Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
John 2:5, 11 –5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Today we take a few moments to look at Jesus’ first recorded miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee. It is the conversion of water to wine (↔ Music Link) – and not just a glass or two of wine! John tells us “Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.“
The Greek word used here makes this measure quite impressive. The word is μετρητής (metrétés) {met-ray-tace’} – a measure equivalent to about 39.39 liters or 8.75 gallons. The Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) describes the jars as “containing two or three firkins apiece.” What’s a firkin? A “firkin” in terms of size, is equal to 9 imperial gallons, which is 10.8 US gallons; 2-3 firkins then would be 21.6 to 31.8 gallons and average of 26.7 gallons. SIX of those would come to just over 160 gallons of first-class wine! When Jesus sent the servants to the wine, the headwaiter was amazed at the quality. Not only had Jesus supplied in quantity, but also in quality! That is how he does everything when we do what he tells us. And there’s something else, too. He used just simple things even at a BIG wedding.
Do whatever he tells you.
The wedding was nearby Capernaum where Jesus and his family and disciples had moved after he started his ministry. (See Matthew 9:1 and Mark 2:1) His mom had just said, “They are out of wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” He called her אִשָּׁה (ishshah) {ish-shaw’} – woman, as the first Adam had called Eve. (See Genesis 2:23 –23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman [אִשָּׁה] for out of Man [אִישׁ] this one was taken.” It was a respectful way to address his Mother. Simple questions are wonderful when followed by simple words and simple actions. “Do whatever he tells you.” The servants did what servants do – they served by obeying. They had simple things around them – stone jars, water nearby, and they fetched it. They topped off the stone jars as told in the simple command, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the brim – they did their part to the best of their ability. Then Jesus did his part to the best of his ability – and the miracle happened. He made 160 gallons of water into 160 gallons of wine. (We don’t know if it was Chablis or Merlot – or even what color or taste it had – because that is unimportant.) Ordinary things done in ordinary ways become extraordinary when we do what he tells us.
Jesus’ first miracle – the first of many, many, many – took place at the uniting of a man and woman in matrimony as God intended, and still intends, from Eden to this very moment. It began with water, the same way that Creation began. Jesus’ Presence changed the water to something new and better. We can experience the change to new and better if we only respond as he did to the words, “Do whatever he tells you.” That brings us to the story of someone else who did whatever God told him – except a couple of times when he did not, and we are still paying for that today. His name was אַבְרָם Avrahm – Abram – and later he became “My Old Friend Abraham.”
We first come across that name in Genesis 11:26 – 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Terah was a direct descendant of Shem, one of the sons of Noah. The following verse, verse 28, tells us that Abram’s younger brother, Haran, died early in his birthplace – “Ur of the Chaldees.” Abraham started off as Abram, a princely warrior from “Ur of the Chaldees.” The Bible puts him 12 generations from Adam, and 10 generations from Noah. God told him to get up and move across a vast distance to a land God would show him, and give to his descendants, a land where he would become the father of many nations. He did whatever God told him. In Genesis 17:1, God revealed he was El Shaddai – Almighty God, and told Abram to walk before (as in front of) and to always do what is right. Please read that passage to get the context. (Yep. First occurrence of “Do the right thing.” Check it out!). Soon thereafter, he entered into a covenant with God and throughout his remaining life he did some pretty amazing things. One of the things God called upon him to do was to sacrifice his belovéd son Isaac. Most of us remember the story.
God told Abraham to take Isaac to the top of a distant mountain. Isaac was to carry the wood for the burnt offering. Abraham prepared the altar, bound Isaac, and was prepared to kill him there. His reasoning was that God had promised him he would be the father of many nations; that God could be trusted to keep his promise; that even though it made no worldly sense to kill his son and his progeny, God would provide a way to keep his promise. As Abraham raised the knife to take Isaac’s life, a messenger of God told him to stop. He had proved his faith. Another suitable sacrifice was provided – a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Isaac was redeemed, God’s promise was kept intact, and Abraham was ready for the next action God would request.
How could Abraham do that?! How did he have so much faith in God? How in the world was he prepared to take his own son’s life? And there we have it, the word that sets Abraham apart from us: Prepared. Abraham was prepared to “Do whatever he tells you.” What is the nature of that preparation? Did you read that passage I just asked you to read? It ends with “walk before me, and be blameless.” Does that sound familiar? Check this out:
MATTHEW 5:48 –So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
LXX (English) Leviticus 19:2 Speak to the congregation of the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, “Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Leviticus 20:7 — So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
AKJV Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
NIV Luke 6:36 – Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful
NJB 1 Peter 1:16 since scripture says, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’
Our sinful nature insists that we can do what we want to do, and then looks to our imagination to see what our inclinations might be. As we all well know, that is the wrong reference source. When we look to our own imaginations, we confirm what God first stated when he saw how utterly wrong and confused. We see it in Genesis 6:5 – 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. How? How can we change that: hark to the Word!
Ecclesiastes 10:2 –2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 –21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Jeremiah 6:16 –16 Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.”
Matthew 17:5 –5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
See that design up by the Key Verse? Each line is made of thousands and thousands of points. Each space has room for thousands of more lines. You may recall that in the New Testament, the Greek word usually translated ”many” (pollōn) (↔ Learning Link) actually means multitudes. If we look at the design, it draws one’s eyes to the center. Think about that being Ur of the Chaldees and the origin of Abram’s journeys, then think about the multitudes and multitudes of souls descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham’s children were the first of multitudes of offspring; 160 gallons of wine was the first of multitudes of miracles. That Key Verse symbol is emblematic of the many Miracles Jesus performed which all started with 6 ceremonial stone jars brimming with abundant and exceptional blessings from the Lord of the Universe. That’s how God does things – the biggest and the best from the lowliest and least. All of that comes to us in the Life he gives. Our God-given Life is the First of Many Blessings, Healings, Miracles, Answers, Joys, … well, you get the idea. All because we choose to do whatever he says. Amen.
And here’s something the cogitate with: Sum up the Bible and ALL of history in a single word.
That Word is
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
John 2:5, 11 –5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Today we take a few moments to look at Jesus’ first recorded miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee. It is the conversion of water to wine (↔ Music Link) – and not just a glass or two of wine! John tells us “Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.“
The Greek word used here makes this measure quite impressive. The word is μετρητής (metrétés) {met-ray-tace’} – a measure equivalent to about 39.39 liters or 8.75 gallons. The Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) describes the jars as “containing two or three firkins apiece.” What’s a firkin? A “firkin” in terms of size, is equal to 9 imperial gallons, which is 10.8 US gallons; 2-3 firkins then would be 21.6 to 31.8 gallons and average of 26.7 gallons. SIX of those would come to just over 160 gallons of first-class wine! When Jesus sent the servants to the wine, the headwaiter was amazed at the quality. Not only had Jesus supplied in quantity, but also in quality! That is how he does everything when we do what he tells us. And there’s something else, too. He used just simple things even at a BIG wedding.
Do whatever he tells you.
The wedding was nearby Capernaum where Jesus and his family and disciples had moved after he started his ministry. (See Matthew 9:1 and Mark 2:1) His mom had just said, “They are out of wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” He called her אִשָּׁה (ishshah) {ish-shaw’} – woman, as the first Adam had called Eve. (See Genesis 2:23 –23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman [אִשָּׁה] for out of Man [אִישׁ] this one was taken.” It was a respectful way to address his Mother. Simple questions are wonderful when followed by simple words and simple actions. “Do whatever he tells you.” The servants did what servants do – they served by obeying. They had simple things around them – stone jars, water nearby, and they fetched it. They topped off the stone jars as told in the simple command, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the brim – they did their part to the best of their ability. Then Jesus did his part to the best of his ability – and the miracle happened. He made 160 gallons of water into 160 gallons of wine. (We don’t know if it was Chablis or Merlot – or even what color or taste it had – because that is unimportant.) Ordinary things done in ordinary ways become extraordinary when we do what he tells us.
Jesus’ first miracle – the first of many, many, many – took place at the uniting of a man and woman in matrimony as God intended, and still intends, from Eden to this very moment. It began with water, the same way that Creation began. Jesus’ Presence changed the water to something new and better. We can experience the change to new and better if we only respond as he did to the words, “Do whatever he tells you.” That brings us to the story of someone else who did whatever God told him – except a couple of times when he did not, and we are still paying for that today. His name was אַבְרָם Avrahm – Abram – and later he became “My Old Friend Abraham.”
We first come across that name in Genesis 11:26 – 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Terah was a direct descendant of Shem, one of the sons of Noah. The following verse, verse 28, tells us that Abram’s younger brother, Haran, died early in his birthplace – “Ur of the Chaldees.” Abraham started off as Abram, a princely warrior from “Ur of the Chaldees.” The Bible puts him 12 generations from Adam, and 10 generations from Noah. God told him to get up and move across a vast distance to a land God would show him, and give to his descendants, a land where he would become the father of many nations. He did whatever God told him. In Genesis 17:1, God revealed he was El Shaddai – Almighty God, and told Abram to walk before (as in front of) and to always do what is right. Please read that passage to get the context. (Yep. First occurrence of “Do the right thing.” Check it out!). Soon thereafter, he entered into a covenant with God and throughout his remaining life he did some pretty amazing things. One of the things God called upon him to do was to sacrifice his belovéd son Isaac. Most of us remember the story.
God told Abraham to take Isaac to the top of a distant mountain. Isaac was to carry the wood for the burnt offering. Abraham prepared the altar, bound Isaac, and was prepared to kill him there. His reasoning was that God had promised him he would be the father of many nations; that God could be trusted to keep his promise; that even though it made no worldly sense to kill his son and his progeny, God would provide a way to keep his promise. As Abraham raised the knife to take Isaac’s life, a messenger of God told him to stop. He had proved his faith. Another suitable sacrifice was provided – a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Isaac was redeemed, God’s promise was kept intact, and Abraham was ready for the next action God would request.
How could Abraham do that?! How did he have so much faith in God? How in the world was he prepared to take his own son’s life? And there we have it, the word that sets Abraham apart from us: Prepared. Abraham was prepared to “Do whatever he tells you.” What is the nature of that preparation? Did you read that passage I just asked you to read? It ends with “walk before me, and be blameless.” Does that sound familiar? Check this out:
MATTHEW 5:48 –So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
LXX (English) Leviticus 19:2 Speak to the congregation of the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, “Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Leviticus 20:7 — So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
AKJV Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
NIV Luke 6:36 – Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful
NJB 1 Peter 1:16 since scripture says, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’
Our sinful nature insists that we can do what we want to do, and then looks to our imagination to see what our inclinations might be. As we all well know, that is the wrong reference source. When we look to our own imaginations, we confirm what God first stated when he saw how utterly wrong and confused. We see it in Genesis 6:5 – 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. How? How can we change that: hark to the Word!
Ecclesiastes 10:2 –2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 –21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Jeremiah 6:16 –16 Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.”
Matthew 17:5 –5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
See that design up by the Key Verse? Each line is made of thousands and thousands of points. Each space has room for thousands of more lines. You may recall that in the New Testament, the Greek word usually translated ”many” (pollōn) (↔ Learning Link) actually means multitudes. If we look at the design, it draws one’s eyes to the center. Think about that being Ur of the Chaldees and the origin of Abram’s journeys, then think about the multitudes and multitudes of souls descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham’s children were the first of multitudes of offspring; 160 gallons of wine was the first of multitudes of miracles. That Key Verse symbol is emblematic of the many Miracles Jesus performed which all started with 6 ceremonial stone jars brimming with abundant and exceptional blessings from the Lord of the Universe. That’s how God does things – the biggest and the best from the lowliest and least. All of that comes to us in the Life he gives. Our God-given Life is the First of Many Blessings, Healings, Miracles, Answers, Joys, … well, you get the idea. All because we choose to do whatever he says. Amen.
And here’s something the cogitate with: Sum up the Bible and ALL of history in a single word.
That Word is
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
