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Humble Hero
Jesus had accepted the normal condition of humanity not as a King
but as “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
Isaiah 53:3
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Mary’s Faith Is Rewarded
Though Mary did not have a right concept of Christ’s mission,
she trusted Him completely. To this faith He responded. Jesus
performed His first miracle to honor her trust and to strengthen the
faith of His disciples. From the prophecies the disciples understood
without a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were bitterly
disappointed by the unbelief, deep-seated prejudice, and hatred that
the priests and rabbis displayed toward Jesus. The Savior’s early
miracles strengthened the disciples to stand against opposition.
Mary said to those serving at the tables, “Whatever He says to
you, do it.”
Beside the doorway stood six large stone water jars. Jesus told
the servants to fill these with water. Then He said, “Draw some out
now, and take it to the master of the feast.” Instead of water, the jars
yielded wine.
When he tasted the wine the servants brought, the ruler of the
feast found it superior to any he had ever before drunk. Turning to
the bridegroom, he said, “Every man at the beginning sets out the
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good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then that which is
inferior; but you have kept the good wine until now”!
The gifts the world offers may please the eye and fascinate the
senses, but they prove unsatisfying. The “wine” turns to bitterness,
the good times to gloom. What began with songs and mirth ends in
weariness and disgust. But the gifts of Jesus are always fresh and
new. The feast that He provides never fails to give satisfaction and
joy. There can be no short supply. If you abide in Him, a rich gift
today ensures that you will receive a richer gift tomorrow.
The gift of Christ to the marriage feast was a symbol. Human
hands brought the water to fill the jars, but the word of Christ alone
could give it life-giving power. The word of Christ provided ample
supply for the feast. His grace is similarly abundant to blot out
iniquity and to renew and sustain the spiritual life. The wine Christ
provided for the feast, and which He gave the disciples as a symbol
of His own blood, was the pure juice of the grape. Isaiah refers to