Van Ommen: A miracle of divine extravagance

In the Gospel of John, chapter two, we read his account of an event that took place in the village of Cana in Galilee. John refers to it as Jesus' first public miracle.

According to John, there was a wedding taking place, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared to be in charge of arrangements. The guests included Jesus and his disciples. This was a wedding celebration that ran out of something very important: They ran out of wine.

In that day, wine was part of the joy of the festivities. It was a big deal. Often, the entire town was invited. To run out of wine was just plain embarrassing. Something needed to be done!

Mary, being in charge, came to Jesus and told him what happened. Jesus instructed the servants to take six water jugs and fill them. These were 20-30 gallon pots, so it wasn't an easy task. (John 2:6) When this was completed, Jesus told the master of ceremonies to "dip some out and taste it." The bridegroom was then called over and wanted an explanation.

"Why was the best wine saved for last?"

After all, the festivities had been going on for a day or two. Now, when the guests had been drinking for more than a day, the really good wine shows up?

What lessons can we learn from this miracle? How does it apply to us today? The most obvious, I believe, is that Jesus chooses to return joy to a situation that was fast losing out in the "fun" department. Pastor and writer Mark Adams said this about Jesus and the wedding: " There were certain 'religious people' who were suspicious of joy and happiness. Jesus was not like this. He was a lover of joy, and if we truly follow him, we will be the same."

Further, this miracle, changing water into wine, points out that Jesus was the master of quality. I would be bold enough to call it a miracle of divine extravagance. The wedding guests, including the disciples, were treated to the very best. I am reminded of the words of Jesus in John 10:10: " I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly." Would not just receiving new life in Christ be sufficient? No, Jesus wants us to experience the full joy of the gospel; and to share that excitement with others.

It would be wise to note, of course, that true joy does not spring from the same source as the happiness of the world. Quality, even extraordinary, joy comes from realizing that once we have made the decision to drink of that "living water" our Lord offers, that water becomes wine as it touches our lips and enriches our lives. It brings not just life, but abundant, extravagant life.

Some of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ often exhibit a kind of ho-hum attitude toward our faith and the way we Iive our daily lives. We have become dull. Our churches have become dull, uninteresting and irrelevant.

Joy has the unshakable ability to break life into little pieces and make it livable. Celebration and laughter add richness, texture and color to otherwise ordinary days.

Accepting whatever comes our way need not be our practice. Life in Christ is, I believe, meant to be made up of miracles, small and big.

Yes, Jesus turned water into wine at a very special wedding, long, long ago. Our Lord is still in the winemaking business. He's doing it today, if we would just notice. He's the "go-to guy" for our needs. He brings joy to our often humdrum lives and is the master of quality, even extravagance. Our Lord is the maker of the wine and he gives it to us freely and in abundance.

Do our lives reflect the miracle of the wedding? What would our lives look like, what would our church look like, how would our world change, if we let Jesus turn our water into wine?

— Dan Van Ommen is a Zeeland resident and a member of the Reformed Church in America. Contact him at dan.vanommen@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Van Ommen: A miracle of divine extravagance