Did Jesus turn water into wine? Yes, He did.

Jesus revealed the first sign of His supernatural power at a wedding in Cana. Jesus’ mother is attending the wedding and the disciples show up with Jesus to celebrate. John 2:1-12 records the wedding celebration and we are brought into the story when the party was in full swing. I’m sure that this was a joyous wedding celebration, that is, until they ran out of wine.

Weddings were community events. For a small town like Cana, this would have been a large celebration for all of the people who lived there. Refreshments would have been provided to all of the guests. Did more people show up than expected? Did they forget to buy enough wine? While we don’t know why they ran out of wine the fact remains: the wedding party ran out of wine. Running out of wine was not a life-or-death situation, but it was a large error on the wedding party that would have caused embarrassment.

What would they do? Walmart didn’t exist. Heading down to a grocery store was out of the question. There was no way to solve this problem.

Mary Saw A Problem

Mary saw a problem and believed that Jesus could do something about it.

“When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, ‘They don’t have any wine.’” John 2:3

Mary didn’t tell Jesus what to do, while the solution is implied. She presented the problem to Jesus believing that He was able to solve it.

Jesus told the wedding servants to fill six stone water jars that were used for Jewish purification (John 2:6-7). The servants took the jars, filled them with water, and presented them to Jesus. Jesus told the servants to draw some of the liquid out and take it to the headwaiter (John 2:8). The water was miraculously turned into wine and the wedding celebration continued.

Water to Wine

So, why did Jesus turn water into wine? There are two reasons that Jesus performed miracles.

First, all of Jesus’ miracles served a specific purpose – bring glory to God. Jesus’ miracles showed his power over the physical and spiritual realms. These displays of power and dominion pointed to the glory of God.

Secondly, Jesus performed miracles to help humans both physically and spiritually. Jesus’ miracles met physical and spiritual needs of humanity to, as Luke 19:10 says, “seek and save the lost.” Every miracle was a moment to bring spiritual healing to those who believed in His power and goodness.

Does turning water into wine seem like a small problem to solve? It does to me. While I don’t want to downplay the power that Jesus displayed in the miracle (I can’t turn water into wine), this miracle seems smaller than some of the miracles Jesus completes later in His ministry. After all, Jesus walks on water, brings people back from the dead, feeds over 5,000 men with a few pieces of bread and fish, and defeats the sting of death and penalty of sin.

While turning water into wine wasn’t one of the larger miracles that Jesus performed, we can learn an important truth about Jesus’ heart and character. Jesus is concerned with the small aspects of our lives.

 Jesus is concerned with the small aspects of our lives.

It seems like we are quick to call out to Jesus in the insurmountable moments in life. You know the moments: a bad health diagnosis, the loss of your job, the death of a loved one, or the pain of a broken relationship. In these heavy moments I know that I instinctively call out to Jesus for peace, rescue, and hope.

It isn’t just the heavy moments that I can cry out to Jesus. Mary saw a problem and took it to Jesus. Mary never told Jesus what to do. She brought the need to Jesus and allowed Him to make the decisions. Jesus, in His perfect wisdom and goodness, decides when to move in miraculous ways.

 Jesus cares about the large and small aspects of your life. You should never feel like a prayer request is too small or insignificant. We can bring all of our pains and praises to Jesus.

Live It:

• Do you overlook smaller prayer requests? Are you diligent to present those to Jesus?
• Spend a few minutes thanking Jesus for His character and compassion. He cares about the large and small in our lives.

Christ Chronological: John 2:1-12

Want to connect to the Facebook Community? Join today and receive the devotions to your Newsfeed each morning. Read It. Live It. Devotion Facebook Group.

Have you met someone who seems skeptical about your faith in Jesus? What emotions do you feel when someone questions your faith?

In John 1 we find a dialogue between a believer and a skeptic. Jesus began his ministry in Galilee and gave Philip the command to “follow me” (John 1:43). Philip was so excited to see Jesus he tracked down his friend Nathanael to share the news. Philip told Nathanael that the Messiah that Moses and the prophets wrote about was finally in Jerusalem.

Nathanael responded to Philip’s excitement with a phrase that has become popular over the years: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). This statement either shows us that Nazareth did not have the best reputation in Galilee or Nathanael was unsure that the Messiah would come from such a place. Whatever the reason, Nathanael seemed unimpressed and unconvinced that the Messiah had come.

What was Philip’s response to a statement of unbelief? Did Philip run to defend Jesus? Did Philip argue with Nathanael in an attempt to prove him wrong? No. Instead of arguing, Philip offered Nathanael a simple invitation, “come and see” (John 1:46). Nathanael agreed to meet Jesus and quickly found out that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus told Nathanael that he was a true Israelites and where he was located before Philip talked with him (John 1:46,48) Nathanael was amazed and responded by saying, “How do you know me?” (John 1:47).

Come and See

It is important for us to remember that when we enter into a conversation with someone who is skeptical about Jesus we should offer an invitation for that person to experience Jesus first hand.

How can they experience Jesus? Invite them to pray to God for a few days, to read their Bible, meet you weekly for spiritual conversations, or to attend church with you.

The point isn’t a win an argument to prove that Jesus is real, our aim should be to help people see that Jesus knows them, loves them, and is inviting them to follow Him.

• Arguments drive people away from Jesus.
• Invitations draw people closer to Jesus.
• Arguments rarely change someone’s mind.
• Invitations can change someone’s soul.

Nothing is as powerful in a person’s life as meeting with Jesus. Extending an invitation for someone to meet Jesus could change their eternity.

Live It:

• Who is skeptical about Jesus? Who needs to meet Jesus?
• How can you invite that person to “come and see” Jesus this week?
• Are you praying for that person?

Christ Chronological: John 1:35-51

Want to connect to the Facebook Community? Join today and receive the devotions to your Newsfeed each morning. Read It. Live It. Devotion Facebook Group.

John the Baptist had two elements to his preaching: repent and the kingdom of heaven was near. Because the kingdom of heaven was near people needed to repent. John committed his life to preparing the way for Jesus to come as the Messiah. People traveled from nearby regions to be baptized by John to prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah. 

Not all people were eager to repent. The religious leaders did not see a need for repentance. 

John told the religious leaders to, “produce fruit consistent with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8) These religious leaders reduced religion down to a list of regulations and rules and failed to cultivate the relationship needed with God. Everything was about keeping the standard of holiness instead of submitting to the lordship of God. Salvation was based off of their works not based on their faith. John points out their flaw and exhorts them to “produce fruit consistent with repentance.”

What is fruit that is consistent with repentance? Spiritual fruit is cultivated when we spend time with God. Psalm 1:2-3 says that a wise man is one who meditates on the word day and night. Through mediation on the word they will become like a fruitful tree planted by water. Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The only way to produce fruit is to spend time with the Holy Spirit. Repentance is more than feeling remorse of sorrow for one’s sin – it is the act of recognizing that sin is again God and turning away from that sin to take hold of Jesus. Repenting leads us to plant our lives in the fertile soil of Jesus’ grace and redemption. Spiritual fruit cannot be manufactured it can only be cultivated. 

The spiritual leaders of the day spent time going through the motions to manufacture holiness and missed Jesus. John saw through their hypocrisy and knew that if they were truly spending time with God then the Spirit would produce spiritual fruit. 

Live It: 

• Do you see a need for repentance in your life? Is there an area that you need to turn away from? 
• Are you trying to manufacture spiritual growth instead of cooperating with the Holy Spirit? 
• Is there a spiritual discipline you need to implement this week to set your focus on Jesus? 

Christ Chronological: Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:1-18; John 1:19-28 

Want to connect to the Facebook Community? Join today and receive the devotions to your Newsfeed each morning. Read It. Live It. Devotion Facebook Group.

Jesus experienced threats and opposition during his entire earthly life. Herod lost his mind and temper when the wise men did not return and report where Jesus was. His rage drove him to make the decision to kill every boy in Bethlehem who was under the age of two. 

What led King Herod to massacring babies and toddlers? 

Was it his pride?

Was it his jealousy?

Was it his insecurities?

Herod felt threatened that another ruler would take his place as the leader. He was unwilling to acknowledge that Jesus was the King nor would he submit to Jesus’ lordship. 

If we rely on our own power there will miss worshipping Jesus. Many love talking about Jesus being their Savior but they don’t talk Him to be the Lord of their life. Jesus isn’t your Savior if you do not acknowledge Him as your Lord. When we realize that Jesus is our Lord it causes us to respond by laying down our life, power, and preferences and submit to His lordship. 

Letting go of our power and control is essential for us to follow Jesus. 

Live It: 

• Is Jesus Lord of your life? 
• How are you submitting yourself to His lordship? 

Christ Chronological: Matthew 2:13-23

Want to connect to the Facebook Community? Join today and receive the devotions to your Newsfeed each morning. Read It. Live It. Devotion Facebook Group.

When the wise men arrived at Joseph and Mary’s house to see Jesus, they worshiped him. 

Context will help us see how significant this moment is in the early years of Jesus’ life. The wise men came from the east – probably from Persia – and would have been pagan astronomers. These wise men knew the sign of a royal birth for the Jewish people, which was probably learned through the Hebrews’ captivity in Babylon. These gentiles set out on a journey to worship the new king of the Jews. 

Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, there must have been some confusion when they discovered that no one was worshipping the new king. After a conversation with Herod, the wise men traveled to Bethlehem to find Jesus. 

Matthew tells us what happened when the wise men found Joseph and Mary’s house. 

“Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” – Matthew 2:11

When we see Jesus at work in our lives the best response is to stop and worship. The Holy Spirit is moving around us today and we see God restore lives, heal addicts, renew hope, and forgive prodigals. 

The wise men weren’t Jewish, and yet they knew the signs of the coming Messiah and worshipped Him when they found Him. Today, as believers in and followers of Jesus, we ought to notice how God is at work around us … and that should cause us to stop and worship. 

Live It: 

• Do you notice God moving, healing, providing, or leading? 
• How often do you stop and worship in those moments?  

Christ Chronological: Matthew 2:1-12

Want to connect to the Facebook Community? Join today and receive the devotions to your Newsfeed each morning. Read It. Live It. Devotion Facebook Group.