Thursday, January 21, 2010
John 2:6-7 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone ... containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
WHEN THE LORD HELPS, HE DOES SO IN A *BIG* WAY!
John relates that these stone waterpots were used in connection with "the manner of purification of the Jews." It is important to notice that they were just that--pots for water. There are those who try to lessen the incredible miracle of our Savior by claiming that somewhere along the way these pots perhaps had leftover grape wine sediment in the bottom which "flavored" the water in them and made it taste like wine.
Nothing could be further from the truth! The Jews had their customs for which water was used--and this particular household had these containers on hand for exactly that purpose.
It is the AMOUNT on which we focus our attention today. When Jesus performed this miracle of turning the water into wine, He did not do it in a small way. Not at all! As an eye-witness of the goings-on, John writes that the containers were "filled to the brim." That means there were some 120 to 180 gallons of water in those containers. ALL of that was turned to wine! Certainly enough to see the family through their immediate emergency--and even beyond!
When the Lord takes care of our needs in His own time and in His own way, we readily admit that He does so in a way which is FAR BEYOND not only what we need, but certainly far above what we deserve. How thankful we are to the Lord for His merciful generosity!
