The Stuff Miracles Are Made Of
In John chapter 2 we find the first recorded miracle performed by the Lord Jesus. It was at the marriage celebration in Cana of Galilee. It provides us with some valuable insights into the stuff that miracles are made of.
Any miracle begins with a need. At the wedding the wine had run dry...the source of joy was gone. Sadly, that often happens in marriages...and sometimes in happens about as quickly as it did this day in Cana...the vows had barely been spoken before the well ran dry. The psalmist reminds us in the 104th Psalm that it is God that causeth the grass to grow which provides all the needs of man including "the wine that maketh glad the heart of man..." It's a reminder that the need does not have to be a life threatening emergency. We have needs every day in our lives...we could use a miracle most any time.
The second thing we notice in this account is that Mary has some motherly advice to give about what to do next. Mothers are like that, of course, but in this case the advice is profound in its simplicity as well as its import. "His mother saith unto the servants, 'whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.'" It sounds too simple...and it really is...so simple we pass right over it...we miss it...we don't consider it. It may be why our lives are so often terribly void of miracles. When faced with a need, a problem, a crisis we typically try every thing, anything, or nothing at all...but how often do we ask ourselves, "what did my Saviour tell me to do in this situation?" And then whatever it was He said...do exactly that? Not nearly often enough, I would guess.
It's interesting to reflect on how ludicrous what Jesus did in fact tell those servants to do really may have seemed to them. Those pots were not even for drinking from, they were ceremonial pots for washing...not to mention the fact that it was wine everyone was after not water. So I imagine they may have exchanged some puzzled looks as they proceeded to do what Jesus had asked. Notice, importantly, however, that in spite of the fact that it made no earthly sense to those servants to do it...they not only did it...they did it in the most complete manner it could possibly be done: "they filled them up to the brim."
It reminds me of the time that Peter had been fishing all night. He was a fisherman by trade. He was raised in a family of fishermen. He knew all about fishing: when to fish, where to fish, and how to fish. But even the best fishermen get skunked sometimes and this was one of those times. He had fished all night and caught nothing. He had called it a day, or a night and was washing his nets when Jesus happened along. It is an interesting exchange. (Luke 5:4-5 KJV) "Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. {5} And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing." It is apparent that the request of the Master seemed ludicrous to the fisherman and besides that, Peter was probably very ready to get home and get some sleep.
But inspite of how he no doubt felt, it is Peter's response to the advice of Jesus that is of utmost importance to us: "nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." You probably know or can guess the rest of the story...it was a miracle...they not only caught some fish, they caught so many fish that they were in danger of breaking the nets! "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."
So it was at the wedding feast in Cana. The servants, in spite of their probable scepticism, did exactly what Jesus bid them do, including taking a cup of what they may have believed to be merely water to the governor of the feast...but they did it anyway...because that is what Jesus said to do. They may have harbored more than a little fear in their hearts. Afterall, the governor wanted wine not water...he might well become enraged at the servants for making a joke at such a time as this. Imagine their amazement when he exclaimed to the bridegroom: (John 2:10 KJV) "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now."
How often might we be missing the very best the Lord has to offer us? How many every day miracles do we miss out on? How much joy never known? Jesus said, (John 15:11 KJV) "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." His mother's advice to the servants is the stuff miracles are made of: "whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."
