The Wedding at Cana — Jesus Revealed His Glory

Today we look at Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana without becoming sidetracked by peripheral issues. Recently, we discussed this passage at a small home group meeting. They helped unlock some aspects of the miracle I had previously failed to notice. Hopefully, I now see a greater piece of God’s heart. Here at the wedding, Jesus revealed His glory through His first miracle.

We may easily become lost in the symbolic imagery of wedding feasts, motherly medling, water and wine. Cana means “reed,” and comes from the verb, to twist together. Even here we see symbolism of humanities fallen condition for which Jesus willingly came.

“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.”
John 2:1

Who doesn’t love a wedding? Families and friends gather to celebrate the beautiful remaking of two unique individuals into one covenant relationship. Weddings connect us with people we rarely see and help develop new relationships that otherwise would have had no opportunity to form. We leave tired, happy, stomachs full, cheeks aching from laughter, and hearts filled with thanksgiving.

A word-by-word study of the John 2:1-12 would benefit each of us, but today, rather than zoom in, we will take a panoramic view of the occasion.

New Wine

As a former alcoholic, I am all to familiar with the negative affects of liquor. When Jesus turned water into wine, He made new wine — a wine unlike any previous wine. No aging or fermentation went into this brand of wine.

Biblically, new wine prophetically speaks of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2:13, onlookers laughed and mocked.

“But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.'”
Acts 2:13 ESV

Inside and outside the church, people thirst for something more. They have tasted the old wine the world offers and have come away lacking. Jesus revealed His glory by offering everyone new wine — again prophetically pointing to the Holy Spirit.

Many prophets today are hearing God say, “A new era is here! This is the season of new wine. You are about to encounter Me as you never have before.”

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus revealed His glory. Through a supernatural sign, He showed the power of His worth, His weightiness, greatness, honor, and splendor. Yet few recognized Him. Most were too caught up in the events of the day to see or understand that the King of Glory came to celebrate with them, hang out among them, and bring them joy.

A Dream

Though the author of this dream remains anonymous, the dream carries a wonderful message.

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus were walking along the beach together. For much of the way, the Lord’s footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord’s, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens. Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus’ are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His large footprints are your small ones; you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints; they have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back.

Zigzags all over the place. Stops, starts, gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints. This time it seems even worse! You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. (Tim Sheet, Planting the Heavens, Destiny, pg 33)

The Meaning

You pray, “Lord, I understand the first scene with the zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian, and I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You.”

And He spoke softly, “That is correct.”

“And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps; I followed You very closely.”

And He answered, “Very good. You have understood everything so far.”

When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way.”

He beamed, “Precisely.”

“So Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than before. Zigzags, gashes in the sand, turns every which way, circles.”

There is a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in His voice, “You didn’t know? That was when we danced!

The Dance

In the beginning when God made humanity, He came every day, without fail, to walk with them, talk with them, laugh with them. God loved to be with them, hanging out together. God and man dancing in relationship!

For thousands of years, the gap of sin separated God from His deepest longing — to be with us! Now He came disguised as a carpenter. He came to a wedding, bringing new wine in abundance! He sat among them, listening, laughing, playing, and enjoying their face-to-face company.

Tears flow as I catch but a glimmer of the Father’s heart to be with each one of us.

Jesus came with the new wine of the Holy Spirit — not just a little, but gallons upon gallons upon gallons. More than we need! More than we could ask or hope for!

“And do not get drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18 NLT

Greek scholars and Bible commentators point out that the Greek present imperative tense is used for “be filled.” It has the connotation of a continuous replenishment, an ongoing state of being filled.

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31

Always More

As they prayed, a continuous replenishing of the Holy Spirit poured into believers. As they prayed, Jesus revealed his glory through the Holy Spirit.

Are you thirsty? Do you long for new wine of the Spirit to be poured into your life? Is your heart stirred to dance with Jesus?

For this reason Jesus revealed His glory! So that those who were empty would be empty no longer! So that all who are thirtsty would be fully satisfied.

“O Jesus, we declare our love for You! May our lives become a messy swirl of swoopes and twirls, dancing with abandon in Your presence. May our times of sitting with You become supernaturally normal, encountering the wonder and greatness of who You are in ways we never have before. Lord, stir our hearts with fresh awareness of Your delight for us and longing to just hang out with us. You need no special occasion to celebrate Your pleasure in being with us. Today, we welcome You into our reedy, twisted ordinary. Fill us! Fill us again and again and again! Pour into us the overflow of Your joyous Presence through the Holy Spirit. Captivate our hearts again, Lord. Forgive us for losing the big picture of Your love within the miniscule mundane of the now. May we celebrate You as much as You celebrate us! Oh Lord, fill our hearts with Your new wine! Saturate us! May we encounter You in new ways in this new season, discovering Your glory.”

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God Seeker – Seeking God With All Your Heart

There appears to be a distinct difference between a “nominal” Christian and a true God seeker — the one who pursues God with all his or her heart! This passionate pursuit of God’s heart and His Presence forms an umbilical cord powerfully nurturing life to those who seek Him with diligence. 

Becoming a God seeker requires tenacity. We can effectively do any number of Christian activities without major disturbance. Begin to prayerfully seek God and life turns into a battle ground!

First, there is an unexpected knock at the door. Then the phone rings, random thoughts flash rapidly through your mind, the kids fight, the dog needs to be let out, the smoke detector beeps, hunger pangs grip, and on it goes.

Have you been there? It can feel like a game of “Hide-and-Seek”, except God isn’t hiding and few people are seriously seeking. 

Finding God

“Then you will call on me
and come and pray to me
and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 29:12-14

Hiding place

It can be fun playing Hide-and-Seek with young children. One can’t miss the blanket hump that giggles, the plump statue-like body behind the pole lamp, or curled bundle under the table. 

Does God “hide” from us in similar fashion? Whispering our name, He invites us to find him while He “hides” in plain sight. Yet, complacency quickly turns wasted days into years of neither “seeking” nor “finding” the One who begs to be found by us.

God’s promise remains! If we seek Him “with all (our) heart, (He) will be found!”

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.”
Isaiah 55:6

But why is seeking so important?

God Seeker

Suzanna Wesley is a remarkable example of a God seeker. She was the mother of 19 children, although ten died in early childhood. She was largely unsupported by her husband.

Suzanna took every responsibility seriously! Homeschooling her children included far more history and mathematics. She laid a biblical foundation in the lives of each of her children. In her spare time, Suzanna gave leadership to a small congregation of about 200 others. 

How did Suzanna carry such a heavy load? She consistently pushed aside every distraction, spending a minimum of two hours daily in prayer. On a chair into the middle of her kitchen she sat with apron over her head. No one dared interrupt! Momma Wesley talked with God. God spoke to Momma Wesley!

Susanna, a true God seeker, is recognized as the mother of the Methodist Movement, with four of her sons becoming pastors.

Hide and Seek

In Suzanna’s dedicated time with God, her spiritual senses were awakened, giving her divine insight, biblical understanding, and practical strategies to equip her children and hundreds of others to live victorious, godly lives.

Seek the LORD, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right and to live humbly.”
Zephaniah 2:3

The Choice

Such God focused seeking prayer comes with promise! Not only does God guarantee He will “be found”

“and (I) will bring you back from captivity.
I will gather you from all the nations and places
where I have banished you,” declares the LORD,
and will bring you back to the place
from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:14-15

God welcomes back His wayward sons and daughters — prodigals whose disobedience had drawn them far from Him. They were refugees — slaves held captive in a far-off land!

Such bondage may not be as literal in our lives, but real nonetheless! Without God, we are all wanderers gone astray in a lost world. 

“I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.”
Proverbs 8:17

Sheep hiding

Our cry is never too far from His hearing. The choice is ours! Will we turn back to the God who loves us?

Time with God is never wasted! Here we gain wisdom and understanding, see our own waywardness and rebellion and discover the path of grace to find our way home.

Love and Goodness

God’s promises are all inclusive! When we choose to seek His face, we will find Him. He will “gather” us and “bring” us “home”. Back to His Presence! Back to the place of love! God is ready to welcome us, restoring us to freedom, security, and purpose.

“God did this so that they would seek him
and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from any one of us.
‘For in him we live and move
and have our being.'”
Acts 17:27-28

Unfortunately, God’s desire for relationship with us is much more intense that our craving to connect with Him. Our seeking ranks lethargic! His pursuing intentional!

Frog hiding

“He is not far from any one of us!” 

Let the reality of those words sink in! “He is not far!

God has not moved! Each step we take toward Him reveals another attribute of His character and awe of His being. It is in those quiet times of His Presence that we find a greater sense of His love and goodness. His promises await those who choose to seek.

Intimacy

Scripture tells us that David was a “man after God’s own heart”. His psalms reveal his seeking heart:

One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4

David desired one thing — God’s Presence!  What about me? What one thing would I long for? Am I like David or am I distracted by lesser things.

“One thing above all else,” David declared, “the one thing I desire is You, Lord!” God met David in his seeking.

Peeking

David hungered for a divine intimacy found only with God. No other relationship compared! In the seeking and finding, bearing himself in raw transparency before Holy God, David developed a deep childlike trust, an unquestionable knowing that he was welcome and accepted.

The door of intimacy remains open for each of us, too.

One Thing

God seekers are “one thing” people!

“You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.”
Psalm 63:1-2

There is power in the Presence of the All-Powerful One. However, displays of power never satisfy a God seeker. Miracles, signs, and wonders reveal God’s glory, but are cheap substitutes for one moment with Him. 

God continuously provided for David’s needs, fulfilled every promise spoken, and brought him supernatural victories in battle. Yet, nothing compared to time with God.

Like David, Suzanna and generations of others, it is essential to purposely set aside time, ignore distractions, and seek after God. It will require a heart fully devoted to “finding” Him!

Hiding!

Indescribable unlimited benefits abound!

“But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you…”
Psalm 70:4

Seek and Find

I am no better at “hiding” from God, than my grandchildren are at hiding from me. Even when I see them clearly. I keep “searching”, waiting for them to make noise or movement to draw me close. Patiently, I allow them to hide as long as they want. 

The game with my grandchildren always ends with giggles and exuberant cheers! The “lost” is found! My “little ones” have ceased from hiding! 

God’s welcoming embrace awaits those who delight in both seeking Him and being found by Him. In the seeking and finding, man with God in prayer, God with man in whispered invitation, is reciprocated joy! Here alone dwells abiding peace and security!

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Further Reading:

The Prodigal Returns, Prayer Answered! Running no More!