1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of
Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called,
and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the
mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is
not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of
stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill
the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And
he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto
the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler
of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it
was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast
called the bridegroom, 10 And 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. 11 This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him. (John
2:1-11)
“When in the Course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's
God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that
they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Declaration
of Independence
On the occasion of this miracle, Jesus has just completed His ordeal of
temptation in the Wilderness and has called his disciples. He has returned to
Galilee and, on the third day, is called to a Marriage to which His mother and
disciples have also been invited. One comforting thought revealed here is that
those who belong to Christ are privileged to be admitted to the privileges to
which He is admitted. “And both Jesus was called, and his disciples,
to the marriage.” There are a number of salient points to be
discovered in this miracle at Cana. When we ABIDE in Christ, we go with Him in
both sufferings and celebrations. Let us examine the prime truths revealed in
this First Miracle of Jesus’ earthly ministry:
One The miracle was performed to emphasize the high regard God
entertains for the Institution of Marriage – the first which He blessed and
sanctified at Eden for the propagation of the race. “And the third day
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there”
It was the first miracle of Jesus just as marriage was the first institution of
God.
Two The miracle demonstrates the concern of Jesus
for the most common matters of the life of man. It was a joyous celebration,
and Jesus participated in both the joys and the dignity of the even. The wine
to which the text relates was not grape juice, but truly wine. It added to the
joy of the occasion. Men do not drink grape juice ‘abundantly’ and throughout
the afternoon. They gave out of this wine, and more was needed. Jesus comes
wherever He is invited, and He is a benefit to all others present.
Three Jesus had respect for His mother, and obeyed
her petitions even when the time was not perfect. “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet
come.” We all should take example of the Lord in keeping
the Commandment: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be
long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The Lord’s
reference to Mary as WOMAN was an ‘honorific’ in that day and not a slight.
Four The miracle reveals the purpose and glory of
Christ in His command over the natural Creation which He has made and whose
precise laws He commanded in the dawn of time. “This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him.” He is Sovereign over both animate, and
inanimate, beings. He is able to suspend His natural law to perform goodness.
In our infancy as a nation, we acknowledged this power of Christ. (see the
quote from the Declaration of Independence at the beginning of this devotion)
How far astray we have drifted from this Founding Principle! Jesus came to
transfigure and transform! He does so with water, and He does so with the heart
of the meanest among us. The heart is the polar opposite of God, but Christ can
enter in and clean house, so to speak. He took, as our Founding Fathers aver, a
handful of rabble rousers at a tea party in Boston and turned them into a
nation of Fifty Blessed States – a blessing which we have derived from the
righteousness and faith of our Fathers and to which we have no present right.
Five Jesus came to satisfy a great need, and even
lesser ones. “And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith
unto him, They have no wine.” No problem is too great, or
too small, to be brought to Jesus. He will ALWAYS supply our needs, but not
necessarily our desires.
Six The miracle at Cana reveals the importance of
unquestioning obedience to Christ: “His mother saith unto the
servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” His mother
did not argue with Jesus, but knew He would satisfy the need. She directed that
the servants do whatsoever Jesus commanded. That is a good lesson for us, as
well. If you are not a devout student of Scripture, how can you know “whatsoever
He commanded you to do?”
Seven Jesus makes use of the resources available. If
no man will proclaim His Gospel, He will use alternate resources: If no man
will proclaim His Gospel, He will use alternate resources: “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude
said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said
unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the
stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40) “And
there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the
purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.”
A Jewish firkin was more than seven gallons. So each of these enormous
pots would have held about twenty gallons of water (soon to be wine).
Eight The miracle reveals the approach Jesus takes in
the progress of His work. “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw
out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.”
You will note that even though the manner of the miracle seemed so lacking in
the spectacularity, the servants obeyed every command without even a slight
hesitation. It must have seemed odd to bear what appeared to be water to the
governor of the feast to taste-test. But they did so without question. Are we
so obedient in simplicity and sincerity? Though He could have turned water into
wine without the aid of human hands, He allows us to be participants in His
work. He allowed the lowliest of servants to be participants in the greatest
event of the Marriage. He takes, today, the lowliest among us and makes them
ministers of His Word – even the lips of a child may pronounce marvelous truths
that the profane world cannot grasp.
Nine Of profound importance to the Christian is the
intimation in this miracle that, for the believer, the “best is yet to
come!” Though we are blessed with a comfort and joy beyond all belief
in this life – even when the gale storms of doubt and evil blast at our
doorstep – there is always yet a greater joy to come in Christ. “When
the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not
whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of
the feast called the bridegroom, And 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.” Another
outstanding point of this miracle is that the benefits of Christ will always
amaze. We are made joyful by surprise of His blessings!
Ten Miracles strengthen our faith, but not the
signs and wonders boasted of by the false prophets and evangelists – it is the
miracle that takes place in the heart of one at conversion. Men seek miracles
and wonders because they have no faith to begin with. If man believes the Word
of God that Christ came to save our souls, what greater miracle do we need than
the love evidenced in that act? “A wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given
unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.” (Matt 16:4) If we
believe that Christ bled and died for our sins, was buried and rose again from
the dead, and ascended to the Father as our Advocate; what greater sign do we
NEED? “An evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth.” (Matt
12:39-40)
The Miracle at Cana is but a morsel of the Hidden Manna that
awaits every diligent Bible scholar to discover. The points I have high-lighted
by no means encompass the full meaning of this Miracle at Cana. Perhaps if you
look keenly and with a heart devoted to Christ, you may find enough crumbs from
the Master’s Table to feed a multitude.
