Who is this Man? – Day 11

The miracle of the water that was changed into wine, was a sign. God uses that to show us something. Jesus clearly saw that a lack of joy arose at the wedding because the wine dried up. This small crisis indicates a much bigger crisis. And the gift of Jesus to change the water into wine, suggests a much bigger gift. This sign lets us see that Jesus came to fulfil our deepest needs. The lack of wine indicates what we need. In the same way as a wedding becomes less pleasant without wine, life without God is superficial and without true happiness.

Here, right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He made it clear: I have come to make something beautiful of your lives. You cannot do it yourselves, but I want to give it to you. It is amusing that Jesus, of all things, used the cleansing water to make wine. The Jews had all kinds of laws. If you kept those commands, then God will approve of you, they thought. The water jars for cleansing were a symbol of people’s sorrowful attempts to make something of their own lives. Jesus is the only one who can cleanse you and make you acceptable to God. There is no self-improvement packet. We do not have a do-it-yourself faith.

Without wine, there is no feast. Without Jesus, life cannot be a feast. Celebrating without God is something that cannot be imagined.

A positive start – remember this when you take time to think about Jesus. A life without Christ is like a wedding feast without wine. Jesus made it clear, at the beginning, that He came to bring abundance, lots of joy and pleasure.