My favorite miracle in the Bible is probably the first one that Jesus ever did, when He showed up to a wedding celebration and came to the rescue of an earthly bridegroom. I wonder what kind of honor Jesus was given at this wedding he attended in John 2, with His mother and some of His disciples? Was He seated at the right hand of the couple? Cast in a corner? Was He mingling with the crowd? Talking about the Father? Eating? Drinking? Dancing?

After spending a week meditating on John 2:1-12, Jesus once again just blows me away. There are layers upon layers to this story, but here are some thoughts skimmed from the top:

(v. 5) Jesus’ mother recognized His authority, and though she’d never seen Him do a miracle, she was prepped for something awesome. She likewise prepped the servants for something spectacular. Though He was in submission to His earthly parents, doubtless there were there things she had observed for thirty years around the home that inclined her heart to seek His solution.

(v. 6) the water cisterns were to be used for purification, which was how cleansing happened under the Law. Jesus’ blood, represented in the wine, would be the new means of purification (1 John 1:7)

(v. 7) the stone vessels were filled to the brim at Christ’s command. Not halfway, not most of the way, but completely sufficient – more than enough.

(v. 10) “You have  kept the good wine until now.” Jesus not only turned water into wine, but He made it top shelf. The very best. Jesus was revealing Himself in this miracle. Jesus IS the best wine. The new wine that had been saved for the end. Those who had old wineskins, including most of Israel, could not handle Him. They hadn’t kept their spirits pliable with water and oil, and so Jesus was too much for them.

My own mother made a remark about this passage. “I am not a wine connoisseur, but people who enjoy wine talk of its nuances,” she said. Indeed. Jesus has subtleties that can be enjoyed on a variety of levels and in different ways. He evokes a different response at different times, and from different palates. Jesus calls forth the essence of what we taste in life, for there is no life besides Him.