WATCHWORD:
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel once forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:31-33
1 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” 5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So, the servants followed his instructions.9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” 11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. John 2:1-11
26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” John 11:26-27
Meditation:
Vintage Water?
This first miracle of Jesus, as described in John 2, Mary encourages Him to do something. He is reluctant to act saying, “My time has not yet come.” Jesus had called no disciples at this time, and, from the scripture, the only witnesses were Mary, the servants who filled the jars, and possibly a few friends who had accompanied them from Nazareth.
Jesus is 30 years of age. He is about to start his ministry, from Cana to Calvary over the next three years. He is yet to be baptized by John. We can assume that he has had candid conversations with his mother, and has learned what others have told her about Him. When He and Mary journeyed to Cana as guests at the wedding, we can assume that he is quite aware of his own story about to unfold.
But the question remains, what did he mean by “My time has not yet come”? Why was he reluctant to act? Or did that statement have a different meaning. It’s possible that what he meant was that the hour for him to show himself as Messiah have not yet arrived or had not fully come, and would not until he was crucified.
I suppose we could speculate that his mother wanted Him to perform a miracle because she wanted Him to publicly declare Himself Messiah, as she knew He was because of what the angel had told her before she gave birth to Jesus.
Whatever the answer is, this miracle, there in Cana, was the start of our miraculous, life-giving gift of grace from God to us, personally.
Could we believe, like Mary, that Jesus is and will always be Messiah? Can we answer like Martha, I believe you are “the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God” ? In Martha’s case, she is grieving the loss of her brother, Lazarus, who, at that point, is still in his grave. Does she believe in her heart? Or, is this transactional belief?
Have there been points in your life where it seemed like the Lord was driving that question home to you, do you believe this? Or is this belief driven by a rough patch in your life, a call for help? Or, do you truly believe that Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Lord Almighty, is King Eternal of your whole being, and that His Holy Spirit dwells within you? Is your relationship a personal intimacy with the Lord Almighty, now and forever?
Jesus and Mary return to Nazareth from Cana. Within weeks Jesus stands at the Jordan, baptized by His cousin John. And so, God’s great gift to us continues to be revealed. Amen.
Words of Wisdom:
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! Psalm 119:10
Closing Prayer:
Almighty God, by the power of your Holy Spirit open our eyes, our ears, our hearts and our very lives to your presence, so that today we may worship and serve you in faithfulness, be blessing and healing reminders of your love to all whose lives we touch. We offer our prayers in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
