6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

8 “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”

11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tim Mitry

I find it interesting that in John's Gospel, the first miracle or sign that he records is one about wine at a party. He even highlights this event as the first way Jesus chose to reveal his glory, and that this is when his disciples first believed in him.

Wine for a party isn’t what I would expect Jesus to choose for his first miracle to reveal his glory. But one of our ministers helpfully pointed me to reflect on the significance of the Old Testament prophets, who talked about the age of fulfilment as a time of abundant “new wine”. For example, Joel 3:18 (NIV):

“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the LORD’S house
and will water the valley of acacias.

Or Amos 9:13-14a (NIV):

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD,

“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.

By performing this miracle, Jesus was signalling that He is the one to bring the age of fulfillment and life that God had promised through the prophets.

This helps me reflect on two things. The first is that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises of restoration, of salvation, and of triumph. The second is that I can trust in God’s provision. He has provided for my greatest need in sending Jesus – which He has done both for Jesus’ glory and out of love for us. He is powerful enough to provide for all my other needs in this life too, and I can trust Him to do that because of His love displayed on the cross.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim is a member of our Fairfield Morning church.