What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:11
Dotted with prickly shrubs and parched clumps of grass, the high desert topography whizzing past my window reminded me I was far from home. Punctuated by the occasional verdant vineyard, the otherwise flat expanse knelt at the foot of the towering and majestic snow-capped Andes. Disembarking from the vehicle, the brightness from the blazing sun nearly blinded me through my sunglasses. The clouds, almost as colossal as the peaks they caressed, paradoxically seemed low enough to reach up and touch. Like Dorothy, I had a feeling we were not in Kansas anymore! Unlike Oz, the oasis where we had landed was an impressive winery in the Uco Valley, one of the top wine regions in all of Argentina.
After our informative tour with its delicious wine and lunch, our host led us out into the blinding sunlight again to a building opposite the first. Growing up in the “Bible Belt”, I was unprepared for the sight before me. Although it had some of the appropriate earmarks, such as a bell tower, the chapel seemed out of place at a winery. The host explained the chapel was used for weddings and that the artwork on the exterior was a frieze of Jesus at the wedding in Cana where He turned water into wine.
The backdrop behind our key verse today in the second chapter of the Gospel of John paints a picture of Jesus and His mother, along with the first five of His disciples, attending a wedding in a village called Cana. Picking up in verse 3, the Bible says “When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’…Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.” (John 2:3, 7-9a) This is the first miracle that Jesus performed which marked the beginning of His ministry and interestingly, it was not for the masses. Only His mother, His five disciples, and the servants witnessed this wonder. Verse 11 says because of this miracle, His disciples believed in Him.
As Jesus’ public ministry grew, the people looked for signs and miracles before they believed. Sadly, even when they did witness the miracles, many still did not believe. Although these disciples at the wedding in Cana already believed in Jesus, turning the water into wine before their very eyes confirmed their belief in Him.
Not only did Jesus turn water to wine, He created the best wine. In Verse 10, the master of the banquet says that instead of serving the best wine first, the best was saved for last. This free-flowing excellent wine is a metaphor for the free-flowing Gospel message. Salvation flows freely to all who believe. Saving the best for last means the best is yet to come. Heaven, eternal life through Jesus, will be the best life ever. The celebration when we get to heaven is often called the wedding feast of the Lamb. What great “bookends” these two feasts are of Jesus’ ministry: a humble wedding feast in Cana and the grandest feast of all in heaven!
Sometimes we are like those disciples. We might have some knowledge or vague belief in Jesus as the Risen Christ, but our faith isn’t real to us. Perhaps we’ve been going to church all of our lives but our faith has lost its meaning. Or maybe we’re waiting for a miracle before we put our trust in the Savior. Sometimes, like these disciples, we have to believe first, stepping out in faith, and then our belief will be confirmed by experiencing God’s faithfulness to us through life’s trials and tribulations.
We all have a choice. Is Jesus just a prophet who lived long ago? Or is Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God, the One who was crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday? Believe the miracles. But more so, believe in the One who created the miracles. The choice is yours.
Dear Jesus, help me believe more deeply in You, not as a prophet from long ago but as the Risen Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. Open my eyes to the signs, wonders, and miracles You continue to provide today. Amen.
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the chapel at Salentein Winery, Uco Valley, Argentina.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Dotted with prickly shrubs and parched clumps of grass, the high desert topography whizzing past my window reminded me I was far from home. Punctuated by the occasional verdant vineyard, the otherwise flat expanse knelt at the foot of the towering and majestic snow-capped Andes. Disembarking from the vehicle, the brightness from the blazing sun nearly blinded me through my sunglasses. The clouds, almost as colossal as the peaks they caressed, paradoxically seemed low enough to reach up and touch. Like Dorothy, I had a feeling we were not in Kansas anymore! Unlike Oz, the oasis where we had landed was an impressive winery in the Uco Valley, one of the top wine regions in all of Argentina.
After our informative tour with its delicious wine and lunch, our host led us out into the blinding sunlight again to a building opposite the first. Growing up in the “Bible Belt”, I was unprepared for the sight before me. Although it had some of the appropriate earmarks, such as a bell tower, the chapel seemed out of place at a winery. The host explained the chapel was used for weddings and that the artwork on the exterior was a frieze of Jesus at the wedding in Cana where He turned water into wine.
The backdrop behind our key verse today in the second chapter of the Gospel of John paints a picture of Jesus and His mother, along with the first five of His disciples, attending a wedding in a village called Cana. Picking up in verse 3, the Bible says “When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’…Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.” (John 2:3, 7-9a) This is the first miracle that Jesus performed which marked the beginning of His ministry and interestingly, it was not for the masses. Only His mother, His five disciples, and the servants witnessed this wonder. Verse 11 says because of this miracle, His disciples believed in Him.
As Jesus’ public ministry grew, the people looked for signs and miracles before they believed. Sadly, even when they did witness the miracles, many still did not believe. Although these disciples at the wedding in Cana already believed in Jesus, turning the water into wine before their very eyes confirmed their belief in Him.
Not only did Jesus turn water to wine, He created the best wine. In Verse 10, the master of the banquet says that instead of serving the best wine first, the best was saved for last. This free-flowing excellent wine is a metaphor for the free-flowing Gospel message. Salvation flows freely to all who believe. Saving the best for last means the best is yet to come. Heaven, eternal life through Jesus, will be the best life ever. The celebration when we get to heaven is often called the wedding feast of the Lamb. What great “bookends” these two feasts are of Jesus’ ministry: a humble wedding feast in Cana and the grandest feast of all in heaven!
Sometimes we are like those disciples. We might have some knowledge or vague belief in Jesus as the Risen Christ, but our faith isn’t real to us. Perhaps we’ve been going to church all of our lives but our faith has lost its meaning. Or maybe we’re waiting for a miracle before we put our trust in the Savior. Sometimes, like these disciples, we have to believe first, stepping out in faith, and then our belief will be confirmed by experiencing God’s faithfulness to us through life’s trials and tribulations.
We all have a choice. Is Jesus just a prophet who lived long ago? Or is Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God, the One who was crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday? Believe the miracles. But more so, believe in the One who created the miracles. The choice is yours.
Dear Jesus, help me believe more deeply in You, not as a prophet from long ago but as the Risen Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. Open my eyes to the signs, wonders, and miracles You continue to provide today. Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the chapel at Salentein Winery, Uco Valley, Argentina.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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