The First Miracle

John 2:1-12

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ 5His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 6Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. 9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ 11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Jesus’ turning of the water into wine is the first miracle that is recorded in John. There Jesus is, accompanied by some of his disciples when his mother comes to give him some news. The caterers have run out of wine! What a bad portent for the beginning of a marriage. Mary is not coming to Jesus to gossip but with a mission: to beseech her son to do something so that her friends or relatives would not be shamed forever. Even though Jesus tells his mother that it is not His time yet, note how she tells the servers with authority: “Do whatever He tells you.” And the rest is, as they say, history. 

 It is interesting to think about the framework of Jesus’ first miracle. It happened at a time of celebration, in a place where there were many witnesses. It was not done to cure some physical or spiritual malady, but to maintain the joy at a happy occasion. And this first miracle was done with compassion for some friends in obedience to His earthly mother. There may be miracles ready to happen around us, but we are unaware of them because they are arriving from unexpected places.  We may be accustomed to bonuses, overtime, and merit raises, and have counted on our employment to provide for us. But there may be miracles coming to us through unknown resources. Look up and live! The same God who turned the water into wine is the God that we serve today.  

God, teach us to turn our eyes toward You.

Rev. Tonna Gibert Rose