Originally posted on December 19, 2022 @ 12:11 pm
The miracle of Jesus at the wedding in Cana of Galilee is the first miracle of Jesus as recorded by the bible. At the wedding, Jesus turned water to wine! Many times the thoughts of this miracle provoke questions like; why did Jesus perform his first miracle at a wedding? Why did Jesus turn water into wine?
I believe Jesus did this miracle of changing water to wine to show us his splendour and ability to respond to our faith. I’ll like to summarize the story before we go into the lessons from the story.
In this article
Jesus Turns Water to Wine Summary (John 2:1-11)
The day after Jesus chose his disciples, there was a wedding celebration in Cana of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were invited to the celebration. During the celebration, the wine finished and there was no more wine to serve to the guest at the wedding. This became a cause of concern to the organisers of the events, Jesus’ mother told him about the situation but Jesus said “my time has not yet come”. Mary (mother of Jesus) still instructed the servants to obey Jesus’ instruction which they did.
Jesus instructed them to fill empty pots with water and serve it to the master of ceremony, the servant obeyed Jesus. They filled the pot with water and served the Master of the ceremony, who was surprised by the quality of the wine; he commented that the wine was better than the one served previously.
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Jesus Changes Water to wine Lessons
The first miracle of Jesus is filled with lessons that can help our Christian walk.
- Faith can provoke the acts of God
When the wine finished at the ceremony and Mary asked Jesus to intervene; Jesus wasn’t willing to intervene because it was not his time to manifest God’s glory. Nevertheless, Mary had full confidence in what Jesus can do. Her faith and that of the servants compelled Jesus to respond to their request.
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
God answers to faith. When we believe God solely and we trust him with all our heart, he is willing to respond to our faith. The bedrock of Christianity is faith and dependence on God. We cannot truly serve God and fulfil his will without total faith in him.
- He reserves the best for the last
I believe Jesus may know that the wine would finish before the ceremony began. He didn’t perform the miracle before the wedding started; he waited till the wine finished before performing the miracle.
God always reserves the best for us. Many times, I’ve found myself in situations where I tried solving issues on my own without involving God. This is because I wasn’t patient enough to wait for God’s timing. I usually find myself in more trouble or unforeseen circumstance. God cares for us and he will never put us to shame. He has reserved the best for us.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
Jeremiah 17:7
whose confidence is in him.
- Obedience allows us to experience God’s power
The obedience of the servants is worthy of emulation. The servant had not seen Jesus perform miracles before now but they followed his instructions. Their obedience bore fruit and they didn’t have to run helter-skelter looking for wine.
But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
1 Samuel 15:22
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
God rewards our obedience to his instructions. It wasn’t making sense when Jesus told them to fill pots with water. I want to assume some people were wondering how water and wine were related. The servant still obeyed Jesus’ instruction and they also took some to the master of ceremony.
The acts of the servants are an example of how we should trust God and obey him.
- The presence of God in all we do is Necessary
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
Psalm 91:15-16
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
I have always wondered what would have happened to the couple if Jesus didn’t attend the wedding. God is a vital part of our life. We are not supposed to do anything without the presence of the saviour.
The presence of God makes a difference in everything we do.
- God is always ready to meet our needs
There is no need God is not ready to meet. God cares so much about us that he will never allow our needs to be unmet. It reminds me of the story of God’s provision for the Israelites in the wilderness.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6: 26-27
God sustained them throughout their journey to the Promised Land. He provided manner when they asked for food and he even brought out water from the rock to quench their thirst. This proves how much God is always ready to provide for our needs.
- We should be willing to share in other’s joy
Jesus attended the wedding to share in the couple’s joy. He didn’t ignore the invitation because he was the messiah; he shared in the joy of the family and also covered up their shame. Believers shouldn’t be isolated. We should learn to celebrate with people.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
Romans 12: 15-16
The story of the wedding in Cana is one we should always remember. God is always willing to step into situations if we have faith and believe in him. Jesus turned water into wine in such a way that shows the love and care God has for us.