John 2:1-11 – On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Barrels of wine aging in the cellar at the Valley Vineyards Winery and Brewery, Morrow, Ohio.
This past week I had the opportunity to do some photography at the Valley Vineyards Winery and Brewery just down the road from home. With the weather putting a damper on the outdoor adventures lately this was a chance to try something different from my normal outdoor photography endeavors. As I sat down to browse through the photos I had taken I was reminded of this passage from the Gospel of John, and thought it would make a good subject for a post to go along with one of my shots from the winery.
The Gospels describes many miracles performed by Jesus, though this one is significant because it is the first one recorded at the beginning of his public ministry. This particular miracle seems a very appropriate “first,” in that it anticipates greater things to come, both in Jesus earthly ministry, as well as in his eternal kingdom.
As we are all quite aware life is filled with many ups and downs. Even in the best of times we can find things to complain about. This is often just as true for the Christian as it is for everyone else. As Christians, though, we need to realize that God has given us his written word, the Bible, as a gift of grace and source of strength for us to draw on continuously.
Through prayer, daily devotions, and meditating on the truths God presents to us in the pages of his Holy Scriptures we are built up and reminded that the difficult things in this life will eventually pass and that even the best things cannot possibly compare to the feast that is to come. Christ shed his blood and paid the full debt owed for the sins of the world, claiming for us our eternal salvation through his death and resurrection. This is the central message of the Christian faith; but we should also recall that Christ is the one who made the best wine that was served last.
Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts
© Todd D. Nystrom and Todd the Hiker, 2014.
Todd the Hiker 
One of the things I think we are to take from this incident in the Gospels is that Jesus came to give us “abundant life” (John 10:10), which is symbolized by this abundance of wine. Too often, I think, people reject Christianity because they see God’s law as too restrictive and limiting. But Jesus really came to give us freedom (John 8:32). God gave us his Law for our good, so that we can live freedom excellently.
I can relate to your words about the Bible being a “a gift of grace and source of strength” in bad times and good. I turn to it often. However, as a Catholic, I am also glad to have the Sacraments, especially Holy Communion and Confession, as additional sources of grace and strength (without failing to note, of course, that the grace is given by God, not by the Sacraments themselves). I wish you all could have that, too.
So true! Despite popular culture’s perception that Christianity is a set of restrictive rules and regulations, nothing could be further from the truth! And, though we differ on the number of sacraments, those of us from a reformed tradition do see baptism and communion as a means of grace, as well.
🙂
Jesus is awesome, isn’t He? Can’t wait to meet Him face to face one day! I’m very new to all of this, but check out my blog at http://kingdomcascading.com
Awesome indeed! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.