He Turned Water Into Wine!

The Gospel of John is personal and rich in truth. Digging deeper will reward those who choose to do so. There is a simple surface story here that we can retell, and yet there’s a wealth of understanding when we prayerfully read the sacred, God-breathed Scripture.

Those who search with open eyes and understanding minds will receive a reward.

The Holy Spirit did not just want us to attend the wedding, observe the need, witness water turned into wine, and say, “That’s nice.” There’s a permanent truth the Holy Spirit wants us to know.

Water Turned Into Wine

On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. They had invited Jesus and His disciples to the wedding, and when the wine ran out, his mother told Jesus, “They have no wine.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to do, do it.”

Six large stone water pots, each holding twenty or thirty gallons, were there according to Jewish purification practices. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water-pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, take it to the master of the feast.”

And they did so.

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made into wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests are well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

This was the beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and the disciples believed in Him. After this, He went down to Capernaum, along with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there for many days. John 2:1-12 NKJV.

Mary Comes to Jesus

Mary was at this wedding. She must have had a special relationship with the families of the bride and the bridegroom. Without a doubt, Jesus and His disciples were also present. She knew, before the steward (master of the feast) did, that there was no more wine left. She had the authority to tell the servants what to do.

Mary tells Jesus about the problem, instead of hurriedly sending the servants out to buy more wine.

John witnessed everything. He heard Jesus tell Mary it wasn’t His time yet. He watched as she trusted Jesus to do the right thing by telling the servants to obey Jesus.

Curious, John stayed near Jesus as the servants obeyed by drawing water from a well and filling these large jars with about 120 to 180 gallons of water. Did he marvel at the water turning into wine? When did the water transform—when the servants drew the water from the well, or when the steward tasted it?

I don’t know. I know only that Jesus didn’t touch the water or speak to it. His mere presence was enough.

The Wedding and Wine

A wedding is full of festivity and joy. A wedding was a community celebration. They invited the entire village. The lack of wine at the five-day event was deemed a social disgrace. If it looked like they had gone on the cheap end, then they would have to live with the shame for the rest of their lives.

Jesus knew it.

For a Jewish feast, wine is essential. There is a saying among the Jewish leaders: “Without wine, there is no joy!” The wine ran out, but not for long.

Let’s be clear here. Jesus did not turn the water into wine so they could get drunk. No! Drunkenness was a disgrace. We believe the wine they drank was a mixture of two parts wine and three parts water. The wine served to the steward was perfect, not intended to get drunk, but to be savored and enjoyed.

In the Middle East, hospitality is a vital aspect of culture. As I mentioned earlier, running out of wine, or anything for that matter, would have been a humiliation for the family, especially the couple.

Trust Jesus

Mary confidently left the problem with Jesus and trusted Him. The servants did as they were told and took part in the first sign. Obedience is all it took.

Cool!

Here is a love story! Here in a village, a young girl’s most special day was graced with Jesus showing His glory, not in a loud emotional way, but in simple love. She may not have even noticed, but John did. He saw, remembered, and wrote about what he saw. If we look closely, we too can see the Son of God happily rejoicing in the wedding feast. What a perfect picture of love.

The Spirit of God is happy.

You may never have thought of it before, but when we say, “The joy of the Lord is our strength,” it isn’t our joy but the Lord’s joy that gives us strength.

Here at the wedding of Cana, we see the joy of the Lord in Jesus. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and joyfully turned water into wine. Did he dance together with the bride and the bridegroom? It’s a good possibility.

Oh, how I would have liked to have been there to see Him dance and turn the water into wine.

Isn’t this just like Jesus?

Isn’t this just like the Jesus you know so intimately? He who transformed water into wine also turned your whole world upside down by joyfully turning your life around. The newness of life is undoubtedly something to be glad for and rejoice in.

Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

Whenever Jesus comes into a life, He finds it dead, dull, stale, and flat – lacking vitality. By His mere presence, Jesus then turns our lives around with joy and happiness.

Without Jesus, we have no wine!

To experience the joy of living, follow Jesus. He will change your life like water into wine.

Oh, happy day!

And wine makes glad the heart of man… Ps 104:15a