The first sign recorded by John is when Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. What I find fascinating is that so few people knew that the miracle had happened. Jesus' disciples knew (since it is recorded that as a result they believed in him), perhaps Jesus' mother knew, and the servants who drew the water knew. The wedding guests did not even know that there was a problem, let alone that Jesus had provided a solution. The hosts of the wedding - the very ones who would have been in disgrace because the wine ran out - had no idea what happened.
I wonder if it is often like this in our lives. We are so busy and distracted that we don't notice the miracles that happen all around us.
There are three characteristics of the people who witnessed the miracle:
- They were aware there was a problem. If there are no problems in our life, we have no need for a miracle and we won't be looking for one.
- They were the outsiders. The only ones that we are directly told were aware of the miracle were the servants. I think that it is often the outsiders - the lowly, the outcasts from society, that are able to see more clearly what God is doing. Christians in parts of the world where they are persecuted report frequently witnessing miracles, whereas in our comfortable, affluent culture where we easily fit in, we say that God doesn't do miracles anymore.
- They were close to Jesus. Jesus' disciples were with him. The servants obeyed what Jesus told them to do. Because they were close to Jesus, they were witnesses of the miracle that he performed.
I drew this drawing to express these thoughts. I desire to be a person who witnesses the miracles of Jesus. I don't want to be so busy, caught up in my own pleasures and pursuits, that I miss the miracles that are happening right in front of me. I want to be aware of the needs around me, be willing to be on the outside, and be close enough to Jesus that I can see what he is doing.
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