Best for Last

When Jesus began his public ministry I have wondered what his thoughts were. Did he really want to begin with a splash and grab everyone's attention? Did he want to heal someone or bring someone back from the dead? Or did Jesus hope for a gradual beginning that wouldn't overwhelm him? If we read the story of Jesus' first miracle we may still be left to wonder.

Jesus' first miracle came at a wedding and as the party ran out of wine there was a real crisis. Mary, Jesus' mother, goes to him and pleads for him to turn water into wine so the celebration could continue. Literally, Jesus' first miracle was to keep the party going. It wasn't a healing story or feeding thousands. All of Jesus' miracles are impressive, but this one at first glance seems to lack the gravity we would expect.

After Jesus turns the water into wine the party's wine steward comes to inspect (quite a party to have its own wine steward!). He was instantly impressed with the wine and proclaimed:

"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." John 2:10

The wine Jesus turned from water turned out to be far superior to the wine from earlier and while wine lovers might find this tidbit interesting, for those who wish to more deeply understand the significance Jesus' first miracle we may be left still bewildered.

One way to approach this text is to think in terms of the natural human tendency to hold back. When we are uncertain about circumstances or people we often play a "wait and see" game. For those who have had bad experiences in life and love this can be particularly true. We have been burned before and are not going to allow ourselves to be hurt again. In this story, Jesus seems to be holding back as he is initially reluctant to do anything about the problem. Only after his mother persuades him does he then turn water into wine.

How many of us operate in a similar fashion? We are asked to help others and have to be guilted into it. On our own we tend to worry about ourselves and not others. Even Jesus tells his mother "it is not my time." Even when we can be coerced into giving sometimes we fail to give our best. We give to charities or food drives from our reserves not from our best. We hold back and hedge our bets. Ultimately we see in Jesus the giving of his full self, without holding back. We see in Jesus the pouring out of himself for us and for the world. What will we give?

For us we can and must give our very best in life: loving and serving others in Christ's name. We can give our best knowing that God will provide the rest, God will fulfill God's promises. We no longer need to hold back our time, talent, and treasure but can live generously knowing God will provide. We can be open emotionally and spiritually with others knowing that our savior and Lord gave all for us. We can live the abundant life while we are here knowing that God has promised us even more in the life to come.