John 2:1-11
Many of you know our family is in the process of planning a wedding: the marriage of the bridegroom, our son Joshua, to his bride, his love, Ashley. Every detail is carefully thought out in preparation for the day the bridegroom and the bride come together as one. It will be a glorious day! Now, the day has arrived. Those who accepted the wedding invitation have come to join in the marriage vows. All is progressing in perfection, just as planned, until…they "have no more wine." As the wedding planner, are you in a state of panic? As the guest, are you disappointed or even angry? As the servant, are you ready to ignore the situation? How often we plan the details of our lives with great care, even seeking God to lead each step, and then something happens. It doesn't follow the plan, or so we think!
Looking at today's Scripture, Mary, Jesus' mother, takes the situation to Him. She trusts Him. She then says to the servants, "Whatever Jesus says, do it." The servants did as Jesus said; they filled the water pots to the brim with water. It made absolutely no sense to fill water pots with water and expect wine to immediately be drawn from them. I don't believe the servants expected wine, but they did simply obey, and did so quickly. Let us start with taking all to Jesus, and then obeying Him. As a result, the wedding planner and the guests were filled with the sweetest wine and purest juice. The Lord battles, we need only to trust and obey Him. It is no wonder the first miracle appeared at a wedding. From the start, God planned a wedding. Before the fall, "God created man and woman to cleave together as one." (Genesis 2) After the fall, God has mercifully given the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and is even now preparing the Bride, the Church of Jesus Christ, to "come together in one mind and one Spirit," and that being the holiness of the Father. Jesus is calling His bride to come. "Come and know that you can drink freely of me without harm." This water turned to wine is the sweetest wine; the non-intoxicating, purest juice of the grape. Its sugar content was not destroyed through fermentation, nor was it diluted with water, as was the cheaper wine. Jesus wants to give His Bride Himself, the sweetest wine and the purest juice, holy and non-compromising.
God's desire is for His Bride; a Bride giving herself fully to the Bridegroom through obedience. The Bridegroom has already given Himself fully to the Bride through obedience to the Father. "Let them that is athirst, come. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
~ Cheryl Helgert
