Sep 20, 2020
Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11
Turning water into wine is one of Jesus' best-known miracles. Found only in the gospel of John, Jesus performed this miracle as the inaugural display of power in His public ministry (Jn 2:11). Having said that, it was not a fully-public miracle because only a few people actually knew what had happened.
John calls this miracle a 'sign,' (Jn 2:11) which is a word that he uses often in this gospel. Jesus' miracles were signs pointing people to His identity as the Son of God and the Messiah. John uses this word at the end of this gospel when he gives us his reason for writing it. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name"
(Jn 20:30,31). Jesus' signs were meant to lead people to have faith in Him.
When Jesus turned the water into wine, it was an unmistakable demonstration of His power and authority over His creation. This much is obvious. But is there more here than simply a display of divine might?
Without being dogmatic (because the Biblical text does not spell it out), perhaps it was by design that Jesus' first miracle in His ministry was performed at a wedding … involving wine … and purification receptacles. The Old Testament sometimes used the imagery of a marriage in picturing God's relationship to His people, completed in the coming kingdom (Isa 54:4-8; 62:4,5). The predicted kingdom is described in terms of joy and an abundance of wine (Isa 25:6; Jer 31:12; Amos 9:13,14). Jesus' miracle here seems to be a symbol of the replacement of the old Mosaic system with new life in Christ.