John 2
COMMENTARY:
: 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. (4592 “miracles” [semeion] means sign, wonder, or token.)
DEVOTION:In the eyes of believer the only one who can truly show a wonder in our world is God. At this wedding Jesus started HIS public ministry with HIS first sign that HE was God.
HIS mother Mary asked HIM to provide wine for the wedding they were attending because they had run out. HE seemed to be not inclined to honor her request. However, HE did honor her by granting her request.
HE told the servants to fill six waterpots of stone with water. The waterpots could hold between eighteen to twenty-seven gallons of water each. So there were six times twenty-seven gallons of water turned into wine.
Not only did HE turn the water into wine but the governor of the feast said it was the best wine. When God does something HE always does it with class.
Why did Jesus turn water into wine? The first answer could be to honor HIS mother. The second answer was that HE manifested HIS glory. HE showed those around who HE really was. The disciples needed to see HIM in action.
What was the result of the turning water into wine? John states that HIS disciples believed on HIM. It was one more proof to the disciples that HIS claims were real. Did they believe beyond a shadow of doubt? NO!! They had hard hearts. They were still showing signs of doubt even after HE showed them many signs and wonders.
Did all the people who saw the disciples perform signs and wonders become believers? The answer again was NO!! People seem to not trust their senses when they see something beyond their explanation. They want more information.
We tend to be the same way today. God can do a wonder sign in our life that HE is real and yet we will want more. HE gives more and we still seem to doubt that it is real. God is working blessing after blessing in our life and we seem to still doubt that HE loves us.
CHALLENGE: Trust in the LORD. When HE gives us a sign of HIS love we should just praise the LORD. Praising the LORD should be a sign of our love for HIM.
: 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (2205 “zeal” [zelos] means earnest concern, excitement of mind, ardour, fervor of spirit, a noble passion, fervent mind or jealousy.)
DEVOTION: Jesus walked into the temple area and looked around at what was happening in HIS Father’s house. What HE saw HE didn’t like. HE could be like most and just walk on or HE could change what was happening. HE decided to change what was happening.
What did HE do? HE cleaned up the Temple. HE made a scourge and drove out all the animals. HE overthrew the tables of the money changers. HE declared that they had made HIS Father’s house into a place of merchandise.
What was the Temple supposed to be? It was to be a house of prayer. It was a place where people came to come into the presence of God. They came to offer sacrifices to God.
What was the difference? There were people in the Temple that didn’t care about God. They only cared about themselves. They cared about making a profit. They were concerned about being rich while they were on this earth. The difference was that the money changers wanted this world and those who were right with the LORD wanted to be close to the LORD in this world and in the next.
When we see things that are not right happening in the LORD’S house, what do we do? We realize that a building is not where the Holy Spirit dwells. We realize that the Holy Spirit indwells the individuals who are gathered in the building called the church. If the fellowship of believers is headed in the wrong direction, should we do something about it?
Jesus seems to think so. HE not only thought so, but did something about it. There is something happening in the church of Jesus Christ today. In some of the churches HE is being worshipped and honored and HIS word is being preached and individuals are choosing to follow the LORD.
However, in many churches these things are not happening. What can we do? We have two choices. We can do what Jesus did and clean up the house of worship or we can start a new work that honors the LORD. We don’t have a choice of compromising with the world or being politically correct. We need churches that will stand up for the truth of the Word of God while many are drifting away from the Word. Is our heart eaten up with the excitement for a pure church? Are we jealous for a people that truly love the LORD? That should be our prayer. Christ had the proper jealousy. There is proper and improper jealousy. Proper jealousy honors the LORD.
We need to speak the truth in love. Jesus spoke the truth and showed them the door because they were not interested in the truth.
CHALLENGE: Confront those who are not interested in the truth of the Word of God with the Word of God. If they listen, they will repent and want to honor the LORD!!
: 22 Where therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that HE had said this to them, and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. (1124 “scripture” [graphe] means the entirely of sacred Scriptures inspired by the God of Israel, passage, sacred writing, written document, prescription, or writing.)
DEVOTION: How good is your memory? As someone who is young in age your memory can develop into something good. We are told to memorize the multiplication table in math. We are told to memorize simple words as we read. They give us spelling test all the time while we are in school to help up memorize words.
We build memories with our children and grandchildren as they grow up. We take them places and do things with them that are fun. They remember the fun times. However, we also train them to pick up their room and do chores around the house and those are not as much fun.
Sometimes our memory is used just for the bad things that happened rather than the good things that have happened in our life. We should concentrate on the good things of our past rather than the bad things.
Here the disciples remembered three years later what HE had stated earlier in HIS ministry. HE had planted a seed of truth in them that came true. They remembered that HE knew the future when it happened.
God does know the future. We might not see it happen for a number of years but HE knows what is going to happen in our life. Our responsibility is to be like HIS disciples when we see that HIS statements are true. We need to believe!!!
CHALLENGE: We have two witnesses to truth. The first witness is our personal life. The second is the statements of the Word of God. Our life has to be based on the truth of the Word of God.
: 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for HE knew what was in man. (3140 “testify” [martureo] means bear witness, speak well of, to be well spoken of, to solemnly asset something, offering firsthand authentication of the fact, or often concerning grave or important matters.)
DEVOTION: Do we think that we can hide our true self from God? We can fool some people about who we really are but not all the people.
Too often Christians have been taught that their outward appearance is what is important. They think as long as their outward actions look like we are believers we can fool people into to thinking we are believers.
God always concentrates on the heart of people. HE looks on the inside. Jesus knew what was inside each person HE met while HE walked on this earth. HE was not fooled by appearances or some actions.
HE knew that all men were sinners in need of a Savior. HE came for that purpose. HE died on the cross to bring individuals into a proper relationship to HIS Father. The Father would only accept those who trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. HE would look at those individuals though HIS Son. HIS shed blood covered all the sins of those individuals.
People didn’t have to tell Jesus what was real. HE knew what was real and what was fake.
CHALLENGE: Don’t try to fool Jesus into believing you are a believer. It can’t be done. HE knows!!!
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