“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”. John 2 v 10
After the water jars had been filled by the servants at the wedding celebration in Cana, the servants were instructed to draw some out of the jars and present it to the master of the banquet. The master was not aware of what had just happened, this water had been turned into wine in an instant! The master could only exclaim to the bridegroom about the superior quality of the wine that had been presented to him, we see this in verse 10. There are so many different parts to this passage that we could focus on, we see Jesus perform His first earthly miracle or ‘sign’ in turning water into wine, this is significant and marks the beginning of His ministry taking a different direction whilst on earth. This act shows us that Jesus is above time, it would have taken decades for this standard of wine to be produced, but Jesus can intervene and change circumstances in an instant!
We also see very physically that Jesus is interested in not only meeting the physical need of thirst for the wedding guests but also that He is acutely aware of the social impact running out of wine would have had for the bridegroom and their families. In one act, Jesus saved the family from humiliation, reputational damage and from risk of being outcast in society. Shame would have surrounded the family not being able to meet the needs of the esteemed guests invited to the day of celebrations.
You see, we serve a God who is interested in the detail of every area of our lives. We see this even more when we hear of the superior quality of the wine presented to the master and the guests. Jesus is not interested in meeting needs in a basic way to survive, He is a God who is generous and His heart is to surpass our understanding and to bless us abundantly while we thrive in life. The quality of the wine at this point in the wedding was not just superior, but counter cultural. Verse 10 acknowledges that at this point of the wedding it was custom to bring out the poorer quality wine as guests would have already enjoyed the ‘choice wine’ first. It is evident that Jesus does not want us to try and ‘keep up appearances’ in our lives, He wants us to operate from a place of knowing we are blessed, loved and cared for – you see, at His very core He is not just interested in us surviving, but He is generous and kind towards us.
When we read of generosity we tend to think of material things first, but He surpasses our expectations and blesses us with peace, future, hope, love and the gift of righteousness. We need not fear today as there is no scarcity or lack in a life with Jesus!
We need to remember that because of His great love, we can walk in wholeness and it is all because of His generosity and goodness. Let’s live the life He has for us and say Who He is – the God who is generous, the God who is for us, the God who watches out for and provides for His children. Let our mindset be one where we see the blessing each day in our lives and praise Him with thankful hearts, let us be a people who believe that our better days lie ahead of us! God is not finished working in our lives, let’s be expectant and full of faith today.
Please remember to share this daily devotion with your friends, and if anyone wants to receive ‘Grace for Today’ directly then please just sign up via our website at www.exchangechurchbelfast.com
Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020