
Jesus revealed his glory. And his
disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11,
NLT)
If we look
carefully at what John wrote, we see three reasons Jesus did this.
First, it
was a miraculous sign.
The
definition of a sign given by Google is:
-an object, quality, or event whose
presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of
something else.[ii]
The
presence of something else indicated by the sign that Jesus gave was His Divine
Nature.
The second
reason Jesus turned the water into wine, according to John, was it revealed His
glory.
Again, I
will refer to the definition of reveal given by Google. To reveal means:
make (previously unknown or secret
information) known to others[iii]
Jesus lived
among us with His glory hidden. It was
secret information, and this miraculous sign made it known to others.
This leads
us to the third reason John gives us for this miracle. John says, “And his disciples believed in
him.”
Jesus
confirmed or strengthened the faith of His followers. Jesus strengthened those who already believed. This miracle was hidden from all but a few at
the wedding.
The Jewish
leaders who opposed Jesus challenged Jesus to prove that He was the Messiah by
giving them a sign, and Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation
would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign
of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 12:39,
NLT) Notice, Jesus says there will be a
sign given, but He calls into question their motives.
In the
Apostle John’s account, the Gospel of John, He records seven signs. Therefore, Jesus was not saying there would
be only one sign. However, He was saying
that to the evil and adulterous generation that demanded a miraculous sign only
one sign would be given. The
resurrection of Jesus is enough for the unbelieving that demand proof. If a person will not believe based on the
resurrection, they will not believe.
I have
often heard the question, “Do miracles still occur?”
For
believers like me, even the asking of the question is incredible. Of course, they still occur. The only reason someone would not see them is
that they do not believe.
God makes
wine every day. Usually, He uses natural
processes. The sun shines on the
earth. The grape vine combines water,
nutrients from the soil, sunlight and carbon dioxide to make grapes. When the grapes are ripe, they are harvested. The juice is squeezed out and then allowed to
ferment. The whole process takes months. John tells us of an occasion when God
bypassed the months. The change took
place somewhere between the servants filling the water jars and when they drew
the wine out.
Most
miracles are like this. God performs in
a short time what He normally does over time.
God has built the body so that it heals.
Therefore, when a person with physical or medical problems is healed,
the unbelieving find an explanation.
There are fakers and liars, but that does not mean that all accounts of
the miraculous are fake. People are
saved from death, healed of diseases and have their needs provided for all the
time. These miracles sometimes convince
the seeker, but most often, they strengthen the faith of the believer.
We can
apply some truths about miracles from the record in John chapter 2.
First, our
crises are not God’s crises.
When told
about the problem with the wine, Jesus responded, “Dear woman, that’s not our
problem.” (John 2:4, NLT)
God knows
everything. He is looking out for our
good. We all must die sometime. Whenever that time approaches, it is a crisis
for us, but not for God. God does not operate
according to our crises, but according to His plan. He does not give us everything we ask for
because not everything we ask for is for our best.
The second
truth about miracles is, God works on His own schedule.
This is
closely related to the first truth. When
told about the problem with the wine, the second half of Jesus’ reply was, “My
time has not yet come.”
We think we
know what God needs to do.
Mary knew
who Jesus was. She wanted the world to
know. (We want the world to know.) Jesus points this out by saying, “My time has
not yet come.” Mary was pushing Jesus to
fulfill His mission, and Jesus was saying, “Not yet.”
We know
that God wants us to be healthy. We know
that God wants us to be happy. He tells
us He will wipe away every tear, and heal all our diseases. However, we also know that in this world we
will have trouble. If God’s promise to heal
all our diseases meant that we could demand a miracle and receive it every time,
then none of us would ever die. It is
not His time. He is working to bring all
things into subjection to Christ, and at the same time He is patiently waiting
for us to repent because He is not willing that any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)
There is a day coming when none of us will ever get sick again or have
to face death again. But, it is not yet.
The third
truth is, God responds to the trusting heart.
Jesus said,
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem. My
time has not yet come.” And, Mary did
not argue. Mary turned to the servants
and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Refused and
rejected, she was not dissuaded or discouraged.
Her faith makes me laugh with joy.
Such complete trust is what I wish for.
She trusted Jesus and did not insist on her own way. She left the matter entirely in His
hands. Jesus taught us to pray for God’s
will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
In the Scripture, God tells us to pray.
He wants us to tell Him our desires and needs, and then to trust
Him. Our worries, cares and sorrows are
important to Him. He tells us they
are. He tells us that he is “touched
with the feeling of our infirmities.”
(Hebrews 4:15, KJV) In the midst of
our weakness, He is moved by the heart that trusts Him.
This does
not mean one will get healing every time.
It means one is willing to trust God for the best.
The fourth
truth is God is willing to make Himself known.
John says
is 2:11, “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus
revealed his glory. And his disciples
believed in him.”
This is the
first time. The gospel accounts are full
of miraculous signs. Jesus walked on
water, healed the blind, fed 5,000 with three loaves and two fishes, calmed
storms, raised the dead and cast out demons.
When He
turned the water into wine, only a few knew.
When He calmed the storm, only those in the boat knew. There is a principle in this. Jesus taught, “For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be
opened.” (Matthew 7:8) Not everyone receives, because not everyone
asks.
There are
two things that we should walk away with.
These two things will change your life.
- Ask
- Trust
Will you?
[i]
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation. Copyright © 1996,
2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=sign%20definition
[iii]
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=active&q=revealed+definition
Nicely done.
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