By Kelly Wise Valdes
During His ministry, Jesus performed more than 40 miracles including healing the sick, changing the natural elements of nature and even raising people from the dead. A miracle is considered an event that occurs outside the bounds of natural law. Each month, we will take a closer look at one of His miracles to understand the depth of His love for us. Understanding the miracles of Jesus can change your life, and it all begins with believing through faith.
The first recorded miracle in the New Testament is told in John 2:1-11 when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Because this was Jesus’ first public miracle, it is often considered one of the most memorable miracles to many Christians today. It was certainly important not only because it’s truly a work of the supernatural but also because it carries a message.
Before Jesus began His public ministry, he was invited to a wedding in Cana with His mother Mary and several of His disciples. During the wedding dinner, Mary told Jesus that the guests had consumed all the wine. Jesus spotted six large stone water jugs, the kind used during ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus summoned several of the servants to fill the jugs with water and take them to the host of the wedding. The host took a sip from the jug and realized that the water had been turned into wine. The host didn’t immediately recognize that a miracle just took place; however, the servants who had drawn the water knew.
What Jesus did through this miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee was the first time He revealed His supernatural abilities in public. We can learn a valuable lesson through this first miracle—Jesus can provide for our needs. We may not get everything we want, but the power of the Lord can meet your needs to empower you to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
Another lesson is to focus less on the wine and instead focus more on the winemaker. The wedding guests in the Bible story never got to know the ‘Winemaker’ because they were too focused on the wine. Many of us place our focus on the wrong things. Maybe you are focused on a new fancy car or buying a bigger house. Whatever it is, don’t let it take your eyes off of the Lord.
The purpose of Jesus’ miracle of turning the water into wine was explained further in John 2:11: “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.”
God doesn’t want us to only believe in miracles, signs and phenomena. He wants us to believe in Him and use our beliefs to cause others to believe in Him. The purpose of His plan is to show His love for us, not for us to have our fill of wine, or money, or other physical things of this earth. God wants us to hear Him and trust Him, and He responds by His blessings in our lives.
