Water into Wine=Living Water

        In a recent study of the Gospel of John, I enjoyed some new insight into chapter 2, which tells the story of the very first miracle of Jesus. He went to a wedding where the hosts ran out of wine. An embarrassing situation, and socially unacceptable for the time, but really, hard to see as life threatening. Jesus did a lot of really big, amazing miracles; healing lepers, giving sight to the blind, even raising the dead! His first miracle was a social rescue.

        Jesus obliged them by turning water into wine. In fact, Jesus had the servants fill six large jars with water, a total of about 150 gallons, which he then turned into wine. The normal, natural water, which may not have even been healthy to drink, he took and turned into wine that was refreshing, exhilarating, even intoxicating. The host even said that this wine was the best.

When we looked at this chapter, we had just had a good discussion of John 1, where Jesus is revealed as the true life which is the light of men, and as the source of grace and truth. John 1:16 “ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”  Jesus is full of grace, and he has poured that grace upon us and into us. We have received all that He is, abundantly; grace upon grace, overflowing, lavish grace. 

         After a great introduction of Jesus in chapter one, John tells this simple story of Jesus turning water into wine. Why? Maybe Jesus is illustrating what John 1 means. He comes to us, normal, natural human beings, like the normal water in the vessels. He comes to us and fills us. He is refreshing, exhilarating, even intoxicating.

          As I went on reading John, I could see this theme continued. John 3 tells the story of Jesus encounter with Nicodemus, where he tells of the need to be born again, to be born of the Spirit, to be made into a new person.  Then, in John 4, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman he met at a well that He would give all who believe a new kind of water, living water that would always refresh, never run out, and never be old; water that would well up to eternal life.

         For the last week, I have meditated on and relished this thought, that the plain, old, stagnant water of my life became refreshing, exhilarating, intoxicating wine in my spirit by the grace and power of the life of Jesus.