“Do whatever he tells you … (the water) had turned into wine.” John 2:5-9. Miracles

John 2.   The Wedding in Cana.

The Book of John is my favorite Book in the Bible.  There are several reasons for this, but the story of Jesus’ first Miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding, is one of them.  Let’s briefly recount the story.

Jesus and some of His disciples had gone to Cana to attend a wedding where his mother was also a guest.  A major part of the wedding celebration was the feast held after the wedding ceremony had been concluded (much as we still do things today).  And, it was traditional for the groom to provide not only plenty of food, but also an abundance of wine … which helped to add to the festive feelings of the guests!

We don’t know why or how, but the unfortunate groom had run out of wine much too soon.  Apparently, he was important to Mary and she decided to help him out by telling Jesus, “They have run out of wine.”  In other words, “Fix this.”  Her friend had a problem.  She did not want him to be embarrassed.  She knew that Jesus could help.  So, she tells (not asks, but tells) Jesus to fix it.  I’m pretty sure that most of the readers of this blog have been in similar situations.  At some point in our lives, our mothers wanted something done, and she told us to “fix it.”  I cannot think of a more natural or “motherly” thing for her to do.  It also speaks volumes about her relationship with Jesus.  He may have been the Son of God, but He was her son too.  She could tell Him what to do!

Jesus answers, “…what do you want me to do about it?  My time has not yet come.”  Again, a perfectly natural and not unexpected response.  How many of us have been told by our mothers to do something that we didn’t want to do?!?  It wasn’t Jesus’ party.  It wasn’t His problem.  And He wasn’t ready to start drawing attention to himself.  He didn’t want to begin his Ministry by performing a miracle amid a number of wedding guests.  It was not the entry into ministry that he’d envisioned.

Now comes the best part.  Mary simply looks at Him, then looks at the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you to do.”  I LOVE that!!  I can just see her expression as she looks at Him.  It says, “I’m your mother. I’ve told you to do something that is well within your power to do.  We’re not going to debate this here.  Just DO it.”  Then I can see her turning and walking away, sure in her authority and in her son’s respect and love for her that He will do as He’s been told.

I can also see Jesus.  He watches her walk away.  His shoulders slump a little and he lets out a sigh of resignation (like we all haven’t done this!).  Then He turns to the servants and says, “Fill the jars with water.”  I mean, what’s He going to do?  His mother has told him to do something, and he’s not about to embarrass her in front of her friends.  This is not what He’d planned, but He did what He would do time and time again … put someone else’s need before His.  So, He tells them to go get the empty jars and fill them with water.  They do so, and when they’re done He tells them to take them to the master of ceremonies.  The fellow running the celebration sees the jars, pulls some of the contents out and exclaims to the bridegroom, “…you have kept the best wine until now!”  The wedding ceremony is saved, and Jesus has honored His mother as we are all called to do.

I think this is a wonderful story.  It displays Jesus as the man we’re going to come to know and love and shows his true humanity and character.

What I also love about this story is that although this was Jesus’ first recorded miracle, it was a “small” one; not a big, flashy miracle like walking across water or raising someone from the dead.  It was making some wine so that a friend of His mother’s wedding could be salvaged.  It was a part of a normal day and a normal activity.  And, I think we can take a real lesson from this “small” miracle.

Our own Miracle.

This story of the wedding in Cana was brought to my mind because my wife and I experienced a miracle the other day.  One that was totally unexpected (as was the new wine) and which was very much appreciated (as was the new wine).  A few years ago, my wife had gone to the doctor and received some unsettling news.  She’s been told that recent tests on her heart had shown some abnormalities that could be serious.  She’d developed a problem with one of the valves in her heart.  This caused a small leakage from one heart chamber to the next, and if it continued or became worse, it could become very dangerous.  Also, she was told that she had some blockage in two of the arteries leading into the heart; one of which is described as the “widow maker” because its failure so often leads to death.  Finally, she was told that she had an irregularity in the beat or timing of her heart’s rhythm.  This condition could in certain situations cause general heart failure and death.

Altogether this was a bad report.  While the doctor assured us that she was not in immediate danger, these issues (either singly or together) could significantly affect her health, her daily routine, and her longevity.  The doctor prescribed several medications to help her deal with and control these conditions, but she did not indicate that they would improve.  The best she could do was to encourage my wife to stick carefully to her medical routine and to adjust her lifestyle to lessen strain on her heart.  Since that diagnosis my wife had done as she was instructed. She took her medications regularly and paid attention to her activities, making sure that she did nothing to overly tax her heart.

Last week she returned to the doctor for a follow-up visit.  It had been a while since she’d gone to see her because nothing about her condition had changed.  While she’d followed the doctor’s orders she’d seen no difference in how she felt or in her stamina.  But it had been a while, so she made the appointment.  The testing was rigorous and thorough (and somewhat uncomfortable).  The doctor performed every test she’d used before (when my wife’s issues were first discovered) because she wanted to make absolutely certain that she could give my wife the most accurate report possible.  The tests were completed, and we were told that they’d call us when the results were ready.  We waited.  In a few days the doctor’s office called to ask if my wife would come back in to go over her test results.  Obviously, we were both anxious about what the reports would show and so we went to the visit with a good deal of trepidation.

The doctor told her that ALL her symptoms had disappeared!  The leaking valve was now working fine.  The blockages in her arteries were gone.  And her heart rhythm was perfectly normal.  We were very happy to hear the news, but also amazed.  Nothing had prepared us for this and we were, as you might imagine, overcome with relief and gratefulness.  Of course, we asked the doctor how the healing had occurred.  Her response was, “We have NO idea.  We have checked and re-checked the test data.  We went back over your prior test reports to see if we could find some error there.  We checked our testing equipment to make sure it was in order and good condition.  We did everything we could to try to find some reason for the differences in the reports and could find nothing.  I cannot give you a medical reason for this outcome.”

According to the Google Dictionary, a miracle is defined as … “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.”  Seems to me that this accurately describes what had happened to my wife.

Aside from the relief I felt, I was struck by the “mundane” nature of what my wife and I now refer to as “the Miracle.”   There was no big deep voice from the sky announcing it.  There were not dozens of people standing around to witness it.  Nor were there any unusual flashes of light or peals of thunder accompanying it.  It just simply “was.”  Just as the new wine simply “was.”

In fact, if you think about it, many of Jesus’ miracles were just like this.  No fanfare.  No big audience.  Nothing to draw attention to the act other than the effect on the person He healed.  He even told some of the recipients to “keep quiet” about their healing.  In most instances He was NOT about drawing attention to Himself.  He was only interested in helping the person in need and glorifying God in the process.

I wonder how many miracles we see each day and don’t even realize that we’re seeing them?  How many miraculous events occur in front of us and we don’t seem to notice them or recognize their importance?  It may be a traffic accident avoided.  It may be a child who was not supposed to be able to walk taking their first steps.  It may be finding an old friend you’ve not seen in years coming toward you in the grocery aisle.  Nothing fancy or to draw attention.  But all most singularly “unordinary.”

Now, it’s not the purpose of this blog to ‘preach’ to anyone.  And each reader is free to interpret the events of my wife’s healing as they see fit.  Some may see “miracle.” And some may see “whatever.”

But for my wife and me this was real.  It was unmistakable.  And we give Glory to God for it.  So I guess my point is that if you ever wonder whether God is active in your life, if you ever wonder whether He’s there at all, I’ll bet there are some of these mundane “miracles” that have occurred to or with you that you can recall that can be signposts to His influence in your life.  Signposts that show that He DOES care, and that He will come to you and be with you in ways and at times you least expect.  Prayers ARE answered (even those you don’t realize you’re making).  Miracles are REAL.  And I believe we should wake up each day and expect to see a few.  I know that my wife and I have at least one!

Gods Blessing on You All.

Until next week,

Richard

September 14,2018