Jesus turns water into wine

POUR IN – THEN POUR OUT!

By Helen Jesze, 8th July 2016

“Jesus said to them, Fill the water­ pots with water. So they filled them up to the brim. Then he said to them, draw some out now and take it to the manager of the feast (to the one presiding, the superintendent of the banquet). So they took him some …”

John 2, 7 + 8 The Amplified Bible

The very first miracle that Jesus did was at a wedding in the small town of Cana. Something very embarrassing had happened – the host family had run out of wine for the guests! Weddings were often celebrated for several days, so this was a big problem. God often uses people, objects and circumstances to help bring His miracles to pass. Here he used Mary, the mother of Jesus and the servants. When Mary told her Son about the need, he replied that it was not yet time for him to do anything. Mary accepted this and told the servants: ”Whatever he tells you to do, do it!”

Later Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water and then pour it out! They could have argued that they needed wine and he was telling them to pour in water! But instead, they obeyed and then poured out the liquid into the drinking vessels. It was no longer water but beautiful, sparkling unfermented wine, better than the first lot they had drunk!

Obedience is a great key in receiving God’s miracles, but here was also another principle at work. They had to do something, then Jesus brought the answer! POUR IN – then POUR OUT!

This is true for us today. Often we want everything for nothing, no effort, no prayer, no believing, no obedience, but for every answer to prayer or miracle we hope to receive, there are things we have to do, as God shows us.

A missionary told how she took Bibles, medical aid and other supplies to unreached tribes in Asia. The free Bibles and medical treatment to people in great need opened the way for the Gospel to be preached. One day she visited five camps. In four of the camps there was filth, disease and hopelessness. But the fifth one was so different! It was clean, there was fresh, clean water, the people were healthy and happy; the gardens were producing an abundance of fruit and vegetables. This camp was led by Mr. M., a born­ again Christian. The amazing transformation of the camp began when he was given a book, telling how God works on this principle: Pour in and then pour out!

Mr. M. asked God how he could “pour in”. What could he do to meet the countless needs of the people in his camp? The Holy Spirit led him to go back into the mountains to find a waterfall. Using a very primitive method with rocks and sand, he purified the water and built an irrigation system out of bamboo, to pipe water to the camp. It worked and soon the plants were growing well and the gardens were producing food. Mr. M. taught the people that God loves cleanliness, as He wrote so much about this in the Bible, so he promoted hygiene, and illnesses which were rampant before, became less, and people grew healthier.

He was also given a vision instructing him to plant in levels, which solved the problem of soil erosion. This remarkable man taught himself English and his command of the language was impressive. He devoured every book he could lay his hands on and after reading one entitled, Where there is no Doctor, he built a hospital to treat people from his tribe and the surrounding area. The missionary was also shown the house he had built for his family, the only house with furniture and that was not made of bamboo. This was a great achievement and honour for a camp ­leader to own such a house.

Mr. M.’s camp was near the Burmese border and he helped the missionaries smuggle Bibles into Burma for teenage soldiers. The other camp ­leaders often made fun of him, because he talked so openly of his faith in Jesus, but even as they tried to undermine him, he forgave them and was always trying to help and encourage.

Yes, Mr. M. had learnt to “pour in” as God showed him, and he was then able to “pour out” in abundance and prosperity for his family and those in his care!