Could He, Wouldn't He?

Could he, wouldn’t he, make something good out of the bad? Jesus and his disciples had been at a wedding celebration, and midway through, the hosts ran out of wine. This was unheard of and highly embarrassing. We don’t really know a lot about Mary, the mother of Jesus, but we see her compassion and also fortitude in this account! She feels the pain of the hosts and knows Jesus can resolve this situation, and so she makes his miracle-working abilities a little too public a little too soon. What had Mary seen her son do as she was raising him to indicate he could make something good out of this embarrassing lack of wine? It’s not like parents today would go to their sons or daughters to change water into wine! There was something different about what Mary had seen and what she knew Jesus could do. I picture Mary burning supper one night, the smell of charred fish filling their home. Did Jesus restore the meal to its pre-burnt state? Or had one of his brothers skinned his knee and had Jesus healed the owie? No need for a stash of Band-Aids in that Nazareth House. Had Jesus provided a pinch of mustard seed or a half cup of milk when Mary hadn’t made it to the grocery store in time? Her child was special, and while angels appearing at his birth would have been an obvious indication, other characteristics would have confirmed his place in the godhead, his uniqueness among all peoples of the earth, as he was growing up. The Bible doesn’t tell us these details, but Mary knew something! She knew Jesus could take a bad situation and make it right — and not only right but so much better than anyone could have imagined! When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:9-10 ESV) Do you find yourself in a rough spot? Are things looking bleaker than you expected? Did you know that changing water into wine involved an entire change in the molecular makeup of the water? It’s not like Jesus added some food coloring or a teaspoon of salt. No, he changed the atomic structure of the liquid — a feat that required “a mastery of natural law far beyond our current comprehension.” That’s what I need him to do for me. I keep asking Jesus to change bits and pieces: mold my heart, make things easier, or change an attitude. But what if he changed the whole molecular structure of a situation for the better? Like water into wine. That would be one fantastic outcome — more than I could ask or imagine! When has God shown up in ways you did not expect? How has he worked something good in your life that you could not have pictured? Can you imagine that he can do it again in this new thing you are facing? Jesus, who turns water into wine, is faithful. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)