I find it
interesting that Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water into wine at a
wedding, as the inauguration of His ministry. The wedding wasn’t just any
celebration. It was celebrating the covenant that was made between two parties
on that day. It was then that Jesus began His ministry to establish the New
Covenant with mankind.
It was a very
terrible thing in the ancient Near East for the host to run out of wine for a
wedding celebration. The guests brought gifts that are usually very generous
and expensive, and they would expect an extravagant feast. To not have wine for
the guests is very disrespectful, and the consequences that might be brought
about by the guests as a result of this disgrace can be very detrimental.
Donald A. Carson, a theologian and professor, wrote that running out of
supplies might even lead to litigation against the groom by “aggrieved
relatives.” So Jesus actually saved the hosts great shame by performing this
miracle.
During the Last
Supper, Jesus passed the cup of wine to the disciples, saying, “This is My
blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the forgiveness of your sins.” We
too had a price on our heads as a result of our sin, and Christ delivered us to
a place of rejoicing by His sacrifice, symbolized by the cup. It is interesting
to note that the ministry of our Lord began with the wine of a marriage between
a husband and wife, and ended with the wine of the marriage between God and the
church.
Matthew Henry’s
Commentary compared this work of Christ to that of Moses. Moses turned water
into blood, while Christ turned water into wine. The blood represented the
judgment of Moses’ ministry, while the wine introduced Christ’s ministry of
grace and celebration.
Another thing to
note is how Jesus conducted the miracle. First, He used what was available: six
water pots stood nearby. In addition, note that Jesus always used ALL that is
available: each of the six pots could hold about twenty to thirty gallons; He
used all six and filled them up to the brim. Similarly, when Christ was about
to feed the five thousand, He used all the food that the boy offered to Him.
Could He still perform the miracle with only one water pot and half of the
lad’s lunch? Of course! But this is a recurring pattern we see in our Lord. He
wants to use all that can be given, for the greatest miracles occur when all is
surrendered.
Second, Jesus
directed that the water in the pots be drawn out and taken straight to the
governor of the feast. Although not stated explicitly, I would think that He
gave this command even before the physical transformation of the water has
taken place. I love seeing the royal grace and authority of Christ depicted in
these narratives. If we were there, we would probably have wanted to check if
the water has turned into wine before taking it to the governor of the feast.
Yet, Christ gave the command, the servants obeyed, and the miracle was
performed. And whatever Christ does, He does it well: The wine was the best the
governor had ever tasted.
As someone once
beautifully wrote, “The conscious water saw its Master and blushed.”
Blessings,
Nathanael Chong
Blessings,
Nathanael Chong