You Think Things are Good Now--Just Wait!

Daily Lectionary Readings
Psalm 41
Deuteronomy 8:1-18
Hebrews 2:11-18
John 2:1-12

John 2:1-12 New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

John 2
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a]
7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Jesus Clears the Temple
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

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Jesus begins his public ministry with a miracle that makes a lot of folks scratch their head. He goes to a wedding and is apparently enjoying the festivities, when his mom comes up and says that the family has run out of wine. His retort is, "What business is that of mine?" Nevertheless, she told the servants to obey him and he decides to inaugurate his ministry with the miracle of the water turned into wine.

What’s so special about this passage is not the miracle. We know he is the son of God and that miracles are part and parcel of who he is and what he is all about. As I ponder this passage, I think the key comes from the mouth of master of the banquet as he says to the bridegroom, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

I think this could be viewed as a precursor to Jesus ministry. I believe that those that were following him were already giddy with excitement and anticipation. They were already calling him Messiah. They thought that they had started on the ride of their life.

At the Jewish wedding, you would like wise have started on a high--you served the best tasting wine first. After everyone had had their fill of the good stuff, then the cheaper stuff didn't taste so bad. I believe Jesus was trying to tell his followers, you may think that we are starting with the good stuff, but what I have in store at the end is even better than what you can imagine right now.

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Prayer: Lord, don't let us simply get involved with you because of the excitement of the moment. Let us also be in it for the long haul to see the even greater things that you have in store for us.