Day 4 - March 3rd 20222
READ John 2: 1-12
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?”Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 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 10 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.”
11 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.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days
Important Structural note: The Gospel of John is organized around 7 miracles that Jesus performed. The apostle John was an eye witness of Jesus’ ministry. The 7 stories he tells in his gospel are events that he saw and decided were proof that Jesus really was who he says he was. His Gospel is meant to be read as evidence of Jesus’ identity. The miracle at the wedding at Cana is the first of those 7 signs.
I like to think about Jesus attending a wedding just as an average guest. I know he performed a miracle, but before all that He was just a man enjoying time with His family and friends. And they were glad He was there even before the whole water into wine thing.
Why is that such a big deal? Because people liked Jesus. In fact, people who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus! And He liked them back. It’s comforting to know that Jesus could hang out with people from all walks of life and they enjoyed having Him around. Sinners. Pharisees. Tax collectors. Rich people. Poor people. Sick people. Broken people. He associated with all of them. And no matter how obvious the gap between their sin and His righteousness was they liked being around Jesus.
Here’s a comforting thought: Jesus would love to be around you. And I’m pretty sure you’d like having Him around you too. He wouldn’t be put-off by what you did or didn’t do. He wouldn’t avoid you because of what you believed or didn’t believe. In fact, He would invite you to follow Him even before you had changed or fully believed. Because He knows what so many of us have come to understand… when you really follow Jesus you start doing some different things… your life begins to change. And Jesus is willing to walk with you until you figure that out.
No matter what you have done or should have done, no matter how much or little faith you have… Jesus says ‘follow me’. He would enjoy having you around.
What do you think Jesus thinks about you? What do you think about Jesus?