JOHN 2:1-11

I love this miracle!  It is a miracle of practicality.  One may argue that not having wine at a wedding feast is a trifling matter for something as magnificent as a miracle.  But that is what makes the miracle so personally powerful.  In the normal course of life, Jesus is invited to a wedding feast.  His mother is there, his friends are there.  Mary pulls Jesus aside and confides in Him that they have no wine for the feast.  The ruler of the feast is unaware of the problem.  But anyone who has ever hosted a large party knows the stresses that can surface in regards to the food and drink.  Now Mary has lived with Jesus for 30+ years and she knows what He is capable of.  She knows of His ability to solve problems and she knows of His wisdom in matters dealing with other people.  So, she elicits His assistance in solving this behind-the-scenes problem in the kitchen.  He immediately responds.   He simply has the kitchen help fill the existing water pots with water and then they draw it out for the ruler of the feast and when the bridegroom drinks it-it is wine. Imagine the relief of the kitchen help that day when the feast proceeded without a hiccup.  What was mounting to be an epic disaster, what was probably causing tears in the kitchen, through a small miracle of Jesus, became a moment of relief and a moment of belief.

I love that his first recorded miracle is one of practicality.  By some mistake, things hadn’t gone the way that they were supposed to and Jesus stepped in and fixed it.  He cares about silly things like having wine at a wedding feast-because if it’s important to us, it is important to Him.  This is a HUGE lesson that we can take from this miracle.  Don’t worry if you are praying for a miracle that has nothing seemingly to do with spirituality or church.  Jesus wants to help us in every place in our lives. He is there in the normal run-of-the mill daily stuff. And He is in the details.

it takes me back to 1990- I was  20-year-old college student wanting my own car.  I didn’t know how to proceed and so I needed my dad’s assistance.  Problem was, dad was really busy.  While it was the only thing that I could think about, car shopping was not really high on his list of priorities.  We made it out one Saturday for a couple of hours but I didn’t find a car.  I was starting to feel desperate.  I really wanted my own car.  I started praying that something would happen to enable me to get a car sooner than later.  Enter the miracle.  A family I was babysitting for knew of my interest in finding a car.  The father knew someone at work selling a VW Cabriolet.  The seller called ME.  They offered to BRING the car to ME to test drive for a few days.  They dropped it off at my work place and came back a few days later to pick up the check for the sale.  I still believe that a small miracle was performed in my behalf over something silly like a car.  I really desired it.  I needed my dad’s help.  My dad didn’t have the time it was going to take.  Jesus heard my prayer and brought a car to me.  This little experience taught me so personally that Jesus cares about my desires no matter what they are.  He knew my angst and answered it with a miracle-a practical miracle- JUST FOR ME.