John 2:1-12 – Jesus is the answer to our need

John 2:1-12 – Jesus is the answer to our need

We have established that in John’s Gospel, the signs chosen and recorded are for the purpose of proving Jesus is the Son of God, so that all who believe would have eternal life. The first sign that Jesus did and recorded here was a miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Ultimately all miracles of the Lord are aimed at changing life. And this one certainly did. In John 2:11 we are told that, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

Wedding is a joyous occasion. Everyone is happy for the couple and no one ever wishes for any un-pleasantry to happen during the ceremony. To the couple anticipating a future together, it’s a day that they certainly do not wish for anything to go wrong. To a Jew in Jesus’ day, wedding was considered a very grand event in his or her life. And having a feast with wine overflowing was a normal part of the program. Wine was essential because it was a symbol of joy and celebration. Hence it is not difficult to see why Mary’s distressing call in John 2:3 to Jesus was significant. “They have no wine,” she said. It would be a sign of inhospitality if there was not enough wine to meet the needs of the celebrants. So the wedding at Cana of Galilee threatened to have a breakdown in the supply of wine. The beautiful occasion was about to be shattered by that problem. But like all our problems in life, this one was also going to be an opportunity for our Lord to bring about a transforming miracle. This of course would mean that Jesus is invited into all the situations of our life. For the wedding at Cana, His mother and disciples were all invited. Good for the couple that the Lord was invited.

Having no wine might have been the problem at that wedding, but the statement, “They have no wine”, has a far reaching implication. A life without Christ is a life without wine. In many scriptures wine has always been used as a symbol of joy. For example, Psalm 104:15 says, “Wine gladdens the heart of man.” Wine to a Jew is a symbol of joy. Mary’s words is as good as saying, they have no joy. What a way to start out in life! Just imagine a life where joy runs out at the very beginning. In all of life experiences, without Christ there will come a time when all our joy will run out.

But we also need to know that in life there are divine moments. All our lacks in life signal a need to turn to the Lord. However, in turning to the Lord, we need to have patience. The Lord knows the exact time for our miracle. The way Jesus responded to Mary, His earthly mother, was not an indication of disrespect. It was His way of saying, “There is a divine moment and it is not now but it will surely come.” This is an indication to trust and wait for that moment that will surely come. And that moment did come. But for every situation, while waiting for God’s breakthrough moment, we cannot afford to be passive. Like the servants that were instructed, we must also gather our water-pots and fill them with water. We need to do whatever is necessary while anticipating the miracle. God will do His part and we must also do ours in the meantime. At the right moment the miracle happened, Christ turned the water into wine. And it was the best wine ever. In practice, everyone would serve best wine first so that when the guests became drunk, they wouldn’t be able to tell the different in the quality of the wine that would be served later. But in Christ, the later wine is always the best wine. In God’s reckoning the latter days will be better than the former.

Get this right, John is telling us from this first miracle that Jesus is the answer to all our needs. There can be no true joy without Christ. The more we walk with Him the greater will our joy be. The quality of the joy, regardless of our experiences, always gets better. John is also telling us that if we are waiting for our divine moment, the breakthrough will come. But meanwhile we must do all we possibly can. We must do what we can and God will do what we cannot. Take heart, our miracle is coming! Amen!