Best is Yet to Come; John 2 & 3

May the mumbling commence!

The best is yet to come.  That is the promise that God gives to us.  The best is yet to come when we find ourselves at the end of our rope.  It is a nugget of truth to be found in Jesus’ first miraculous sign recorded in the gospel of John.  Read it from chapter two below:

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." 

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 

Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." (Verses 1-10)

And the wedding party went on and on.  Eventually the wine ran out.  That would not bode well for the host.  A drunken mob would be on his hands wanting more.  Jesus, prompted by his mother, gave clear instructions to the servants.  Fill six stone ceremonial washing jars. 

So, what’s up with these ceremonial washing jars?  Observant Jews ritually washed their hands before eating.  The partygoers at the wedding were undoubtedly eating as well as drinking.  These ceremonial jars would be important as the party progressed.  Wedding parties in Galilee were whole community affairs and went on for days.

Jesus told the servants to fill these six stone jars – that would amount to at least 120 gallons.  And the servants filled the jars to the brim.  And the water turned to wine.  What would the partygoers now do when they needed to ceremonially wash their hands before they ate?  That water was now wine. 

And not just any wine – it was the wine made my Jesus.  And that wine was the best served the entire wedding party.  The best is yet to come. 

Maybe the Jewish ceremonies of washing hands had lost all meaning and spiritual significance.  Maybe some of our own ceremonies are crumbling spiritually.  Jesus can fill these old ceremonies with new meaning – to the brim.  The servants at the party did as Jesus told them to do… 

Might we be well advised to do the same?  If we do, there will be no more need of ceremonial cleaning in our lives.  Jesus cleanses us totally.  We and our own ceremonies become less and Jesus becomes more.  And the best is yet to come.  John the Baptist knew this well.  Read from John’s gospel, chapter three:

After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.  (This was before John was put in prison.)  An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.  They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him." 

To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.  You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.'   The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.  He must become greater; I must become less. (Verses 22-30)

John and the baptism he represented came from Jewish tradition – once again for ritual purification (after contact with a corpse for example).  This baptism allowed them to be ceremonially clean and able to participate in worship.  It also cleared the way for converts to Judaism to worship. 

The method and mode of baptism does not matter as much as Christ Jesus.  Jesus’ presence in our rituals is the important piece for our peace.  He must become greater; we must become less.  It matters not how or when we are baptized.  It matters whose instructions we follow.  Follow Christ alone.  And the best will be yet to come.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out