EMMANUEL

There was a bona fide crisis underway. Back in Jesus’ day, wine was a staple at most meals and a must at any respectable celebration. But at this wedding, the wine had run out—a humiliation of epic proportions for the groom’s family who was hosting the party. Jesus’ mother, Mary, took it upon herself to find Jesus and bring Him up to speed.

“They have no wine,” were her words (John 2:3), but her sense of urgency and meaning were clear: Help! No one in attendance except His mother had reason to believe Jesus could provide; He was as poor as anyone. He was seemingly normal. Up until that moment, there was little to set Him apart from the other partygoers, which makes His mother-directed debut a precious backdrop to what followed (vv. 5–11).

Jesus’ newly recruited disciples watched as He instructed the servants to fill giant jars with water. What a confusing but intriguing directive. The servants did as they were told, which included taking a glass of water to their superior, the master of the feast, who apparently knew nothing of the looming drama. And then at some point between the drawing and the giving, the water turned into wine. Not just any wine but awesome wine; the quality of which brought honor to the host since common practice was to serve the cheap stuff as soon as guests were too drunk to notice. The party and reputation of his friends were saved, but of all the miracles Jesus could’ve performed first, He chose a wedding and wine and only a few witnesses. Why?

Because He’s Emmanuel—“God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

The setting of His first miracle, the need in front of Jesus (potential embarrassment), and His obedience to His mom were consistent with everything else in His life: He was ordinary. Jesus was born in a stable, raised by simple people, and worked as a carpenter like His dad. He attended school and synagogue and now a party because God’s method of rescuing the world was to enter it.

For the next three years, the disciples saw Jesus do extraordinary things in ordinary, everyday circumstances. They watched the Messiah be hungry, happy, tired, frustrated, angry, and—in the garden of Gethsemane—afraid. They saw Him love on the poor and rich alike, often using the common to display His heavenly glory, like loaves and fish, mud, waves, trees, and tombs. They learned to minister to real people with real problems, to love without prejudice, to preach the gospel no matter the conditions, to perform miracles, and to obey unto death.

And through it all, the disciples followed in His steps because of their faith in the one who was with them: Emmanuel—God with us, who “dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank God for “Emmanuel” and ask Him for help in your pursuit to find the extraordinary in your ordinary.

MOVING FORWARD

• At this moment, what circumstances are most difficult for you?
• How should knowing that God is with you affect the way you respond to your circumstances?
• Just as the servants at the wedding had to draw water before they actually saw the water turn into wine, what are ways you can step out in faith as a result of His promise to be with you?