Turning water to wine…this miracle is recorded for us in Joh 2:1-11. In this account of the first miracle performed by Christ we find some very interesting (but confusing) events taking place. Let’s look at Christ’s response to His mother’s notification that the wedding they were attending had run out of wine…
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?”
First of all, His response helps us to understand that He was not going to perform this miracle in obligation to His mother’s request. When He would make this wine, it would be by grace and His choosing. By addressing her as “woman” and reminding her she had no authority over Him, he was helping those who were at the wedding to realize He was not obligated to perform this miracle. He wanted this to be a lesson in God’s gracious intervention in the lives of those in need.
This is a great reminder to us that when we go to the Lord in prayer asking Him to meet a certain need in our life, He is not obligated to meet our need in the way in which we desire. When our prayers are answered it is entirely an act of a gracious loving Lord who will only do what is best for His children.
“mine hour is not yet come.”
Secondly, in this response He is saying that this miracle would be done on His Father’s schedule not Mary’s. Here, we are taught about Christ’s submission to His Father’s will. In case we think that Christ was being haughty and prideful as He answered His mother, we now have this second part of His response reminding us of His submission and humility. He was not being mean nor unloving to His mother. He was simply reminding her of His first priority… following the will and timing of the Father for His life.
This is another truth we can apply to our prayer life as well. Our desires are to be taken to our Lord in the context of His will. Our desire should be, ultimately, what He would desire for any given situation we may face in this life.
Following the Lord’s response, He acts graciously supplying their needs and, in accordance to His Father’s will and timing, changing 6 water pots filled with water into wine. When the governor of the wedding tastes the wine he acknowledges that it was the “good” wine (ie wine of very high quality). When the Lord answers our prayers, He always answers in the BEST way. What is best for us and best for His glory and His honor.
We are told that this gracious act of Christ “manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
As we come before our Lord in prayer, seeking for His intervention in our lives, we should recall His Authority, His Will, His Grace and His Knowledge of future events…. all of which play a part in His response to our requests. Let’s set the example He set for us when He prayed before His crucifixion…. “not my will but thine be done.”
May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.
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