Focus: Jesus Turns Water Into Wine (Pt.1)

Text: Jh.2:11

"This BEGINNING OF MIRACLES did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him."

Turning water into wine was the first of Jesus' miracles. That means that it was only the first, but not the last. In John 4:54, we read of Christ's second miracle. So the Lord Jesus kept doing miracles in people's lives. The miracles differ from each other. They are miracles tailored to individual needs, and that makes each miracle unique. Every time God works a miracle He takes into consideration the uniqueness of the individual and his peculiar circumstance. Man will always be in need of God's help for as long as he lives in this world. Hence miracle days remain with us throughout the generations of human history.

A miracle is God's power in action, and God makes His power manifest at the point of human extremity. Miracle is God doing for man what he cannot do for himself. It is God helping man out of an impossible situation.

The Greek word for miracle is 'dunamis', which is the word for power. Miracle is God's power at work for man's good and for God's glory. But here in John's Gospel, John uses a different word to describe the miracles of Jesus Christ. It is the word 'semeion,' which means basically 'a sign.' The word 'semiotics' stems from it. The miracles of Christ are more than God's power in action; they are pointers. Every miracle Christ does has a message in it. It means that the miracles are not an end in themselves, but a means to an end. They point us back to the miracle-worker, God Himself. Miracles are mirrors by which we see into God's heart and mind. As a matter of fact, the word miracle stems the Latin words 'miro,' which means 'to wonder,' and 'mirus,' which means 'wonderful.' The word 'mirror' is also derived from these two words - miro and mirus. A miracle is a wonder to behold. It beats the human mind and staggers the imagination. No one can explain the miraculous in purely natural terms.

Miracle exposes us to the fact that God is ever in charge of His world and ably oversees the affairs of men. As the sovereign creator of the universe and being in possession of infinite power God is superbly in control of all things.

The universe is a miracle. Life is a miracle. Nature is a miracle, for behind the natural is the supernatural. It is not possible for man to divorce the natural from the supernatural. Heaven and earth are designed by God to coexist and destined to function together. The trouble with our world is the fact that man has relegated earth's counterpart, that is, heaven, to the place of irrelevance. Just imagine a world without sun, moon, stars, or rainfall! They serve the earth from heaven above.

I pray that you make room for the miraculous in your life. Jesus says, "For without me ye can do nothing" (Jh.15:5). We all need the miraculous in our lives. Human life is a disaster without the presence and the workings of God. The Lord Jesus Christ knows how and possesses the power to turn water into wine, and He will do it in your life.

We'll continue tomorrow.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter