Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. -- John 2:10. Because of all that is involved with getting married, many use the expertise of wedding planners to lessen the headaches. Outside of the ceremony and bridal party is the reception bash. Thousands of dollars are spent without a second thought, to make it the biggest and the best. Food is sumptuous and top of the line wine and drinks flow like a river. Then there are those who have only their love and devotion with which to celebrate. They earnestly repeat their vows and not call it a day, but a life. Jesus' first miracle at the Wedding in Cana was His introduction to the world. Cana was not too far away from Nazareth which was also a part of Galilee.
feasts were festive occasions, lasting as long as seven days. Many of these marriages were arranged from childhood which made them more meaningful. And so it was that Jesus' mother, Mary, who could have been a relative or close friend, was invited. Perhaps Joseph was busy with work at his carpenter shop and could not spare the time, so she took Jesus along. During the course of the festivities, the wine ran out. This posed a very embarrassing situation. A joyous time was about to be ruined, and Mary was filled with compassion at this unfortunate and poor timing event. She informed Jesus that the wine was exhausted. Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." His mother saith unto the servants, "Whatsoever He saith unto you do it."
While this answer may seem lacking in manners, the culture of the day was that the word woman was a form of respect when referring to a female. I have a friend that whenever she is speaking with you and refers to someone as "Miss Lady" or "Mister" you know she is serious. But it was no time for Mary to be indifferent, for in a calm and resolute manner she advised the servants to obey the order that Jesus would give to them. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, "Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast." And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made into wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. And saith unto him, "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine;" and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory.
And His disciples believed in Him. In many of Jesus' miracles, He used unorthodox ways to bring about cures -- spit mixed with dirt to cure blindness; the hem of His garment to stem the flow of blood of 12 years from a woman's female organs; brought the dead back to life without the aid of CPR; used the mouth of a fish as a bank vault; without the aid of physical therapy, restored paralyzed limbs with command words, and made a feast for thousands from two rolls and five small sardines. A miracle is as the result when all hope of healing or recovery is exhausted. It was in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that the story of the Wedding at Cana lingered with me. Utter astonishment at leaving the best wine for the last when everyone had almost been filled with the spirits. There is not so much an outcry if the food runs out, but wait a moment, don't ever let it be known that all the bottles are empty and the hour for them to go home is not yet come. Millions of dollars have been spent on America's election of 2012. Debates were fierce and scarce, but speeches were long and strong. Blame was being levied like sparks from the blacksmith's torch.
The economy and who was best for its upward momentum was being tossed to and fro and out of the seven color spectrums, only red and blue were surviving. Numbers from polls were moving faster than rolls off the baker's bread line. Then came Hurricane Sandy and made the twosome a threesome. She strode across the eastern seaboard like a giant colossus. She had no respect for color, affiliation, rank, wealth, health, social standing, educational attainment, neither religious nor fraternal affiliation. No one could name or tame her, they could not identify her nor contain her. She was one of a kind with deed polls trying to give her a name.
For me she was like the water that was turned into the best wine under extreme circumstances. Out of desperation, fellowship was formed and selfishness turned into togetherness. Labels and classicism were dispensed with and the mountain was brought to the valley and the valley became the seabed and the society of brotherly love was established. Out of acrimony came forth harmony and a united chorus of "We are one" in spirit, mind and body with the determination and fortitude to rebuild with all things becoming new. Indeed there is much work to be done, so begin the work of filling up the waterpots with water. In so doing the best will come forth to the amazement and wonder of many. The miracle at Cana is still alive and well. "Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit," saith the Lord. o E-mail rubyanndarling@yahoo.com with your prayer requests, concerns and comments write to P.O. Box 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas. God's Blessings!
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