When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:3-4
I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 2:1-12 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and tomorrow I will take another pass at the text and summarize my thoughts from both today and tomorrow by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.
- What do we learn from the passage about God?: Once again, as I posted yesterday, Jesus acts with intent and purpose - He has a plan; see v4 where He rebukes His mother for asking Him to make more wine by sharing "My hour has not yet come"; yet while Jesus does act with intent and He does have a plan, He responds to the cares and concerns of His people and in this case His own mother; clearly this was not a need that reached the same level as other requests for healing, etc. but Jesus will respond to the cares and concerns of His people and STILL make His plan work; here Jesus produces wine from water - the first of His miracles that "manifested His glory" - v10.
- What do we learn from the passage about people?: Jesus' mother's request can be seen as a petty use of Jesus' power as the King of Kings; people often make petty requests of God - He is not a vending machine - vv3-4. Upon Jesus' turning of the water into wine, Jesus' disciples believed
- Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should bring our cares and concerns to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) and He wants to hear them - however, we should be mindful that Jesus is not a vending machine and we should seek His will not our own with our requests (see also Luke 22:42).
My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of compassion and grace - You want to hear our cares and concerns and You respond. Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such love, grace and mercy - my salvation - the greatest gift of all time. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.