Life

Thursday, July 07, 2005

In God's Time
At this particular party described in John 2, a problem arises. Jesus' mother is there, and she tells her Son the hosts are running out of wine. In Scripture, wine is often used as a euphemism for joy. For example, Psalm 104:15 says wine makes the heart glad. Wine was not served at weddings just to satisfy people's thirst; it was served because it was associated with festive occasions. When Jesus' mother says the wine has run out, not only is the beverage gone, the joy the beverage represents is gone. And it would have been very embarrassing for the hosts to have no wine for their guests. Jesus responds: "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come" (v. 4). Jesus' answer does not seem to fit Mary's question; He goes beyond the question to get to the thought behind it. Jesus implies there is something going on with Mary beyond the loss of the wine. He sees that Mary is trying to get Him to reveal His deity on this occasion. Mary, like any good mother, wants to see her Son reach the apex of His ability. She thinks it's time for Him to go public. But Jesus tells her this is not the time. What she is asking Him to do is not in line with God's plan. He respects and loves her, but He must be obedient to God's will. Jesus would not be influenced to go outside God's will to solve the problem. There was no more wine; there was no more joy; instead, there was disappointment. But He would not go outside God's will to fix it. I know some of you reading this have lost your joy. The disappointment has crept up and you are tempted to bolt out of your situation. But Jesus invites you right now to stay. God has not lost track of His timetable. He knows what is going on and He knows your needs. With a Servant's Heart Mary understands what Jesus is saying. She gets the message, and she tells the servants: "Whatever He says to you, do it" (v. 5). She tells them to trust the Savior, to do as He says. When the joy is gone, the disappointment is great, and the vessels are empty, trust in the One who brings heaven and earth together. Whatever He tells you, decide in advance that you will do it. Verse 6 says there are six waterpots at this wedding containing 20-30 gallons each. But those pots are sitting there empty, and no one can imagine that the solution is right before their eyes. All they can see are those six empty pots until Jesus opens their eyes to the miracle He will bring about. Jesus says: "Fill the waterpots with water" (v. 7). The servants didn't need water-they needed wine. Yet Jesus tells them to do the obvious, to fill the waterpots with water. Little did they know He would take their earthly need and use a heavenly means to meet it. Remember, He is the connection between heaven and earth. So they filled the pots "to the brim" (v. 7). There was room for nothing else in those pots. Then Jesus tells them: "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter" (v. 8). The headwaiter tastes it, and it has become wine. Jesus doesn't put on a big show to perform this miracle; it is almost imperceptible. His time has not yet come to make a public display of His deity. Nonetheless, He performs this miracle of changing water to wine. The first lesson we see here is that Jesus is in the transformation business. He can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, the natural into the supernatural. If you have run out of "wine" in your life, if you are heavy-laden with disappointments and heartaches, stay in the presence of Jesus Christ and let Him change the ordinary in you. Nature forms us; sin deforms us; education informs us; penitentiaries reform us; but Jesus transforms us. He can transform a "no wine" situation.
If you have run out of wine, if your joy and peace are gone but your confusion and disappointment are high, you are a perfect candidate to see Jesus anew because God saves His best for last. Life on earth is full of mistakes, sins, and failures, but I have some good news for you. If you will serve and trust in Jesus, the best is yet to come!