January 31, 2010 - Miracle in Cana

John chapter 2 describes the first miracle of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t the one quite expected from our Lord but there is something that the writer wants us to understand. To be able to grasp what the writer intends to convey let us enumerate what transpired in the story of the first miracle of Jesus in Cana of Galilee.

The Invitation

Jesus was invited to a certain marriage in Cana. Though the Bible is silent as to what the relationship of Jesus with the couple, it is clear that they were close relatives. One main reason is that Mary (the mother of Jesus) was part of the preparation-crew for the feast that was set for the married couple. She was responsible for the wine-preparation. Jesus was there with His disciples, enjoying the occasion like any other person might do. He was invited with His friends to witness something good and blessed that will be given to the married couple; the union of man and woman with the seal of the Lord binding them together as husband and wife. It was a sacred ceremony, unlike ours where it became worldly rather than holy matrimony.

The Problem

Though the family members and relatives were well-aware of their obligation, a problem arose. Their supply of wine weren’t sufficient. The visitors needed more. Either there were too many visitors or they were enjoying their merry-making with their drinks that we don’t know. What we are sure is that the wine wasn’t enough. Something must be done. And since Mary was in-charge of the wine, she must do something. She must produce the needed wine to satisfy the relatives and visitors. What must she do? If she will send someone to buy wine then it might be too late and the people might be irritated. She was in a dilemma! Then suddenly, she thought of Jesus. She rushed towards Jesus and told Him the problem. She said to Jesus, “They have no wine”.
Wait a minute. Something’s wrong with this picture. Jesus was an invited guest in that ceremony and He had nothing to do with the preparation of the wine. Neither was He a drunkard nor a businessman on wine. Mary knew this. Yet she was bold enough to go to Jesus and say, “They have no wine”? Something is terribly wrong with this! Jesus reply is not at all pleasant. He replied, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.” It was clear that Jesus had nothing to do with the wine. He said it very clearly to Mary. It was not even the time for Jesus to do such things. Did Mary listen? She heard what Jesus said but didn’t listen. She suddenly assumed that Jesus will do such things for her; for she was His mother. She ordered the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” Talk about aggressiveness and self-confidence. But Jesus did what His mother requested. It was not out of fear but of respect. He honoured His mother by doing what she requested. Though He is the Son of God and made the commandments, He is no law-breaker. He followed the commandments to the dot. He, therefore, not only honoured His mother but God Himself. Jesus knew that if He does such things, He will give glory to God.

The Miracle

Then Jesus turned to the servants and ordered to fill up the waterpots that were set before Him with water. And they filled it up to the brim. And He saith unto them, “Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.” And they bare (showed) it. When the governor of the feast tasted the water, not knowing what it was, he called for the bridegroom. And the governor saith unto him, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” The water that the servants filled out turned into wine! And not only that, it turned out to be the best wine that the governor of the feast has ever tasted! This was the beginning of the miracles of Jesus and manifested forth His glory, and His disciples believed on Him.

Our First Miracle

Ever remembered when we first accepted Jesus Christ as our God and Saviour? It was a fulfilling and blessed moment. It was the best thing that ever happened to us. But I want to tell you with all honesty this plain truth: it wasn’t Jesus who invited Himself in, it was us. Just like a visitor that knocks on your door, he couldn’t help himself inside. He needs an invitation from the owner of the house. We invited Jesus in our lives as He was knocking on our door. But not only did we invite Jesus but also His disciples. The disciples are the ones who share the Word of God. They are the ones who keep God’s word and do it.

As we involve ourselves with Jesus, we have our own ‘Marys’ to deal with. These ‘Marys’ are persons, things, and work that gives us earthly happiness; like our loved ones, our work, our business, our daily living. The ‘wine’ that is being prepared is our success; success in terms of our needs and wants. When I say needs I mean to say our food, clothing and shelter. When I say wants I mean to say what we wanted to have aside from our needs. These wants can probably be cars, house, big savings account, good education for our children, etc.

Unlike the marriage in Cana, Jesus is not only our special visitor but our main host. We don’t order Him around like a servant. We are not His boss. When we invited Him in, Jesus became our Lord, Master, God and our Big Boss. We are His servants, not the other way around. But like in Cana, we wanted our Lord to witness the blessings that we receive from Him and how we enjoy and use them for the greater glory of God.

The Christian’s Problem

We all know what a television set is. It is an electronic equipment where we watch TV shows or movies. We have a clear reception on our TV sets through antennas. The only time we get a blurred reception (sometimes nothing) is during a storm. Sometimes when we don’t get a reception, we shut down the TV set.

The TV set represents our lives. The clear reception received is the promise of God to our lives. We enjoy our Christian life when we see clearly the promises of God. But during the storms of our lives, the clear reception of God’s promises become blurred and sometimes nothing. During the storms of our lives, we begin to be disheartened and lose hope. We don’t look on Jesus any longer but focus on the problems that lie ahead. Note that the reception is always there; it was only blocked by the stormy clouds. It wasn’t taken away. It was always there and still is. The promises of God are the same. They are always there. Even during the most difficult storm in our lives, they will never be taken away from us; unless we let it go.

The thing that worried Mary is sometimes the thing that worries us so much. The thought of not having enough is sometimes unthinkable. Let us take Billy Gates for example. He has enough money to support more than one nation. He can actually live a thousand lifetimes without even working. But for him, to waste a single moment, away from his vocation, is quite unthinkable. What if his company becomes bankrupt? What will he do? Will he focus on his own effort and skills to bring his company back to life?

Imagine yourself being a rich and powerful person. What if you suddenly become bankrupt? What will you do? Will you rely on your own resources? Will you try to restore your old self by the ways of the world? As a Christian, what will you do?

The Miracle of Jesus in Our Lives

Mary had chosen a solution for her problems. She turned to Jesus. She knew that He won’t let her down. She had chosen a path even before the event in Cana. She had chosen Him the day she invited Him in her life. But how did she know that Jesus will do it? When Jesus answered her in an unpleasant manner, she still insisted her request. She was persistent. She knew that He will do it, not because she was His mother but because her request will be beneficial for others.

But Jesus can simply ignore such request. It was not yet time for Him to do such things. What made Him do it? He did it because it will manifest forth His glory. And that was the beginning of the miracles of Jesus.

Are you troubled? Do you feel that the Lord is no longer answering your petitions? Are you losing hope? Why not imitate what Mary did. We have already accepted Jesus as our God, Saviour, Healer, Redeemer and Provider. Why not turn unto Jesus just like Mary did? Jesus had said in Matt 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” He said all things. But James warned us with his words in James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Therefore, when we make our request, we must make sure that it will bring glory to God.

The Best is Yet to Come

Brethren, we are the waterpots of God. We must fill ourselves with the Living Water that is the Word of God. And that Word of God is Jesus Christ our Lord. When we fill ourselves up to the brim, meaning there will be no room for Satan to place his thoughts of destruction and despair, God will give us what we want. Don’t make any room for Satan. Fill yourself up with the goodness of our Lord. Feel His awesome power and receive the blessings that He will continuously give. Take note that the blessings that you have now will never be the same blessings that you will receive tomorrow because the BEST IS YET TO COME!!! This is the day the Lord’s blessings and miracles will begin in our lives!!!