Day 6-Monday, February 19th
Beyond Expectations
Read John 2:1-12
As we enter this first full week of Lent, it is possible that the reality of the depth of this journey is beginning to set in. If you have chosen to fast during this season, it is also possible that this is proving to be quite difficult as the longing has started to distract you. When we experience this longing, we need to cry out, “God I want you more than I want ____________”. We can pray that God will give us the strength to persevere along the steps of this journey.
Turning our attention to this passage, Jesus and some of His disciples attend a wedding with the mother of Jesus. At this wedding, a crisis arises as the host family begins to run out of wine (possibly because Jesus brought some of His disciples?) Jesus is put on the spot by his own mother in order to save the reputation of a family friend. In Biblical times, wedding celebrations would last up to a full week. It would be a disgrace for the host family to run out of food and wine. At this point, Jesus has not yet begun his public ministry, but his mother demands His help regardless. In providing this help, we learn an important lesson about the power of Jesus.
Filling these water jars would be no small task and would take considerable time and effort as these jars would be very heavy and the water source a distance away. Once this task was complete and some of water was drawn out and taken to the master of the banquet, it became clear that they now had a huge abundance of the best wine ever tasted.
This first miracle performed by Jesus teaches us a very important lesson about who He is. This lesson is simple: when Jesus provides, He provides in abundance. Put on the spot by His mother, it’s as if Jesus says, “You want wine? I can provide wine beyond your wildest expectations. If I can do that, what else can I do?”
Questions to consider…
What do you need Jesus to provide in your life during this Lenten season?
Do you believe that Jesus can provide this in abundance?
In prayer, ask Jesus to provide this in abundance now.