By Wangu Joy
When Jesus turned water into wine, He beautifully crafted a symbolic invitation to us, it was His first miracle, setting the scene of what it means to journey with Him.
John 2:1-11 (TPT)
On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so, they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”
As I exercise my faith in the marketplace, this miracle setting is a grounding source. The whole parable reads like a series of unfortunate events: a wedding with no more wine, mama-son drama, Jesus clearly stating that His time had not yet arrived, Mary ignoring his comment, and giving an instruction of “do whatever He tells you”. Jesus instructing the servants to use six (6) jars – six, the number of imperfection – six ceremonial cleansing jars used to store purification water. Wait, what? Honestly, if I were one of the servants – I would respectfully decline, “no thanks – I’ll pass on that instruction sir, let us go buy some wine the conventional way… like normal people”.
Over time, I have come to see my life represented all over this parable. I am the feast; many seasons of my life have felt ‘out of it’ – empty with nothing more to offer. I have been called to act and I have dramatically responded to God with many PowerPoint presentations and analyses as to why the timing is not right. I am the six stone jars, imperfect, drained by culture and life’s rituals. I am the servant experiencing the unconventional path that Jesus often walks on.
Then, there was “do whatever He tells you” and “fill the jars with water”. Two commands that called the servants to listen and act in obedience. Let us take a moment to visualize the filling to the brim of a large stone jar of 20-30 gallons approximately 76-114 liters, now visualize the filling of six of these jars which is over 600 liters! This process would take some time, require patience, I am picturing multiple visits to the well (or the source of water), and this whole process is confusing! Wasn’t the point to get more wine? Why are we wasting time filling jars with water instead of going to the market to get more wine?
There seems to be no sense of urgency here.
Yet, this is me – every day in my journey with Christ. When I accept the command, actively surrender in obedience to His instruction, and I will myself to accept to be filled by His Spirit – nothing is the same. This filling requires waiting by abiding, the need to be constantly connected to the only Source that can fill me to the brim, and the painful acceptance that this process is often not on my time. It can be a waiting game, full of confusion, and it requires a daily act of surrender to His unconventional plan. It sometimes is a minute-by-minute choice to surrender and accept His will – and wait. Believing that when an imperfect situation meets Jesus, there is transformation.
I think the hardest part of it all is this test of faith: “now, draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet”. So, the servants did not even taste the outcome before giving it to the master of the banquet? What if it turned out to be water from a stone jar? Trusting Jesus is scary – letting go of MY outcome is scary. This is surrender, in a world where carefully controlled environments and outcomes are the preferred option – surrender is unconventional. Despite this, the beauty and romance of journeying with Christ lie in this process and the promise that is at the end of the parable “but you have saved the best till now”.
Ephesians 2:7-10 (MSG)
Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
...So, let’s get to it! Doing the work as we journey with Jesus.
Wangu Joy is in our Nairobi Cohort for 2021. She is a Strategy Consultant with Dalberg Advisors.