Lavish Grace

“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:11)

Jesus’s first public miracle occurs in the context of a meal.  There is a wedding celebration underway, and Jesus and His disciples have been invited to it.  In Jesus’s time the party could go on for several days, and the hosts of the feast were expected to be prepared with enough food and drink to outlast their guests.

At some point prior to the conclusion of the event, Mary comes to Jesus with the distressing news that His hosts are about to run out of wine.  In the honor-shame culture of Jesus’s time, this was something a family would likely never live down.  It could bring social ruin on them.

Although Jesus initially seems a bit put out with His mother for getting Him involved, He ends up turning enormous jars of hand-washing water into wine of highest quality.  It is a mere glimpse of the lavish grace that is to come.

Meditation

Consider Jesus’s act of grace, His covering over of the host’s shame.  How might He want to do the same for you today?