August 19, 2011
Journal from August 19, 2011
I read John 2 last night. I ended up just focusing on verses 1-12. It’s about the time when Jesus was at a wedding, and he turned water into wine. I’ve heard this story my entire life, beginning in my beginner’s Bible, and honestly I never thought anything of it. I mean, Jesus did lots of miracles, I would think like feeding the 5000 or bringing Lazarus back from the dead were so much more important, I’d overlook little miracles like this. But when I read it this time, I was intrigued by it and found it quite peculiar. We don’t even know who the newly married couple is, or how Jesus knew them. It only says, they were invited to the wedding. At the wedding, they ran out of wine. Jesus’ mom sees this and comes to him and tells him they’ve run out. He says it’s not his time, but later, he does perform a miracle. He turns water into the best tasting wine, ever!
After I read it, I thought… wait who cares? Water is good for you, why did they need wine? What’s the big deal? Why did Jesus invest in this seemingly small issue? I read the footnotes at the bottom of the page, and learned that the wedding ceremonies/reception could last like a week, and to run out of wine was a social embarrassment, basically. But still I thought, what’s the big deal? Why did Jesus see any reason in doing this?
Then I thought, well how many times a day do I come across a problem, one that seems big to me but isn’t really a big deal… how many times do I face a potentially embarrassing situation that I pray to get out of immediately? And when I pray, things always work out somehow. Maybe Jesus is just showing me that this is how much He really cares. Yes, He’s so powerful he can feed a crowd of 5000+ with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and raise a dead man back to life, but he also cares about the little details.
He sees my problems, no matter how big or little. I can be like his mom, coming to him and pointing out, Hey I’m really struggling with something… I really miss my friend and I don’t know why we have to be separated now. And just like in the story, Jesus is saying to me, “My time has not yet come.” I just need to stay strong, to keep trusting, and to wait for His answer. And sure enough, someday, his miracle, big or small, will come — just at the right time. God’s time.
