On the third day there
was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both
Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the
mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to
her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet
come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do
it." Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of
purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them,
"Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. And
He said to them, "Draw some out
now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted
the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the
servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and
said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." This beginning
of His signs Jesus did in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
In John 6, we see Jesus confronted with a need
that arose after a long day of teaching and preaching:
After these things
Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large
crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those
who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with
His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Therefore
Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him,
said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" This
He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip
answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for
them, for everyone to receive a little." One of His disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five
barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" Jesus
said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the
place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the
loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated;
likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He
said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing
will be lost." So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with
fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had
eaten. Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they
said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."
And in John 11, we see Jesus confronted with a
need that arose after the death of a close friend:
When Jesus therefore
saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and
said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come
and see." Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved
him!" But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes
of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?" So Jesus, again
being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was
lying against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister
of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench,
for he has been dead four
days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe,
you will see the glory of God?" So they removed the stone. Then Jesus
raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. "I
knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said
it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." When He had said these
things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." The
man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face
was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let
him go." Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had
done, believed in Him.
In each case
we see Jesus invite individuals to meet a need that seemed beyond their ability
to meet. And in each case Jesus asked them to do what they are able to do so
that He could enter in the situation to do what only He could do. However, we
often fail to respond to Jesus invitation to be a part of what He is doing in
the world because we are expecting Jesus to ask us to do something
extraordinary. However, just like these three situations, Jesus often asks us
to do the ordinary so that He can enter in and do the extraordinary.
So, how are
you responding to Jesus invitation to do what you are able to do to meet a need
so that Jesus can enter in to do what only He can do?
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