The miracle that John records in John 2:1-11 is one of the most unusual miracles in the ministry of Jesus, a miracle which nobody was expecting. Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding was very different to His many healing miracles and it shows how God wants to bless us in the everyday experiences of life in ways we never thought possible.
Jesus turning six large stone jars of water, each able to hold 20 to 30 gallons, into fine wine is not something you would expect anyone to do and certainly not a religious leader. But Jesus was not a typical religious leader who was stern and strict. He was totally against negative religion. Of course, the Bible makes it clear that drinking too much is a great danger and often it is best to avoid alcohol altogether, especially if it has brought damage to your life. But the Bible also says that ‘wine gladdens the heart of man’ and Jesus clearly would have brought great joy to many people through this miracle. This first miracle of Jesus shows how we all can experience the blessings of God in our lives.
1. Invite Jesus into every part of your life (John 2:1-2; John 4:14; John 7:37; John 14:6)
2. Do whatever Jesus says (John 2:5; Luke 23:34)
3. Let Jesus bring about change
4. Jesus can make things get better and better (John 2:10; Psalm 23:6)
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Have you invited Jesus into every part of your life? The best foundation for any marriage and any life is when you invite Jesus to be with you (John 2:1-2). Today many people leave Jesus out of their lives. It was the famous Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn who said ‘people in the west have forgotten God.’ Today many people, especially young people, are searching for direction and satisfaction. But that can only be found in Jesus (John 4:14; John 7:37; John 14:6). Whether is it is a thirst for love, or a thirst for meaning or hope, Jesus Christ is key to satisfying the deepest thirsts of the human heart. You can receive these blessings when you simply pray and invite Jesus into every area of your life, including your marriage. This is how you open yourself up to new and unexpected blessings in your life.
Are you obedient to do whatever Jesus says? Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Jesus to share that the wine was about to run out. She was confident that Jesus could deal with this problem, but she didn’t know how. But she knew how to access some answers (John 2:5). The best advice for all of us is to just do whatever Jesus tells us. To have the Maker’s blessing on marriage, it is important to follow the Maker’s Instructions. In other words, just do what the Bible says. Don’t go your own way and do your own thing. Just follow the example and teachings of Jesus. Firstly by being loving: we are to love as Christ loved. That’s true in marriage and for every relationship. Love means being patient, kind, understanding, protective, trusting and honouring. Love is more than just words, it is about our actions of doing all we can to bless others, starting in marriages and families. Jesus showed His great love for the world by sacrificing His life and dying on the Cross to save us from our sins. We should also follow Jesus by forgiving (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is one of the biggest secrets to experiencing God’s blessings in our lives. We have to learn not to harbour grudges, bitterness and resentment but to be quick to forgive one another. Maybe today there is someone that you need to forgive so that you can be freed to enjoy God’s blessings. Also, we need to learn to do what God says by being faithful. A husband and wife are to be faithful with their words, bodies, attitudes and affections ‘as long as they both shall live.’ Just as a marriage grows when each partner can truly trust one another, so too relationships in a family or church or business or society will become stronger when we are truly loyal to one another. So blessings come when we invite Jesus into every area of our lives, when we do what He says.
Are you willing to let Jesus bring about change in your life? The same Jesus who changed the water into wine can also bring great changes in our lives. He can change a hard heart to a soft heart, change a sinful heart into a cleansed heart and change a broken heart into a healed heart. To believe in change when you have experienced sadness and pain in your life may not seem possible. It’s easy to think ‘this is the way I am, this is the way things are, nothing is ever going to change.’ But change can happen. God can bring about big changes in your life that you cannot do by yourself.
Do you believe that with Jesus, your life will get better and better? One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is that every day you can know more of God's blessings (John 2:10). As it says in the Old Testament book of Lamentations: His compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. With Jesus your marriage can get better and better and your life can get better and better (Psalm 23:6). So, get ready to enjoy many unexpected blessings in your life.
