Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 23
John 2:9-11
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” 11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” 11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Continuing the story today.
As you know from this story, when Jesus does something he does it really well. He gave not only wine, but the best wine they have ever had. Which tracks, because if you are able to change water to wine, then you can certainly make it a good vintage.
Regardless of the facts about what kind of wine it was, how the bacteria then might be different than it is now, the cleanliness of water versus wine at that stage in history, we have to decide what to do with this story. Either we have to take it at face value, we have to disregard it, or we have to think a bit more to figure out how we can create a greater understanding of God and how he works in the world through stories like these.
The truth is, most of us struggle with the supernatural, although we want to believe in it. We have a hard time seeing it work in today’s world, and because of this, we either think it is something that God doesn’t do anymore, or perhaps he never did it and it was just the people of the day’s interpretation of how God worked in their lives.
However, with this simple story and seemingly elementary miracle, we actually see the supernatural at work, we see the timing of God’s signs and miracles, and we notice that people are willing to accept these things as true.
Let's take that last point first. People of the time were willing to accept that this is something that Jesus could do. What we don’t see is a strong contemporary backlash against what Jesus was doing when it comes to the supernatural. People seemed to take it in stride and while there was a great deal of backlash against what Jesus said, there seemed to be a general acceptance of what Jesus was able to do. Whether it was healing, turning water to wine, or any other miracle, the acceptance of it seems to be pretty general at the time.
Remember, this is a time before we were speaking about doctrine and other theological ideas. Really, it is a simple acceptance that Jesus is who he says that he is, and therefore, has access to all that power, holiness, goodness, and grace. While all that will come later, the people of the day had to testify to what they had seen and heard. And they seemed to witness and speak to the great deeds that Jesus had done while he was here on earth, not the least of which was the resurrection.
Regardless of what you believe, it should be noted that those disciples never wavered and never recanted that which they testified to the world. They stayed true to these stories. They stayed true to their understanding of what happened. Should we?
As you know from this story, when Jesus does something he does it really well. He gave not only wine, but the best wine they have ever had. Which tracks, because if you are able to change water to wine, then you can certainly make it a good vintage.
Regardless of the facts about what kind of wine it was, how the bacteria then might be different than it is now, the cleanliness of water versus wine at that stage in history, we have to decide what to do with this story. Either we have to take it at face value, we have to disregard it, or we have to think a bit more to figure out how we can create a greater understanding of God and how he works in the world through stories like these.
The truth is, most of us struggle with the supernatural, although we want to believe in it. We have a hard time seeing it work in today’s world, and because of this, we either think it is something that God doesn’t do anymore, or perhaps he never did it and it was just the people of the day’s interpretation of how God worked in their lives.
However, with this simple story and seemingly elementary miracle, we actually see the supernatural at work, we see the timing of God’s signs and miracles, and we notice that people are willing to accept these things as true.
Let's take that last point first. People of the time were willing to accept that this is something that Jesus could do. What we don’t see is a strong contemporary backlash against what Jesus was doing when it comes to the supernatural. People seemed to take it in stride and while there was a great deal of backlash against what Jesus said, there seemed to be a general acceptance of what Jesus was able to do. Whether it was healing, turning water to wine, or any other miracle, the acceptance of it seems to be pretty general at the time.
Remember, this is a time before we were speaking about doctrine and other theological ideas. Really, it is a simple acceptance that Jesus is who he says that he is, and therefore, has access to all that power, holiness, goodness, and grace. While all that will come later, the people of the day had to testify to what they had seen and heard. And they seemed to witness and speak to the great deeds that Jesus had done while he was here on earth, not the least of which was the resurrection.
Regardless of what you believe, it should be noted that those disciples never wavered and never recanted that which they testified to the world. They stayed true to these stories. They stayed true to their understanding of what happened. Should we?
Questions:
- Do you struggle with the supernatural things that have happened in scripture?
- Do you feel that any supernatural things have happened to you?
- If so, what? If not, do you want them to? And what would that look like in your life?
- How do you know when a miracle has happened in your life?
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