THE WINE AND THE TEMPLE 

John has written two interesting accounts  of the life and ministry of Jesus in this chapter of his Gospel. The first is a wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine. The second involves Jesus telling those changing money and selling animals for sacrifices in the temple courtyard to leave.

There is rich meaning in these accounts, but today I will point out one thing I have learned from them that has changed the way I live. Jesus was passionate about serving others and allowing servant-hearted people to experience the wonders of God. 

Did you realize as you read about the water being transformed into wine at the wedding in Cana, that the servants were the ones who were in on the miracle? Jesus asked them to fill the pots that they were using for cleansing with water. Those same servants were then asked by Jesus to draw from those pots and take the liquid to the master of the banquet to taste. We are not told exactly when the water turned to wine, but somewhere between the filling and the tasting, it did, and the servants were a part of every step. These nameless people were literally the hands and feet that delivered a beautiful miracle of life celebration.

Then we are taken to the temple court at Passover. The temple was God’s idea of a physical place that would symbolize a home on earth where God would dwell and His people could come and be in His presence. But instead of being a house of prayer, people had made it a marketplace. The anger of Jesus at this point reminds me that we too can lose the sense of being at home with God in His presence in prayer.

My prayer today is that we would be a home for God’s presence and that we might be the hands and feet of Jesus to all those we come across.

written by KATH HENRY