The Bungee Cord 2-10-20

Hello,

I am doing a Bible Study with my congregation called, “The Backbone of the Bible, 33 stories that hold everything together”. We began with the stories in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and we have weekly worked our way through the Bible. A month or so ago, we arrived in the New Testament, and yesterday our study was on the story of Jesus turning water into wine.

As the story goes, Jesus was at a wedding where the wine had run out. Bummer! And so, at the encouragement of his mother, Jesus rectifies the problem by using 6 jars whose volume each was 20-30 gallons. He had the servants fill the jars, and then when the servants drew out the contents of the jars, and they took it to the guy running the wedding to taste. When the guy tasted it he said, “‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ 

You see, the way it worked was that when weddings, which could last a week, took place wine was an essential ingredient as a catalyst to celebrate the joy of the occasion. Everyone, apparently, followed the same pattern of drinking the best wine first when the folks’ taste buds were not dulled, and then once dulled the Boones Farm stuff would come out. It was the fact that the wine that had come from those jars that Jesus had had filled with water was the best wine yet to be served that caught the guy running the wedding off guard.

So, what is the point of this story? Why did the writer of the Gospel of John place it at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry?

Well, it seems to me that he did so to introduce the story of this man, Jesus. And maybe the point of this introduction was this: the “wine” that Jesus gives is far better than anything else, and it is offered in abundance. Undoubtedly, the guy running the wedding had served what he thought was the best wine first, but he discovered that the best that humans could make was nothing compared to that which Jesus could make.

I think that is a very important thing to remember when it comes to Jesus. It isn’t that that which comes from human hands is vinegar. It can be pretty good. Family. Job. Health. Enjoyment. Kindness. Forgiveness. But it just can’t match the love, hope, peace, mercy, and forgiveness that Jesus creates. Love that is unconditional and unending. Hope that comes with the vision from the future. Peace that surpasses all human understanding. Mercy that never tires, and forgiveness that is absolute and complete.

I am not a wine snob. I can’t tell the difference between the taste of a $15.00 bottle of wine and a $50.00 bottle of wine, so I buy the $15.00 wine. But I can tell the difference in taste between a $5.00 bottle of wine and a $15.00 bottle, and that is why I buy the $15.00 wine. If you’ve only had $5.00 a bottle wine (spiritually speaking), let me invite you to taste what Jesus has to offer (spiritually speaking). You, like the guy running the wedding, just might be caught off guard too, and you’ll find yourself thankful for the abundant and free supply of the “wine” Jesus gives to you.

Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger