At present I am on my eighth pilgrimage in Israel. This is a place that always creates a spirit of excitement within me. So much happened in the short three and one half years of Jesus' ministry here. His daily teachings, countless miracles, and servant's heart made Him an instant success and the subject of everyone's conversation. Today we went into Cana the place of the wedding miracle. Jesus who was one of the guests by invitation found Himself in the middle of a delimma. The host for the grand occasion had run out of wine. Now you might come up a little short on the cake, the peanuts, or the strawberries without little notice but the wine, that was another matter. A shortage here was one of the most embarrassing things that could ever happen. It would be the talk of the town long after the reception was over, unless there happened to be a subject of greater interest that caught the eye and ear of the beholder. And as destiny would have it that is exactly what happened. Mary knowing the crisis of the moment asked Jesus to intervene. While hesitant at first He complies. He asks the servants to fill six pots with water. They are confused but decide to obey after hearing the stern words of a woman who is determined this day will not end in humiliation. Those words were "whatever He says to you do it." Their obedience coupled with the divine touch of Jesus resulted in a miracle that is still being talked about today. The casual reader might ask,"what happened?" I think the poet, Alexander Pope capturing the beauty of the conversion of the water into wine, said it best, "The conscious water saw its Master and blushed." The Holy Spirit did not choose to discuss the actions of Jesus, therefore we do not know whether He prayed, touched the waterpots or simply just gave a command. That's really not important. However, what does gender significance is the elements obeyed. Indeed the water blushed. So how does this relate to us? The importance lies in the fact that we have needs and Jesus when invited to participate has the answer. Yet even greater is the role of obedience in the midst of our crisis. If liquid nature yields to the omnipotence of God, changes it's color and it's purpose, how much more should we as spiritual beings learn to blush before His awesome presence. Admit it, would you not rather hear about the miracle than the mess; see the color of wine rather than embarrassment? It all changes when we give heed to the words of Jesus which create within us a supernatural blush.
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