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His shoulders ached as he strained to pull the last pitcher of water up from the well. He was trying to hurry, though he really didn't understand how refilling the ceremonial pots with water was going to help his poor master. He replayed the events of the day in his mind as he lifted the pitcher and made his way back to the wedding reception. His master was a good man, kind and generous, and today he had been especially happy because his son was marrying a lovely girl from Nazareth. Preparations had been made for weeks and decorations, food, and wine skins had piled high in the kitchens in anticipation of today.
Wine skins! How he regretted now that the pile had not been deeper! The ceremony was finished and guests were celebrating with laughter and joy. Little did they know that the skins were nearly empty. His master would be the laughing stock of the town when the invited townsmen learned of the dwindling wine supply.
As his sandals slapped the pavement, he wondered again about the strange request that he was following. One woman with kind eyes who was sitting near the back of the celebration had caught the urgent whispers of the servants as they scurried from the kitchen with the last wineskin. She had leaned over to the man sitting beside her and spoke in hushed tones, "They have no more wine". He thought it must have been her Son because of the way she confidently spoke to Him, as though she thought He would know what to do about the dilemma. He had looked at her with obvious affection and lowered his brows. A small smile playing around His lips, as He replied, "Woman, what is that to you and me? My time has not yet come!" Undeterred, the woman had turned to him with a bemused smile and given the instruction, "Whatever He says to you, do it!" He had expected the Man to offer him some money to run to the marketplace in search of more wine, but instead he was told to fill up the water pots standing by the wall. He and his fellow servants had been drawing water for what seemed like an eternity, pouring each gallon into the large stone jars. This was the last pitcher. Arriving back at the feast, he wondered how this was going to help.
He slipped past the guests and hurried to the ceremonial jars in the corner. Just as he thought, his pitcher full of water filled the last pot to the brim. He turned around to look at the Man who had risen to stand beside him. He met the brown eyes which were twinkling as though the Man knew a secret. A smile spread across the Man's lips and He gently instructed, "Draw some of that out and take it to the feast manager."
Dismay began to creep into his heart. Had this just been a cruel joke? Didn't this Man know that his master's reputation would be ruined if he took plain, ordinary water to the manager to drink? As he opened his mouth to protest, the look on the Man's face kept the words from leaving his lips. This Man looked so calm, so confident, so full of kindness and joy.
With a trembling hand, he dipped a cup into the water pot with his eyes closed. He peeked into the cup and felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. It was not clear water, but purple wine that sloshed in the bottom of the cup. The Man smiled and motioned him forward toward the manager's table. He slipped the cup into the manager's hand and watched as his eyes widened. Laughter bubble up inside him as the manager smiled and announced, "You have kept the best wine for last!"
That wedding miracle, turning water into wine, was the first marvel that Jesus performed in His public ministry. We can talk about how the Lord met an urgent need, by providing what was in scarce supply. We could discuss how He set aside physical laws and transmuted the characteristics of the natural by His creative power. We could consider how Jesus was compassionate to the people who had invited Him when He was not expected to do anything. We could even remark on how He responded to His mother's faith. All of these facts are valid. But somehow we can overlook the obvious bottom line, someone simply obeyed the Savior's instructions during that wedding feast and set the stage for His miraculous power to be manifested.
We tend to think of the realm of miracles as a far-away moment which requires some kind of superhuman faith to bring it into the natural realm. However, this miracle began with ordinary people doing very ordinary things. Jesus asked the servants to fill water pots with water, a very natural thing to do. After all, water is what belonged in the vessels. The water was not from some special spring with magical qualities, but was drawn from an ordinary well, probably one used by the community. The pots themselves had no extraordinary quality to them and undoubtedly had been used many times before. The servants in this account simply did what Jesus instructed them to do, but the act of simple obedience was the basis of the miracle.
The servants made trip after trip to fill the water pots, but they had undoubtedly done so many times before. Because water is heavy, it required some effort on their part, not just to pull it from the well but to carry it back to the feast. Though it required an intentional choice to obey Jesus' instructions and effort, it was not an unreasonable request.
The unreasonable part came when the servant was asked to draw some of the water back out of the pot and present it the manager of the feast. This is the moment of miracle! Because of the obedience involved in filling the pots, the servant got to participate in a divine display of power.
What if the servants had refused to carry the water, or even to dip a cup in to take to the manager? This miracle would have been short circuited. The servants just did the ordinary thing they were instructed to do, and the Savior supplied the miracle part. How about you today, are you someone in need of a miracle? Is there an area of your life where you are facing lack or scarcity? Does it seem to you that if God doesn't intervene, you will surely suffer loss? If so, don't despair!
The Lord wants you to know that you don't have to be a spiritual superstar to pull on His miracle power. He doesn't examine your faith today to make sure you measure up to some mountain moving scale of belief. You don't have to try harder to believe or struggle under a burden of self-doubt that He never intended to be on your shoulder. Actually, the miracle power does not depend on you at all. He alone has the creative power to do the wonders.
However, He does graciously offer you a part in the process. Your role in the miracle is the part that you are already good at--just being obedient in the ordinary thing. When you decide to follow the instructions provided in the Bible, you are filling up pots with water. Ephesians 6:18 instructs you to "pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty" and when you do so, you are drawing the water out of the well. In Luke 6:37, the Lord instructed you to "forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” When you choose to forgive instead of lashing out in retaliation, the water is pouring into your pot. When you sit down with your Bible and begin to read because 2 Timothy 2:16 tells you to "study to show yourself approved", the water is draining into your vessel. Hebrews 10:24 tells you, “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together." When you get up and go to church when you could be doing something else, the clear water is splashing into the water pot.
Jesus does not ask you to do an extraordinary thing with supernatural faith. He only asks you to be faithful in what you know He has asked you to do. When you do this you provide a foundation for Him to work from, full water pots waiting for His miracle power. He is faithful to meet you in the place of your obedience. The formula hasn't changed since the wedding in Cana took place, child of God. You supply the plain, ordinary obedience, and Jesus will supply the miracle!
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