His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
John 2:5, 7-8
Your miracle is in your obedience.
Jesus was invited to a wedding in Cana. So many guests who did not RSVP showed up to celebrate with the new couple, so they ran out of wine a few hours into the party.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew her son could “provide” more wine somehow… Therefore, she stated the problem to Jesus and not-so-subtly asked him to provide the solution. She did not know how He would do it, but she knew He could.
Mary instructed the servants to do whatever Jesus said because she knew the only hindrance would be trying to rationalize His instructions. Therefore, she commanded the servants to obey without questioning.
Jesus looked around and saw the six huge water pots of stone (with a capacity of 20-30 gallons each) used for purification. He commanded the servants to fill the pots with water and take a glass of the water to the chairman of the occasion. Remembering the command to obey without questioning, the servants filled the pots with water and proceeded to take a glass to the master of the feast.
Imagine how scared and confused the servants would have been as they took the wine to the master of the feast… They would have felt comfortable to taste the water to confirm that it has indeed been turned to wine, and then excitedly rush a huge jar of wine to the master of the feast.
The servants knew the source of the content in the cup. It was not wine, it was water! They were probably expecting Jesus to lay His hands on the pot, or pour something in the water; at least He had to do something! However, He did nothing! He probably did not even get up from His chair as He gave them instructions.
The servants were in a fix. They had been commanded to do whatever He says (they probably thought Mary gave them the command because Jesus would ask them to do something physically difficult). If they do not obey Jesus, they would be defying a direct command and if they obey Jesus, they would be at risk of punishment, unemployment and probably death. Why in the world would He ask them to take a glass of water from the purification pot to the master of the feast! Who does that?
As their legs wobbled to the front of the party, beads of sweat formed on their foreheads and their hands started shaking. The worst was about to happen. Even though the room was loud and boisterous, the servants were in a tormenting haze and the sounds faded to the background because there was intense screaming in their heads. They probably considered running out of the room, but Mary was close by and she was watching.
With knocking knees they finally got to the master of the feast and handed over the glass of water expecting him to descend on them in rage. The master of the feast took a sip, got wide eyed and called the groom. At this point, the servants knew the verdict had been passed, they were about to experience the worst humiliation ever! They probably fell to the ground and waited in trepidation. Then they heard the master of the feast say to the groom “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” John 2:10
The groom thanked the servants profusely for the tactic of keeping the best wine till the middle of the party thus making his party unique and the hot topic for discussion in town. The servants were more astonished than the master of the feast because they knew where the wine came from.
Jesus turned the water to wine without His physical involvement. Jesus did not have to touch the water. The obedience of the servants activated the miracle.
What is God saying to you? Have you obeyed? Or are you still questioning or trying to figure out the logistics?
Obedience always unlocks the blessings.
There is creative power in the words of Jesus; but it is your obedience that activates the blessing. Do not ‘try God out’ in secret; take a bold step of faith and do what He told you to do. He will never disappoint you. He is who He says He is.
Take the bold step of faith and let your obedience activate the greatness of God in your life.
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