The Glory in Galilee
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “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 you, do it.”
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made 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 have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
John 2:1-11 (NKJV)
The weddings in Jesus’ time were arranged marriages. They were not just arranged for relationships but to strengthen family businesses and legacies. Families would come together and negotiate a financial contribution they would each sow into the couple. There would be terms. Then, there would be the actual wedding ceremony. During this time, just the feast portion alone would last five days.
So, whose wedding is this, and what is really going on? Jesus was invited. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus brought twelve people with him. So, it is likely to be John the Beloved’s wedding. There is also a reference: “Jesus saw the disciple that he loved,” which is a reference to John. Therefore, John is sharing his story and experience with us.
There is nothing glorious about extending a seven-day party. If the water-to-wine conversion happened today, it would be the equivalent of 800 bottles of wine that Jesus filled. There was a hosting contract back then. If you attended a wedding at that time, you were expected to give an equal amount to what you received from the family in terms of cost for the wedding. The family in this scripture ran out of money and lacked the credit to procure more wine for the wedding. Moreover, culturally, wedding attendees could sue the family for running out of wine at the wedding. If this happened, the couple would begin their marriage in shame and humiliation.
However, Jesus glories in stepping into our private and vulnerable places. He doesn’t judge us but covers us in his goodness and grace. Religion sold us a lie that we need to get good to get God. But we are already forgiven, delivered, and children of God.
Here are key takeaways from Jesus’ first miracle, where he turned the water at the wedding into wine:
1. We need to invite Jesus in. Jesus comes where he is invited. We have taken Jesus out of our schools, workplaces, and government. Then we wonder where God is when things go wrong. We must invite Jesus into our spaces.
2. We need to come clean with Jesus. The most simple prayers we can pray are that we need help, we are hurting, we need wisdom, and we are afraid. We must be willing to be honest with God and confess our sins to Him.
3. We need to give Jesus the authority to speak. We need to do whatever God tells us to do when He speaks. It’s a whole lot better to trust in Jesus. If God said it, we can count on it. If God tells us something, we need to obey it. When we do, we activate the power and authority of God in our lives.
Jesus is so good that He will do a miracle and not let anyone else know about the miracle. He trades double honor for our shame. He is able to turn our mourning into dancing. The glory of our savior is what He does in the personal and private intimate areas of our lives. He wants a personal and intimate relationship with each of us.