Most of us know the story of Jesus' first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. His mother and He were invited to a wedding. They both went with Jesus' disciples in tow.
One thing you have to remember about Jewish weddings at the time: they were week-long celebrations involving a lot of partying and the celebration of the couple's union, consummated by the couple going into a tent and having sex for the first time (theoretically). Then follows several days of celebration, of which wine played an important element of the celebration. So much so, that if a host was to run out of wine, it would have been a big embarrassment.
But that's exactly what appeared to have happened at this wedding. They were calling for more wine, and there was none to be had. So naturally, Mary turns to Jesus.
Why? Who knows? Maybe she saw Him do that for them a time or two at the dinner table. She apparently knew He could pull it off, or she wouldn't have come to Him in the first place. Jesus' response to her request to do something is interesting to our modern ears:
Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." (Jn 2:4)Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it. I mean, if I were to have ever said that to my mother, she would have flown off the handle. "Woman, what do I have to do with you?"
But in that day, "woman" was a term of endearment, much like our term "mommy." The rest of that statement was simply Jesus telling His mother, "Look, I'd love to help these people out, but my time hasn't come yet. I'd be prematurely revealing myself. And, why are you telling Me when it is the right time to start my ministry?"
But then Mary goes ahead and tells the servants standing by to do whatever Jesus says. I can see Jesus throwing up His hands and saying, "Okay, we'll do it your way!" So he tells the servants what to do and they do it. When they take a cup of the water . . . I mean, now it's wine, to the head of the bridegroom's party, He waves the bridegroom over and says the following:
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. (Jn 2:10)This is the amazing thing, that Jesus made good wine. Really good wine. As I said before, He went all out.
What most people miss here is the parallelism between this event and the last Passover meal Jesus has with His disciples, otherwise known as the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. Both involve wine, both are rituals around which we build our lives. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus created very good wine from water. At the end of His earthly ministry, He gave of Himself, turning the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. And it is very good, indeed.
The fact is if Jesus can turn the water into great wine, He can turn the bread and wine into excellent food and drink that not only feeds the body, but the soul as well.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)Now, go out there and make some great "wine" for the glory of God, today!
