In today's reading we have recorded Jesus first miracle, changing the water into wine. In our culture we seem to focus too much on the "wine" part and miss the meaning and purpose of this first recorded miracles.

Background

Jesus is one of many guest that has been invited to a wedding. Jewish weddings in the first century were a big event that required months of preparation. It was the host responsibility to provide food and drink for this celebrative ocassion for all his/her guests. Wedding celebrations could last sometimes up to seven days. The host would have to estimate how many guest would be in attendance, how much food and drink they would consume based upon how many days the celebration would last.

In some cases, a host would have to stored up 200 - 300 gallons of wine. This would take months to collect. Here would be the process - the host would have his servants go to his own vineyard pick the grapes, press the grapes to make what we would know as grape juice. If he didn't own his own vineyard he would have his servants go purchase the grapes. He would begin this process usually twelve months in advance. It may take him up to the week of the wedding to collect enough grape juice for his invited guests.

They didn't have perservatives or refrigeration as we do today. So the grape juice collected would in time begin to ferment, the longer it set, the stronger it would ferment. As grape juice naturally ferments it becomes bitter tasting. Fermented grape juice or wine was called vinegar in the first century. He didn't want to start this process any sooner than he had too, because he wanted to serve his guest the best tasting wine. It was vinegar they offered Jesus when he was dying on the cross, fermented grape juice to easy his pain.

At a wedding celebration the host would offer his guest the fresh or newest wine which would not have begun fermentation; and which would taste the best. This way they would only get into the bitter tasting wine (fermented) at the end of the celebration.

Notice what the guest said to the host concerning the water Jesus turned into wine, "You have saved the best until now." It has been argued whether or not the water Jesus turned into wine was fermented, while we were not there and don't know for certain, I conclude based upon the words of the guest it at least tasted like non-fermented wine. My personal conviction is the water turned into wine was not fermented, it was what we call grape juice.

Meaning or purpose of this miracle

With such focus on the wine and whether or not it was fermented we miss the real meaning and purpose of this miracle.

First of all, it was a great insult for a host to run out of wine or food. To run out of food or wine meant someone didn't properly prepare. In most cases, the host would have servants to take care of this detail, which was the case at this wedding.

The servants messed up, they ran out of wine. This was going to cause great embarrassment for the host and the servants would be punished harshly. This was a relationship miracle. Jesus done this miracle to show his love and compassion toward people who have messed up.

Secondly, this was a miracle of nature. Jesus in performing this miracle was demonstrating his power and authority even over nature - he could turn water into wine.

Thirdly, this miracle is a message to you and I that God's best for our lives is "now", not yesterday and not tomorrow.