Water into wine

The sermon this morning was on the transformation of water into the finest wine those present had ever tasted. The guests at that particular wedding banquet had no idea what had taken place ‘behind the scenes,’ and praised the host for bringing out the best wine towards the end of the party. The passage that was preached this morning was John 2:1-11, and I couldn’t help but burst out, “I get it!” when Pastor Dale spoke about Jesus’ mother telling Him about the shortage of wine, and Him replying that it wasn’t His time yet. The beauty of the parallel is in how the wine that was being consumed at the banquet is the wine that we symbolically refer to as Jesus’ blood. Communion – the act of partaking in ‘His body and blood’ – is the reenactment of that declaration of faith, the mother declaring to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” And of course it is stone jars which were used for ceremonial washing and the significance of that, because we are washed clean with His sacrifice, and these vessels hold the… blood.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like the taste of wine. Sure, I can appreciate the richness of a glass of good quality wine, and I can smell the difference between a cheap and mature bottle, but the nuances of the wine-tasting surpasses me by far. But even I can see the power and import of Jesus’ actions, His miracle of turning water into wine. It is this transforming, revolutionary grace that makes us who we will become.