Wednesday, January 18, 2012
John 2:6-11 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.
MANIFEST IN POWER DIVINE, CHANGING WATER INTO WINE
What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? That was made plain early in Jesus' ministry at the wedding in Cana in Galilee. At first only a few serving people knew what Jesus had done, but that quickly changed when the Master of Ceremonies discussed with the Bridegroom the nature of the new wine that was being served. After that there must have been a buzz that spread like a wave around the tables and couches of the wedding banquet.
After all, to make an excellent wine is neither easy nor quick -- after racking and bottling it should age at least six months before drinking. And you don't have to be a connoisseur to know that not only are grapes and water necessary to the process, but a chemical change needs to take place. One that takes time. Nature's laws as put in place by nature's God are operative here. Every wine-maker must operate within their boundaries. Except One, of course.
The Creator Himself, who made grapes and yeast and gave them their properties at their initial creation, He is fully able to make wine the same way He made grapes -- instantly, out of nothing. Which is exactly what Jesus did that day in Cana. Many at the wedding may not have "got it" but His disciples did. As John would later write, the glory Jesus' believing disciples glimpsed that day was the glory of the one and Son who came from the Father (John 1:14).
To say that Jesus is the Son of God is to say that He is the very Creator of the universe.
And at Cana,Wedding-Guest, In Thy Godhead manifest:
Manifest in power divine, Changing water into wine.
Anthems be to Thee addressed
God in man made manifest.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 134:2)
