THE FINEST WINE

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.” — JOHN 2:7

The first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding in Cana. His mother quietly informed Him they were out of wine, and in Jewish tradition, wedding celebrations could last for several days. To be out of wine would have been a social disgrace, and humiliating to the hosts. Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” That sounds like an abrupt response, but what Jesus is saying is that He is not operating on the basis of anyone’s needs or schedule, but solely on the basis of His Father’s schedule and agenda.
 
Mary is left without assurance that Jesus will do anything, but she knows if He does, it’s going to be important, so she says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus first begins by giving a command. There were six stone jugs nearby, each capable of holding 20 to 30 gallons of water. He said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” They didn’t fill them half way or almost to the top, but they filled them to the brim.
 
If we’re wondering why we see little of God’s working in our lives, it may be a good time to ask ourselves if our obedience to Him is fairly casual, half-hearted or even conditional. Are we filling the jugs to the brim? God doesn’t do anything new in our lives until our obedience to Him is up to date, and until then, we only have water. Neither can we disillusion ourselves by trying to make the wine ourselves. We accept who we are with our failures and weaknesses; that’s the ordinary, the raw material Jesus works with. First, the command; secondly, we fully obey, filling our jugs to the brim, and thirdly, we trust Him. These are two fundamental ingredients essential to the Christian life; we obey Him and trust Him.  
 
When the master of the banquet tasted the wine, he said 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” (John 2:10). Water is all we’ve got to work with, but in our whole-hearted obedience to Christ, it is His Spirit that turns the water into the finest wine. As ordinary as we are, we can live in the realm of the extraordinary when, day by day, we live in love, obedience and trust in our Lord to turn the wateriness of our lives into the richness of the finest wine.


PRAYER: Dear Lord, I know that the wateriness of my life can only be turned into the finest wine by your work in me and through me. Help me to grow in every area that will deepen my relationship with You. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I living in whole-hearted obedience and trust in the Lord?