Lenten Reader | Day 3

February 15th, 2024

Water to Wine

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:1-11

The changing of water to wine is Jesus’ first public act in John – the initial “sign” of God’s presence in the world. While this act seems strange for Jesus’ first miracle, I think it is one of many examples of taking what others would call “insignificant moments” and reminding people that not only does God prove miraculous purpose in the unexpected but sometimes that subtle miracle in your life is between you and God. 
 
Just like the limited number of people that knew of Jesus’ intervention (servants, disciples, and Mary), there will be many moments in your life when God steps in to answer a prayer or reveal His providence to you. There will not be a burning bush or a man rising from the dead but an intimate moment that God shakes you awake to His presence. I would argue that those are the more meaningful interventions in your life, where God saw your need out of billions and blessed you. My hope for you is that you remember that God’s sacrifice and miracles are all ways to find communion and connection with you. 
 
I pray that in this season of your life you seek God’s intervention, that you welcome it for the blessing it becomes. If you are feeling at a loss or do not know where to begin, a quote I love that motivates me in the stagnant moments of my life is, “Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start where you are, with what you have. Just…Start.” He is waiting for you. 

Sam Givens