Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
~ John 4:13-14
Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus was invited to a wedding banquet. In those days, the bridegroom was responsible for supplying both the food and the drinks for the banquet.
The mark of a good wedding feast was that the wine be of good quality and sufficient quantity.
Running out of wine was a social disgrace and represented a grave error on the part of the groom. In this particular banquet, the bridegroom made a colossal mistake. He failed to provide enough wine for the feast, and he was to blame.
But the Lord was there.
Upon assessing the situation, Jesus performed His first miracle. He converted six twenty-gallon waterpots into wine. Yet it was not ordinary wine.
The wine the Lord created was superior in quality to the wine that had run out. And it was more than enough to supply the needs of the banquet.
So in one brilliant stroke of compassion, Jesus Christ removed the bridegroom’s shame.
The Lord supplied the lack.
He covered the mistake.
He removed the disgrace.
He reversed the failure.
What is more, Jesus made the bridegroom look like a hero. Bringing out the best wine at the end was a dramatic surprise. (In that day, the best wine was always brought out first and was followed by less quality wine.)
This miracle was not just an expression of divine compassion. The Bible tells us it was a sign—a symbol that pointed to something far deeper. It shows us something about the character of our God.
Jesus Christ is still in the business of removing our shame. He is still in the business of supplying our lack. He is still in the business of erasing our disgrace.
He is still in the business of reversing human failure. And He is still in the business of filling our old, tiresome earthen waterpots with the satisfying wine of His life.
Many people have made the discovery that only the most blessed in this life ever make. That is: The wine that they have been living by all of their lives has run dry. It has failed.
The wine that this world has to offer can satisfy us for only a season. The money of this world, its fame, its material possessions, its entertainment, and even the human love it has to give can never fulfill our deepest longings.
The wine of this world always fails. It eventually runs out. It loses its flavor, leaving us thirsty.
When that happens, we become conscious of the gaping hole that exists deep within our hearts that nothing on this earth can fill. (This is a jarring realization for many who outwardly “have it all,” and it has led quite a few of them to descend into self-destruction.)
But the wine that Jesus Christ gives is eternal, life-giving, and brings true satisfaction. It fills the vacuum. Upon drinking it, we never thirst again. What is more, that wine never runs dry.
Jesus has the power to carry you through every trial. He has the power to eliminate your shame. He has the power to reverse your failures.
He also has the power to lift you out of despair and sorrow. And He has the power to satisfy the emptiness that lurks deep inside of you.
Turn to Him today.
Great post, Frank
Just ordered 4 hard back copies of Jesus A Theography…for myself and the three other young women in my home 17, 19 & 23. We are each at different places in our lives, chronologically, and spiritually, and I believe this is the perfect choice for us. I expect the material will take us into the broader truths of JESUS and He will relate to each individual where we are
. Thanks for the suggestions earlier this week for reading material. My 17-year old has already answered my text with great enthusiasm. This is something they asked for which is so refreshing for me 
Frank,
The thought came to me as I was reading your post that the poorer wine is not just what is in the world. The ‘church’ is guilty of providing that which is not best. We add fillers and dilute the life, losing the freshness of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that is one of the reasons that your books and blogs have become so popular. You have the gift of pouring out the new wine that tastes so much better than what many have been drinking in ‘church’.
Churchianity has been adding the world in the wine (message). There is the psychology and social engineering being brought in to spruce up the message. Lost is the practice of seeking The Lord, Himself for His fresh ‘best’ wine.
Thanks Frank
I love this for so many reasons! Jesus is truly the only One who can cover for our lacking, remove the shame, and bring beauty from our ashes. Thanks be to God for His incomparable and incomprehensible grace, mercy, and love.
Amen!
Wow, I needed to hear that. Sometimes I seek my joy and satisfaction in earthly things that leave me empty and unsatisfied. Jesus is the Real Wine, the Superior Wine, the Wine of Divine Joy! Wow.
I find it very interesting that this story of this wedding feast never mentions who the bridegroom or the bride is. It seems to me that this (although is a recollection of a real event that occurred) it also represents the fact that Jesus is the TRUE Bridegroom and He takes his responsibilities towards His Bride (the true church) seriously. It appears that in this story of the wedding first where his first miracle was done all relates to what his mission is still all about (read Frank’s book From Eternity to Here), and Jesus takes it VERY personal that the wine at this wedding ran out. It was as if he was not only standing in the gap for the groom who was really responsible for this disgrace, but he was also representing Himself as the real bridegroom and letting us know that it’s his job to ensure that his bride and all the wedding feast participants are taken care of! I think this is a wonderful metaphor!
Nice observation, Kelli
I love that
AMEN! Thanks be to God for providing the wine that never dries!
“Jesus has the power to carry you through every trial.” I needed to hear this today! Thanks for sharing Frank!
Thank you Frank!
Is it not interesting that the Bridegroom for the new creation bride starts and completes His purpose at a wedding feast, starting at this one you mention and ending at His own, the wedding feast of the lamb?
Amen! I love THIS ONE! Even in our Christian life, whenever our wine runs dry, we can come to Him and be filled with fresh new wine! The Lord came that we may have life and may have it abundantly!
Great post, and indeed the wine that Jesus provides never fails.
Along with the points you made, it may also be said that the stone jars were special. They were used for ceremonial washing. This of course was outward, and only a type. Jesus’ wine is inward, and cleanses the heart of man, in making a new creation ‘in’ Christ.