The story of Jesus turning water into wine is very familiar to most of us. It even enters popular culture fairly often, usually in comical ‘even Jesus appreciates a good drink’ kind of ways. However, this recounting of Jesus’ early ministry, and its positioning in John’s Gospel, really serve to distinguish Jesus and the ministry of His Kingdom from the kingdoms and values of the world around us.

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The passage comes right after Jesus has recruited his early disciples in John 1, which makes this the first account of Jesus’ miraculous ministry to the world. As the account goes, it seems the first public miracle was not strategically planned, but the result of some newlyweds’ misfortune. There they were, publicly hosting the celebration of their union with friends, family, and neighbors when they embarrassingly run out of wine to serve their guests. Such a thing may be more forgiving in our culture today, but in that time it was bad enough for Mary to effectively say, “Jesus, won’t you do something to spare them?” 

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In a way, Jesus responds saying, it is not yet my time and the social faux pas of this world are not what I’m here for. However, he then proceeds to turn this story into a profound parable for a key feature in his Kingdom teaching: abundance. What Mary likely expected of Jesus, and what the wedding guests expected of their hosts, was for the wine to continue to flow well into the celebration. The worldly custom and strategy for this (as noted in verse 10) was to serve the best wine you had first, and then serve a lesser wine as the drinking went on. It makes practical sense. People are less likely to notice or care if the wine isn’t as good after they’ve already had a few. 

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But Jesus turns this worldly notion on its head. Rather than miraculously solve the problem with the standard vintage of wine, he provides the wedding with the finest wine (likely much more costly than the family could have afforded) and takes them from being social outcasts hosting an under-prepared wedding party to being the talk of the town. This is the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus does for us every day. He brings a better vintage than we ever could have imagined into our lives. The world’s values are to be shrewd, calculating, and frugal- but the Kingdom’s values are to be generous and overly extravagant in service to others.

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This is the first ‘lesson’ Jesus brings us in the Gospel of John. He says, My ways are not your ways and I’ve come to give you so much more life than what you could imagine or hope for. So in the hustle and bustle, and juggling of our day or week, be sure to constantly check your posture. Ask God, am I approaching this day from a world-view of scarcity and self-preservation (for me and my family) or am I living in the abundance of a risen Christ?

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Did you know all the painful subtext written into the story of Jesus’ birth? My guess is you’ve heard some of it, but many sermons and teachings tend to gloss over the pain and merely emphasize the celebration and hope that comes with it. I think this is one of the reasons the ‘Mary Did You Know?’ song by Michael English has been so popular in more recent history. It highlights some of the real world and spiritual realities that can sometimes get missed as we celebrate and reflect throughout the holiday season. (If you’re not familiar, this may be my current favorite version.) It goes:

It goes on in similar fashion, highlighting the immense complexity of Mary’s situation, a young, unwed, expectant mother in a culture steeped in shame and societal expectations well beyond our own. It has caused me to see the ‘no room at the Inn’ portion of the story in new light more recently:

While it is certainly possible simply all the rooms were filled by other travelers, it is just as likely that no one would host an out-of-wedlock couple. They were pariahs, social outcasts that most people would not want to receive or associate with. This was how our Savior came into the world, completely vulnerable, unwelcome and unwanted. Perhaps you’ve never had the misfortune to feel so vulnerable, but if you can imagine a time of being in desperate need and having little or no support to turn to, that is likely what Mary and Joseph would have been feeling. 

When I tore my achilles tendon shortly after college, I had very little money and no medical insurance for what I knew would be over $10,000 in surgery costs. For a brief period I felt completely vulnerable, helpless and alone. (Fortunate for me, my family and social services came to my aid). Can you recall a time when you felt so desperate? 

Jesus came to us in the humblest and most vulnerable fashion. As you enjoy this Christmas season, do well to consider the vulnerable within your vicinity. Think on Mary and Joseph with nowhere to find good shelter and understand how those without means for their basic needs must be feeling at this time. And if you find yourself feeling vulnerable in any area of life, know that your Savior sees you.

Merry Christmas, may you bless and be blessed throughout the holiday season!

There are many sermons and devotions on this passage that ironically embody the contrarian point James is making. Many expositions on this verse take it as a typical ‘sin avoidance’ encouragement passage, which fits conveniently with the Church’s overall centralized focus on sin-avoidance going back to sometime not long after the Scriptures themselves were recorded. There are enough Scriptures on resisting and avoiding sin to support this focus. However, we need to note the opposite and more important side of the ‘committing sin’ coin; the one I think James is actually talking about here: doing good.

Sin-avoidance, of course, isn’t a bad thing, but it definitely comes second to doing good. I would even argue that part of what makes sin sinful is that it’s something that takes us away from the good things we should be doing instead.

If the historical narrative of the Western Church is to be believed, we’re only capable of ‘doing good’ if/when we’ve been able to avoid doing bad. It’s the incredibly persistent old trope that only the spotlessly clean are ready and able to serve the Kingdom. A trope that Jesus died to obliterate and countless heroes of faith (with dubious histories) have proven false. Yet, we as a Church have broadly chosen to focus on sin-avoidance as the primary aim of our teachings.

This is what James combats here in Chapter 4. The ‘sin’ he speaks of is not, as so many expositors have noted, knowing what is right and instead choosing what is wrong. The sin is knowing what good we should be doing and not doing it. It is a sin of inaction. The sin of letting orphans and widows in our locale go hungry. The sin of not making a habit of checking in on the marginalized. The sin of not initiating fellowship with other congregations around us. The sin of not prayerfully giving a first-fruit of some form unto the Lord. The sin of not actively working to reconcile ourselves to the people around us, the creation around us, ourselves, and God (*for more on this see Dr. Clement Wen’s article discussing the four redeemed relationships encompassed by Salvation in Christ.).

So what good do you know you should be doing within your immediate context that is going undone? What lifestyle ministry is losing out to general business, misaligned life priorities, or time-killing holes like too much idle entertainment?

Take a few minutes today to ask God what good thing you’re missing in his plans for you. Whatever it is, don’t take it as a guilt trip, but rather a fresh opportunity to seize the Kingdom God has built into your day.

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*For some excellent additional reading in this area, I recommend this article (also by Dr. Wen), which is a strong call for us to shed the heavy yoke of a limited or narrow devotional life, for the ‘easy yoke’ Jesus spoke of: Rediscovering an ‘Easy yoke’ Devotional Life.

One of my favorite times at school was Field Day. It was serious business for me as an athletic kid, but at the end of the day, when all the competing was done, we all sat down together and enjoyed a juice box. As we get older, it can be all too easy to skip this important part of life.

In general, we tend to frame life in terms of hard, relentless races or long, arduous marathons- while there is much to appreciate about both racing and marathoning phases of life, we're intended for something much more productive to the human experience: COMMUNITY.

Without community and fellowship with friends and neighbors there is nothing left for us but an ever out-of-reach finish line. So take a break from your racing this week and instead take some time to experience the best of what life has to offer.

Who are your go-to friends? What is your go-to ‘juice box’?

If you’re struggling to find consistent vibrant Christian community, we want to hear from you. A big part of the Project Arctos mission is to awaken us all to a more vibrant Christian experience, which is difficult to achieve without fellowship. Please take a moment to prayerfully engage this quick survey (2-min). It is anonymous and will help guide us as we develop new Christian resources:

Finding spaces for rest and community are important for vibrant Christian living. Throughout Scripture God repeatedly points us back to Him for revitalization and rest:

This is what the Lord says:

“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

Where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find a resting place for your souls.”

Jeremiah 6:16

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”

Isaiah 30:15

Take a few minutes today to reflect on your present life-rhythm. Are you racing too much? Stuck on a seemingly relentless marathon? What might God be showing you to be a healthier, more vibrant part of your rhythm?