What An Unnecessary Miracle Can Teach Us About God’s Love | Gospel Reflection For January 16, 2022

by Catholic Bible Studies And Reflections, Gospels, Mass

The Gospel Of John 2:1-12

 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there,

and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited.

And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’

Jesus said, ‘Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.’

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

There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ and they filled them to the brim.

Then he said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.’

They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from — though the servants who had drawn the water knew — the president of the feast called the bridegroom

and said, ‘Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.’

This was the first of Jesus’ signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but they stayed there only a few days.

What Can We Learn From The First Miracle Jesus Performed?


I’ve always found it interesting that Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding. And that his first public display of his power was to create more wine for this celebration. It seems like his first miracle would have been some sort of healing or even something like the multiplication of the loaves and fish for the hungry crowds.

Running out of wine during the wedding celebration would have been embarrassing for the hosts, but it hardly seems like an emergency or matter of life and death. Upon reflection, it seems as if this first miracle of Jesus, while nice, wasn’t entirely necessary!

But I think this shows us something about the nature of God’s love. His love doesn’t always make sense! From a purely human perspective, it doesn’t make sense to love those who reject and hurt you. It doesn’t make sense to shower blessings on those who are ungrateful, or to give forgiveness over and over and over again. But that is the nature of God’s love. It is extravagant and delights in giving good gifts to his children. It is a kind of love that cares about even our small worries and sufferings.

Jesus certainly did not have to create the wine in today’s reading. But he did because he loved his mother, who asked him, and he loved all those who would experience joy at receiving this gift. A priest recently reminded me that when people came to Christ seeking healing, he didn’t first ask them to rate their pain on a scale of one to ten. He simply healed them.

The lesson for us then is to go to Christ with all of our problems and sufferings- not just those we think are big enough for him to care about. This week, remember that we have a Father who wants to bring his love and healing to every area of our life, if only we seek him with confidence as his Mother did.

Reflect

  1. Have you experienced an unnecessary miracle in your life? Take a moment to thank God for this gift!
  2. What can we learn from Jesus’ response to Mary? What can we learn from Mary’s instructions to the workers?
  3. What areas of your life need God’s love and healing?

This reflection originally appeared on: https://www.sacredheartcleveland.com/

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