But Why?
Turning water to wine at a celebration feast – this was the first miracle that Jesus preformed. For so long I wondered why. Why turning water to wine? Why not a life-changing healing or raising someone from the dead? I like a good party as much as the next guy, but why a miracle that’s only benefit was giving party guests a longer celebration? To me the miracle seemed insignificant and almost superficial. Other than showing what incredible power Jesus had to turn one thing of little value into something of much greater value, I didn’t understand why His first miracle wasn’t something more life altering. So I asked the Lord to show me why. Shortly after that request, I heard a teacher speak about the jars used for the wine at the celebration scene. The teacher described that the jars were traditionally used for ceremonial cleaning. I had scanned over those words many times in the scriptures, but it never sunk in before.
The Context
These were the jars that the priests would fill with water to wash themselves in order to make themselves clean enough to preform sacrifices. Once the Lord showed me that context, it all clicked. The beautiful picture opened up. I could see it so clearly! The first miracle is a picture of the miracle that Jesus does in each of our hearts. This is the revelation that we can’t earn our own salvation, righteousness, or blessing through obeying a law or making ourselves clean. The first miracle was a picture of the miracle of the New Covenant and the Finished work of the Cross.
His Righteousness
Jesus fulfilled, thus ending, the Old Covenant and established the New Covenant with His blood! When Jesus told the servants to take the jars and fill them with water, John tells us that not only did Jesus tell the servants to gather jars – as in any random number. No, Jesus tells the servants to gather 6 jars. In Hebrew, the number 6 represents man and human weakness. The author also notes that the jars were made of stone. This is also significant (more on this later). Filling 6 stone jars with water was symbolic of self righteousness – human efforts to earn righteousness through works, behavior, and obedience. Then Jesus turns it into wine, which later at the last supper Jesus tells the disciples that the wine is His blood and to drink it – letting it dwell on the inside as your very identity. (This is the very meaning of communion). Jesus’ first miracle is a picture of ending the Old Covenant and establishing the New Covenant. A Covenant established in His blood. A Covenant made not between God and man like the Old Covenant – made only between God and the Israelites. The New Covenant was made between the Trinity with man as the benefactors. Man can not seal or break the Covenant. Man only has access to receive the benefits of the Covenant through faith. Man has no way to earn righteousness. The only way is to receive it as a free gift earned by Christ alone and given to us as we believe in Him and what He did in our place on the cross. It is a finished work.
The Finished Work
At the time of the first miracle, the work wasn’t finished yet. Jesus says to His mother- “My time has not yet come.” The miracle He then preceded to preform was a foreshadow of what He was on earth to do. Now it has been done. It is finished! We aren’t becoming righteous; we have been made (past perfect verb tense) righteous by faith in Christ alone. All sin – past, present, and future, has been paid for and the wrath of God satisfied. Jesus didn’t do an incomplete job that we Christians have to finish. God didn’t reserve any wrath for believers when they sin. No. God poured out all wrath for sin on the cross. The work Jesus did on the cross is finished and complete. When we place our faith in Him, Jesus removes our hearts of stone (like the stone jars) and gives us hearts of flesh. In the Old Covent Laws were written on Stone tablets, but in the New Covenant, the instructions for life are written on our hearts because Jesus dwells within.
The Miracle is Jesus
Jesus turned the water to wine. We’ve established that the water represents the Old Covenant and the wine represents the New Covenant in His blood. We see the water and blood together in the body of Christ when His side is pierced on the cross and both water and blood come gushing out together. This is a picture of both the Old Covenant being fulfilled and the New Covenant being established simultaneously in one Man at one time, once and for all. The first miracle is beautiful. It represents the work Jesus completed on the cross. It’s not insignificant. It’s monumental. It’s not superficial. It’s supernatural. The most amazing miracle of all! And it took place, not just at any celebration, but at a wedding feast. Where two become one. Just as we are one in Christ through His blood. This is the first “wedding” (union) we enter into with Jesus through His blood. The last will follow the second coming of Christ. The first thing that will take place after the saints rise, is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is also important to note that Jesus preformed this miracle on the third day of the wedding festivities. This represents the day of His resurrection. We have life in Him because He gave His for us and rose to life again. Oh what an incredible miracle! The miracle is Jesus. The blood was spilled, the water to wine, so that we can celebrate now and for all eternity! As it turns out, the miracle was in fact about a longer party. All mankind is invited to an infinite celebration. A celebration of Jesus!
On your journey consider this…
The greatest miracle of all is turning from trying to be righteous, to placing faith in the only One who earned righteousness in our place. You are righteous because of who you are (your identity in Christ), not by what you do. The water was indeed turned to wine! The Old has gone and the New has come.
“May your journey bring freedom and your mind be ever renewed to His truth.” – Angel
Journey to Grace Land 