Getting Real with God

Read John 2:1-25

"This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him" John 2:11

At his mother’s insistence, Jesus performs his first miracle. He saves a wedding from running out of wine. But this miracle points beyond itself, John calls it a sign, to something else – the greatness, glory and authority of Jesus.

When Jesus’ mother first asks him to act, he seems hesitant. He says: “My hour has not yet come” (pay attention to that repeated phrase by Jesus as we read through John’s gospel). But later at the banquet he then instructs the servants to fill six jars used for Jewish purification rites with water. But when the water is poured into the wedding guest’s cups, it becomes the best tasting wine of the wedding.

The OT looks frequently to the fulfilment of God’s kingdom as a banquet with the ‘wine of the new age’. By turning the water into wine at the wedding Jesus was saying “The party of the new age starts now, starts with me”.

Shortly after this, Jesus shows up at the temple and drives out all those buying and selling animals in the courtyard reserved for the gentiles. He accuses those in the temple of turning God’s house into a house of trade. Jesus’ anger at these common temple practices assumes authority to prescribe what should and shouldn’t happen in the temple. The religious leaders demand Jesus prove that authority with a sign. Jesus replies, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”. Ultimately, those words would be twisted and used against Jesus, condemning him to death. And of course 3 days later Jesus would rise from the dead…to become the new temple!

Jesus spoke with authority and carefully wove his authority through everything he did. Has Jesus taken authority in your life? Getting real with God is about Jesus as Lord—establishing his authority in our lives.

RevGeoff