The Miraculous Messiah – The First Five Miracles
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. . . And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” John 2:1, 3
The first of Jesus’ miracles is a bit of an outlier when considered among the body of His recorded works. Many times we see him healing from physical maladies and demon possession. He shows His power over nature and His power over death. Here we see His mother bringing him a problem that would be classified as more of a want than a need: the wedding that He is attending has run out of wine.
What an incredible example of Christian prayer Mary provides here. She does not demand or even prescribe a solution. She simply lays the problem at Jesus’s feet: “They have no wine.” She casts her care upon the Savior with confidence that He will deal with the problem in His way, in His time. Even more incredible is Jesus’ care for us. He could have left the married couple to their problem of running out of wine, but He shows His boundless love in sparing their embarrassment. He not only provides more wine for the celebration, but also the best wine.
It’s easy to feel that our problems are too small to bring to the Savior. We just need to learn to deal with discomfort, embarrassment, and so forth on our own. But nothing is too insignificant to lay at the feet of Christ. Maybe God would have us sit with our discomfort for a time, but that does not mean that He’s unloving or unconcerned with us. Like Mary, we can lay our every care on our Savior, confident that He will take care of them, in His way, in His time.
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!
The Lutheran Hymnal 457:1