WEEK ONE
The Messiah is Coming
Read:
Matthew 1:1-17
Mark 1:1
Luke 1:1-4
Luke 3:23-38
John 1:1-18
Major Events:
The Gospel accounts are introduced
The Genealogy of Jesus is given
Jesus is declared to be the eternal Word
Devotional
In our first reading, we looked at a portion of the beginning parts of each of the four gospels. Each of these began very differently, and for good reason, which we will get into. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. The word synoptic means “see-together,” and the first three Gospels do just that by presenting the life of Jesus in a similar format. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus more on what Jesus taught and did, the Gospel of John focuses primarily on who Jesus is and especially his divine origins. The first three Gospels center on Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, but John centers his Gospel on what Jesus said and did mainly while he was in Jerusalem and surrounding Judea.
It's also important to remember that each Gospel was written for a different audience and emphasizes a different origin of Jesus for that audience. Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience and shows how Jesus came from Abraham through David, demonstrating that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Matthew presents Jesus clearly as that Messiah, a figure the Jews had been told would be a king. Unlike a president, a king does not come to rule by ballot but by birth. A king has to prove his right to the throne by proving he is descended from the royal family. The Jewish Messiah's right to rule would be proven by three things: He would come from the family of Abraham (Gen 22:18). He would come from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10) and he would come from the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The genealogy written in chapter 1 of Matthew demonstrates Jesus' legal right to the throne, but it reveals even more. Jesus's legal right to rule came through Joseph, but the Bible makes clear that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. As Joseph's adopted son, Jesus was a legal descendant but not a descendant of David by birth. This is where the Gospel of Luke comes in. Luke's Gospel was primarily written to a Greek audience and its genealogy shows that Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man and Savior of the world, not just Israel. And just so there would be no doubt about Jesus' claim to the throne, God inspired Luke to include the other side of Jesus' genealogy in (Luke 3:23-38), which traces the lineage of Jesus back to David through his other son, Nathan. Jesus was a literal descendant of David as well as a legal descendant.
Mark's gospel, on the other hand, was written primarily for a Roman gentile or non-Jewish audience. It is action-packed, to the point, and highlights Jesus' divine approval, authority and also how he came from Nazareth, demonstrating how Jesus is a supernatural servant of God. With this in mind, are you starting to see now how laying all four gospels on top of each other will help us to see a more complete and accurate picture of who Jesus was and still is today?
The Gospel of John gives us that final coloring that brings out the clearest and fullest picture. John was written for a universal audience and shows throughout, but especially in chapter one, how Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God. John was the last of the four written and written in view of what the previous three had already said. This is one reason why John’s account of the life of Jesus differs in many ways from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There are significant events in the ministry of Jesus that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include, yet John leaves out, including Jesus’ birth, baptism, temptation in the wilderness, confrontations with demons, parables, The Last Supper, Gethsemane and the Ascension. John could freely leave these important events out because he already knew they had been written about and distributed in earlier Gospels. John began by letting the reader know that the Word was already there when the beginning began. The Word was not created and had no beginning by Himself because He was already there at the beginning. We later read in Vs. 14 that this Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. It’s clear that this Greek word Logos, which is the word for Word, refers to Jesus Christ himself. This opens up a whole host of truths related to who Jesus was. Jesus would be the messiah, savior, redeemer, Light, The Word become flesh, the Son of God, The Son of Man, the ruler over creation, and the rightful heir of David's Throne. Jesus would be the fulfillment of every one of God's promises to Israel.
Not only was Jesus there at the beginning with God, but John's Gospel makes a bold statement by declaring that Jesus was God. They were and are one and the same, being known as the Godhead. The significance of this would not be lost on Jewish readers, as well as Greek philosophers and anyone else who had knowledge of Old Testament scripture. Referring to the God of the Old Testament as The Word was common. Even in Exodus 19:17, we see Moses bringing the people out of the camp to meet “The Word of God.” Greek philosophers saw the Logos as the power that puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The Logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. We see that in one simple sentence, John brilliantly lays out who Jesus is to both Jews and Greeks and, in a word, says: “For centuries you’ve been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word, and now I will tell you who He is. The Word is God, and that Word is Jesus.” John met both Jews and Greeks where they were at and explained Jesus in terms they already would be familiar with and understand. John also brilliantly and with complete logic sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our Christian faith - The Trinity. There is a being known as the Word. This Being is God because He is eternal and was there at the beginning. This Being is God because He is plainly called God. At the same time, this being does not encompass all that God is. God the Father is a distinct Person from the Word (the Word was with God). So, the Father and the Son are equally God, yet distinct in their person. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. Yet they are equally God, with God and the Holy Spirit making one God in three persons. It's simple, yet complex, and that is also what the gospel is as a whole; so complex that we could never fully understand it, yet simple enough that even a child could grasp it.
Matthew 1:1-17
Mark 1:1
Luke 1:1-4
Luke 3:23-38
John 1:1-18
Major Events:
The Gospel accounts are introduced
The Genealogy of Jesus is given
Jesus is declared to be the eternal Word
Devotional
In our first reading, we looked at a portion of the beginning parts of each of the four gospels. Each of these began very differently, and for good reason, which we will get into. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. The word synoptic means “see-together,” and the first three Gospels do just that by presenting the life of Jesus in a similar format. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus more on what Jesus taught and did, the Gospel of John focuses primarily on who Jesus is and especially his divine origins. The first three Gospels center on Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, but John centers his Gospel on what Jesus said and did mainly while he was in Jerusalem and surrounding Judea.
It's also important to remember that each Gospel was written for a different audience and emphasizes a different origin of Jesus for that audience. Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience and shows how Jesus came from Abraham through David, demonstrating that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Matthew presents Jesus clearly as that Messiah, a figure the Jews had been told would be a king. Unlike a president, a king does not come to rule by ballot but by birth. A king has to prove his right to the throne by proving he is descended from the royal family. The Jewish Messiah's right to rule would be proven by three things: He would come from the family of Abraham (Gen 22:18). He would come from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10) and he would come from the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The genealogy written in chapter 1 of Matthew demonstrates Jesus' legal right to the throne, but it reveals even more. Jesus's legal right to rule came through Joseph, but the Bible makes clear that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. As Joseph's adopted son, Jesus was a legal descendant but not a descendant of David by birth. This is where the Gospel of Luke comes in. Luke's Gospel was primarily written to a Greek audience and its genealogy shows that Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man and Savior of the world, not just Israel. And just so there would be no doubt about Jesus' claim to the throne, God inspired Luke to include the other side of Jesus' genealogy in (Luke 3:23-38), which traces the lineage of Jesus back to David through his other son, Nathan. Jesus was a literal descendant of David as well as a legal descendant.
Mark's gospel, on the other hand, was written primarily for a Roman gentile or non-Jewish audience. It is action-packed, to the point, and highlights Jesus' divine approval, authority and also how he came from Nazareth, demonstrating how Jesus is a supernatural servant of God. With this in mind, are you starting to see now how laying all four gospels on top of each other will help us to see a more complete and accurate picture of who Jesus was and still is today?
The Gospel of John gives us that final coloring that brings out the clearest and fullest picture. John was written for a universal audience and shows throughout, but especially in chapter one, how Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God. John was the last of the four written and written in view of what the previous three had already said. This is one reason why John’s account of the life of Jesus differs in many ways from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There are significant events in the ministry of Jesus that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include, yet John leaves out, including Jesus’ birth, baptism, temptation in the wilderness, confrontations with demons, parables, The Last Supper, Gethsemane and the Ascension. John could freely leave these important events out because he already knew they had been written about and distributed in earlier Gospels. John began by letting the reader know that the Word was already there when the beginning began. The Word was not created and had no beginning by Himself because He was already there at the beginning. We later read in Vs. 14 that this Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. It’s clear that this Greek word Logos, which is the word for Word, refers to Jesus Christ himself. This opens up a whole host of truths related to who Jesus was. Jesus would be the messiah, savior, redeemer, Light, The Word become flesh, the Son of God, The Son of Man, the ruler over creation, and the rightful heir of David's Throne. Jesus would be the fulfillment of every one of God's promises to Israel.
Not only was Jesus there at the beginning with God, but John's Gospel makes a bold statement by declaring that Jesus was God. They were and are one and the same, being known as the Godhead. The significance of this would not be lost on Jewish readers, as well as Greek philosophers and anyone else who had knowledge of Old Testament scripture. Referring to the God of the Old Testament as The Word was common. Even in Exodus 19:17, we see Moses bringing the people out of the camp to meet “The Word of God.” Greek philosophers saw the Logos as the power that puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The Logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. We see that in one simple sentence, John brilliantly lays out who Jesus is to both Jews and Greeks and, in a word, says: “For centuries you’ve been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word, and now I will tell you who He is. The Word is God, and that Word is Jesus.” John met both Jews and Greeks where they were at and explained Jesus in terms they already would be familiar with and understand. John also brilliantly and with complete logic sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our Christian faith - The Trinity. There is a being known as the Word. This Being is God because He is eternal and was there at the beginning. This Being is God because He is plainly called God. At the same time, this being does not encompass all that God is. God the Father is a distinct Person from the Word (the Word was with God). So, the Father and the Son are equally God, yet distinct in their person. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. Yet they are equally God, with God and the Holy Spirit making one God in three persons. It's simple, yet complex, and that is also what the gospel is as a whole; so complex that we could never fully understand it, yet simple enough that even a child could grasp it.
The Birth of Christ Foretold
Read:
Matthew 1:18-25
Luke 1:5-80
Major Events:
The Birth of John the Baptist is Foretold
The Birth of Jesus is Foretold
Mary visits Elizabeth
An Angel appears to Joseph
Devotional:
Everything in today's reading is preparation for the birth of Christ. This takes place during the time of a man known as Herod the Great, who was at the end of a long and terrible reign. Ethnically, Herod was not a descendant of Israel but Jacob’s brother Esau, making him an Edomite. Herod was known for his spectacular building programs, the temple in Jerusalem being one, but even more so for his paranoid cruelty, which drove him to execute many members of his own family. Herod and his descendants, many also called Herod, would play a vital role in the story of Jesus and the early Church.
The angel Gabriel’s work was not finished with the announcement to Zachariah in the temple. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel came to a village in Galilee called Nazareth. Chronologically, Luke 1 is the first mention of Nazareth in the Old or New Testaments. Nazareth is perhaps remarkable for its unremarkable nature; it went unmentioned in the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and even in the writings of the historian Josephus. Though Nazareth is in the general region of Galilee, it is 15 miles away from the Sea of Galilee and six miles from the closest major road. Nazareth had no good water supply and only one fairly weak well in the center of the village. Jesus would forever be identified with this place, being repeatedly called Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 1:24, John 18:7, John 19:19, Acts 2:22). His followers were also called “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). The fact that Jesus came from such a humble place only speaks to his nature as a humble servant. The angelic being arrived at this run-down place with a message for a young girl named Mary. The name ‘Mary’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, the sister of Moses and means ‘exalted one'. We know Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, but the modern reader may not know what that meant within the ancient Jewish culture of Marriage, in which the wedding had three stages. The engagement was the first step of a formal agreement made by the fathers. The betrothal was the second stage, a legal ceremony much like a modern wedding, where mutual promises and commitments were made between the two and also their families. Marriage itself was approximately one year later when the bridegroom came for his bride at an unexpected time and took her away to their new home. In many ways, these three stages of a wedding are symbolic of the covenant of God, the accepting of salvation, and the coming return of Christ to take his bride home with him. When a couple was legally betrothed, they were under the obligation of faithfulness, and a divorce was required to break the betrothal. This was not a casual promise and Mary is clearly said in the text to be a virgin. There is no ambiguity about the idea here – Mary had never had sexual relations with any man. Gabriel said three things in his greeting to Mary: That she was highly favored, the Lord was with her, and that she was blessed. Each of these was certainly true of Mary, and amazingly, all these things are also true of any follower of Jesus. We too are highly favored as Mary was (Eph 1:6), the Lord is also with us (Matt 28:20), and we are also blessed (Eph 1:3). The fact Mary was surprised and troubled by the extravagant words spoken to her shows her humanity and humility. Most likely, her willing and humble heart was why she was chosen.
The focus of this passage is not Mary but the son that she would bear, who is also the Son of God. This Son was unmistakably and repeatedly identified as the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament who has the rightful authority to rule over Israel, and of whose kingdom there will be no end. When Gabriel told Mary she would conceive and bring forth a Son, Mary knew exactly what Gabriel was talking about because she was a woman of the word of God. Mary would have known that the angel quoted from Isaiah 7:14: "That a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son." She may not have known in the moment how this would happen and that the power of the Highest in the person of the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. The word used for overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory (Ex 16:10) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matt 17:5). This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God and it also means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary. Because of this manner of conception, this son would be the Holy One, separate, set apart, and different from all others who came before. Jesus did not become the Son of God; He was called the Son of God, recognizing His nature from all eternity, without beginning or end.
Every promise Gabriel made to Mary came to pass. Mary accepted the angel's words and then responded with an affirmation of faith. “Let it be to me according to Your word” is the proper response of every believer to any promise or request of God. This willingness of Mary took more trust in the Lord than we might initially think. Mary agreed to receive a pregnancy that would be seen as suspicious in a culture that had expulsion and a potential death penalty for adultery. There was a lot at risk here for Mary, but she chose to trust that the Lord would not abandon her. We don’t know the exact moment Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. It may have been when Gabriel spoke to her, or when she accepted, or soon after. Whenever it was, the cloud of God’s glory overshadowed Mary just as the angel had said, and Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. The conception and birth of Jesus is a great example of the many promises of God that have each come to pass in the person of Jesus. God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would overcome evil. He promised Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. He promised Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Savior of the world. God wants us to know that he keeps his promises. Even today, we need to be reminded of this. There is no better option available for us than to fully trust in the word of God. God didn't choose Mary because she was smart, sinless, or talented, and those aren't the reasons he chose us, either. God uses ordinary people who believe in his promises, act as if they are true, and say yes. God is looking for people who are willing, even when his words seem unpleasant, difficult, uncomfortable, or even dangerous. Like Mary, we too can be used in extraordinary ways even today if only our response to God is to believe and say yes to his Word.
Matthew 1:18-25
Luke 1:5-80
Major Events:
The Birth of John the Baptist is Foretold
The Birth of Jesus is Foretold
Mary visits Elizabeth
An Angel appears to Joseph
Devotional:
Everything in today's reading is preparation for the birth of Christ. This takes place during the time of a man known as Herod the Great, who was at the end of a long and terrible reign. Ethnically, Herod was not a descendant of Israel but Jacob’s brother Esau, making him an Edomite. Herod was known for his spectacular building programs, the temple in Jerusalem being one, but even more so for his paranoid cruelty, which drove him to execute many members of his own family. Herod and his descendants, many also called Herod, would play a vital role in the story of Jesus and the early Church.
The angel Gabriel’s work was not finished with the announcement to Zachariah in the temple. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel came to a village in Galilee called Nazareth. Chronologically, Luke 1 is the first mention of Nazareth in the Old or New Testaments. Nazareth is perhaps remarkable for its unremarkable nature; it went unmentioned in the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and even in the writings of the historian Josephus. Though Nazareth is in the general region of Galilee, it is 15 miles away from the Sea of Galilee and six miles from the closest major road. Nazareth had no good water supply and only one fairly weak well in the center of the village. Jesus would forever be identified with this place, being repeatedly called Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 1:24, John 18:7, John 19:19, Acts 2:22). His followers were also called “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). The fact that Jesus came from such a humble place only speaks to his nature as a humble servant. The angelic being arrived at this run-down place with a message for a young girl named Mary. The name ‘Mary’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, the sister of Moses and means ‘exalted one'. We know Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, but the modern reader may not know what that meant within the ancient Jewish culture of Marriage, in which the wedding had three stages. The engagement was the first step of a formal agreement made by the fathers. The betrothal was the second stage, a legal ceremony much like a modern wedding, where mutual promises and commitments were made between the two and also their families. Marriage itself was approximately one year later when the bridegroom came for his bride at an unexpected time and took her away to their new home. In many ways, these three stages of a wedding are symbolic of the covenant of God, the accepting of salvation, and the coming return of Christ to take his bride home with him. When a couple was legally betrothed, they were under the obligation of faithfulness, and a divorce was required to break the betrothal. This was not a casual promise and Mary is clearly said in the text to be a virgin. There is no ambiguity about the idea here – Mary had never had sexual relations with any man. Gabriel said three things in his greeting to Mary: That she was highly favored, the Lord was with her, and that she was blessed. Each of these was certainly true of Mary, and amazingly, all these things are also true of any follower of Jesus. We too are highly favored as Mary was (Eph 1:6), the Lord is also with us (Matt 28:20), and we are also blessed (Eph 1:3). The fact Mary was surprised and troubled by the extravagant words spoken to her shows her humanity and humility. Most likely, her willing and humble heart was why she was chosen.
The focus of this passage is not Mary but the son that she would bear, who is also the Son of God. This Son was unmistakably and repeatedly identified as the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament who has the rightful authority to rule over Israel, and of whose kingdom there will be no end. When Gabriel told Mary she would conceive and bring forth a Son, Mary knew exactly what Gabriel was talking about because she was a woman of the word of God. Mary would have known that the angel quoted from Isaiah 7:14: "That a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son." She may not have known in the moment how this would happen and that the power of the Highest in the person of the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. The word used for overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory (Ex 16:10) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matt 17:5). This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God and it also means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary. Because of this manner of conception, this son would be the Holy One, separate, set apart, and different from all others who came before. Jesus did not become the Son of God; He was called the Son of God, recognizing His nature from all eternity, without beginning or end.
Every promise Gabriel made to Mary came to pass. Mary accepted the angel's words and then responded with an affirmation of faith. “Let it be to me according to Your word” is the proper response of every believer to any promise or request of God. This willingness of Mary took more trust in the Lord than we might initially think. Mary agreed to receive a pregnancy that would be seen as suspicious in a culture that had expulsion and a potential death penalty for adultery. There was a lot at risk here for Mary, but she chose to trust that the Lord would not abandon her. We don’t know the exact moment Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. It may have been when Gabriel spoke to her, or when she accepted, or soon after. Whenever it was, the cloud of God’s glory overshadowed Mary just as the angel had said, and Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. The conception and birth of Jesus is a great example of the many promises of God that have each come to pass in the person of Jesus. God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would overcome evil. He promised Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. He promised Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Savior of the world. God wants us to know that he keeps his promises. Even today, we need to be reminded of this. There is no better option available for us than to fully trust in the word of God. God didn't choose Mary because she was smart, sinless, or talented, and those aren't the reasons he chose us, either. God uses ordinary people who believe in his promises, act as if they are true, and say yes. God is looking for people who are willing, even when his words seem unpleasant, difficult, uncomfortable, or even dangerous. Like Mary, we too can be used in extraordinary ways even today if only our response to God is to believe and say yes to his Word.
The Young Jesus
Read
Matthew 2:1-23
Luke 2:1-52
Major Events
The Birth of Jesus
Jesus is presented in the temple
The Magi Visit Jesus
The Escape to Egypt
The Return to Nazareth
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
Devotional
Not only does today's reading cover a 12-year period in the young life of Jesus, these passages also give us a good understanding of the life of Jesus for the next 18 years leading up to when his public ministry would begin. It's strange that in just two chapters, we cover such a long period in Jesus' life, yet there is nothing vital left out or missing from the text. Within these chapters, we can learn everything we need to know about this time in the life of Jesus... It just takes a little digging.
First, we have the general familiar events of the Christmas story: the magi visiting the savior, the escape from Herod's threat to Egypt, and the return of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Nazareth years later. It will be here in Nazareth that Jesus would spend the next 28 years of his life working as a carpenter and living a mostly normal and unimpressive life. Nazareth was an unwalled, unprotected town with a bad reputation. Nathanael wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth (John 1:46). Men spoke of Nazareth with a sense of mocking. But in God’s perfect plan, Jesus came from a small, insignificant place with a bad reputation, and this is exactly what God wanted and what Jesus embraced. When Jesus later revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, Paul recalls later in Acts 22:8 that Jesus introduced himself to Paul, saying that he was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus didn't hide his humble hometown; he wore it as a badge. No one at the time would be impressed or intimidated to meet a man from Nazareth; the tendency would be to immediately think you were better than a person from there. But again, this was God's plan all along. Growing up in Nazareth, Jesus would mature in boyhood and young adulthood, completely perfect within every stage. He would fulfill the responsibilities expected of an eldest son, and then, at some time in his teens or twenties, Joseph died, and Jesus became the man of the family. He worked his trade, supported his family, studied Hebrew scriptures, loved his God, and proved himself utterly faithful in a thousand small things as he grew. We, too, should never despise small and humble beginnings and the power of diligent obedience, for from them, the most beautiful and powerful things can blossom.
There is a short story within this passage of when Jesus was twelve years old that reveals to the reader a lot about Jesus' growth into a young man. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover, the same festival that, 21 years later, Jesus would be crucified. Attendance at the major feasts was commanded in Exodus 23:17 and Deuteronomy 16:16 and it was customary for the faithful Jews of Galilee to make these pilgrimages to and from in large groups for protection. It would not be difficult to lose track of an independent-minded young boy with such a large group of travelers, and as we would expect from good and godly parents, after discovering Jesus missing, they took great effort to return to Jerusalem to find their son. After three days missing, Jesus was found sitting in the midst of the Jewish teachers, both listening to them and asking questions. For the Passover season, it was the custom for the ruling religious council, known as the Sanhedrin, to meet in public in the Temple court. They would discuss, in the presence of any Jew who would listen, religious and theological questions relating to Hebrew scriptures. For three days, a twelve-year-old Jesus took advantage of this opportunity to discuss God’s Word and astonish His listeners with his answers and understanding. When we realize the impressive intellectual insight and analysis of Jewish Rabbis, this is more than impressive. It is something like a middle-school child discussing physics with a panel of rocket scientists and blowing their minds. Jesus had a unique advantage they were unaware of, having a special relationship with the author of God’s Word.
The phrase, "I must be about My Father’s business," is the first recorded words of Jesus, and they are very significant. In that day, there was nothing more natural than a son taking up his father’s business, whatever it may be. Jesus did follow in Joseph’s footsteps as a carpenter, but His words here show that, at this point, he has some understanding of who he really is and his unique relationship to his Heavenly Father. In Judaism of that day, a boy began to learn his father’s trade at about 12 years of age, and Jesus fulfilled this by instructing the teachers in the temple and showing his earthly parents why he had come and what the trajectory of his special life would be. It is impossible to say when, in the context of the self-imposed limitations of his humanity, Jesus realized who he was and what he was sent to do, but it was early on in his life. This is probably not when it began, but when it began to rise up strongly within him. The surprise implied by the words of Jesus also means he was aware that Mary and Joseph knew of His special relationship with God, His Father. This means that it must have been an item of discussion and perhaps instruction regarding the upbringing of Jesus in their home. His parents didn't hide anything from him and were never told to.
From that point on, we know from the text that Jesus increased in wisdom, stature and favor. The word translated favor is the same word translated grace in the rest of the New Testament. Not only did Jesus become bigger physically, but he also became a bigger person in every sense. Jesus grew in a close, personal relationship with his heavenly Father, and he also grew in his human friendships and relationships. Jesus passed through a natural but perfect spiritual and physical development process. At every stage, he was perfect and complete for that stage, and he was a perfect model and example of how we are called to live as well. All this would be preparation for what was coming next when Jesus would step out from his humble home and into the public eye.
Matthew 2:1-23
Luke 2:1-52
Major Events
The Birth of Jesus
Jesus is presented in the temple
The Magi Visit Jesus
The Escape to Egypt
The Return to Nazareth
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
Devotional
Not only does today's reading cover a 12-year period in the young life of Jesus, these passages also give us a good understanding of the life of Jesus for the next 18 years leading up to when his public ministry would begin. It's strange that in just two chapters, we cover such a long period in Jesus' life, yet there is nothing vital left out or missing from the text. Within these chapters, we can learn everything we need to know about this time in the life of Jesus... It just takes a little digging.
First, we have the general familiar events of the Christmas story: the magi visiting the savior, the escape from Herod's threat to Egypt, and the return of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Nazareth years later. It will be here in Nazareth that Jesus would spend the next 28 years of his life working as a carpenter and living a mostly normal and unimpressive life. Nazareth was an unwalled, unprotected town with a bad reputation. Nathanael wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth (John 1:46). Men spoke of Nazareth with a sense of mocking. But in God’s perfect plan, Jesus came from a small, insignificant place with a bad reputation, and this is exactly what God wanted and what Jesus embraced. When Jesus later revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, Paul recalls later in Acts 22:8 that Jesus introduced himself to Paul, saying that he was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus didn't hide his humble hometown; he wore it as a badge. No one at the time would be impressed or intimidated to meet a man from Nazareth; the tendency would be to immediately think you were better than a person from there. But again, this was God's plan all along. Growing up in Nazareth, Jesus would mature in boyhood and young adulthood, completely perfect within every stage. He would fulfill the responsibilities expected of an eldest son, and then, at some time in his teens or twenties, Joseph died, and Jesus became the man of the family. He worked his trade, supported his family, studied Hebrew scriptures, loved his God, and proved himself utterly faithful in a thousand small things as he grew. We, too, should never despise small and humble beginnings and the power of diligent obedience, for from them, the most beautiful and powerful things can blossom.
There is a short story within this passage of when Jesus was twelve years old that reveals to the reader a lot about Jesus' growth into a young man. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover, the same festival that, 21 years later, Jesus would be crucified. Attendance at the major feasts was commanded in Exodus 23:17 and Deuteronomy 16:16 and it was customary for the faithful Jews of Galilee to make these pilgrimages to and from in large groups for protection. It would not be difficult to lose track of an independent-minded young boy with such a large group of travelers, and as we would expect from good and godly parents, after discovering Jesus missing, they took great effort to return to Jerusalem to find their son. After three days missing, Jesus was found sitting in the midst of the Jewish teachers, both listening to them and asking questions. For the Passover season, it was the custom for the ruling religious council, known as the Sanhedrin, to meet in public in the Temple court. They would discuss, in the presence of any Jew who would listen, religious and theological questions relating to Hebrew scriptures. For three days, a twelve-year-old Jesus took advantage of this opportunity to discuss God’s Word and astonish His listeners with his answers and understanding. When we realize the impressive intellectual insight and analysis of Jewish Rabbis, this is more than impressive. It is something like a middle-school child discussing physics with a panel of rocket scientists and blowing their minds. Jesus had a unique advantage they were unaware of, having a special relationship with the author of God’s Word.
The phrase, "I must be about My Father’s business," is the first recorded words of Jesus, and they are very significant. In that day, there was nothing more natural than a son taking up his father’s business, whatever it may be. Jesus did follow in Joseph’s footsteps as a carpenter, but His words here show that, at this point, he has some understanding of who he really is and his unique relationship to his Heavenly Father. In Judaism of that day, a boy began to learn his father’s trade at about 12 years of age, and Jesus fulfilled this by instructing the teachers in the temple and showing his earthly parents why he had come and what the trajectory of his special life would be. It is impossible to say when, in the context of the self-imposed limitations of his humanity, Jesus realized who he was and what he was sent to do, but it was early on in his life. This is probably not when it began, but when it began to rise up strongly within him. The surprise implied by the words of Jesus also means he was aware that Mary and Joseph knew of His special relationship with God, His Father. This means that it must have been an item of discussion and perhaps instruction regarding the upbringing of Jesus in their home. His parents didn't hide anything from him and were never told to.
From that point on, we know from the text that Jesus increased in wisdom, stature and favor. The word translated favor is the same word translated grace in the rest of the New Testament. Not only did Jesus become bigger physically, but he also became a bigger person in every sense. Jesus grew in a close, personal relationship with his heavenly Father, and he also grew in his human friendships and relationships. Jesus passed through a natural but perfect spiritual and physical development process. At every stage, he was perfect and complete for that stage, and he was a perfect model and example of how we are called to live as well. All this would be preparation for what was coming next when Jesus would step out from his humble home and into the public eye.
Preparing the Way
Read
Matthew 3:1-17
Matthew 4:1-11
Mark 1:2-13
Luke 3:1-23
Luke 4:1-13
Major Events
John the Baptist Prepares the way
The Baptism of Jesus
Jesus is tempted in the wilderness
Devotional
Two major events that marked the beginning of Jesus's public ministry were his baptism and testing in the wilderness. Luke tells us this happened in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, which sets these events between A.D. 27 to 29. Like any good historian, Luke gave his writing a real, historical framework to show that this is not a fairy tale beginning with “once upon a time.” Modern archaeologists have discovered specific, undeniable evidence that the people Luke mentioned lived and ruled in these places and times.
Thirty years of age was seen as the age of full maturity in Jewish culture. Priests and rabbis could only begin their service at the age of 30 (Numbers 4:2-3), and now that time has also come for Jesus. John the Baptist would set the stage for these early events. John had lived in the desert since his youth, which makes sense given that Herod wanted all children under 2 killed, and this would have put John's life in danger, as well as Jesus's. Most likely, his family fled and lived in the wilderness for a time, and John returned there in adulthood. God now prompted him to fulfill his calling to be the forerunner of the Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. (Isaiah 40:3) John boldly preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The idea behind remission is not only forgiveness of sin but also liberty and deliverance from the bonds of sin. Some people today think repentance is mostly about feeling sorry for your sin, but John told his listeners to make a change of heart, mind, and actions, not merely to feel remorse for what they had done. While there was nothing strange about the ceremony of water baptism in itself at that time, it was strange that Jews were submitting to it. Water baptism was a more common ritual for gentiles who wanted to become religious Jews and for a Jewish person to submit to baptism was to admit that they were just as stained as a heathen gentile. For any Jew, this would be a show of great humility, yet many were humbling themselves because of a truly repentant heart.
One day, in the middle of a crowd, Jesus came to John to be baptized, not because he was a sinner who needed to repent and be cleansed from His sins, but to completely identify himself with sinful man. This was the same heart that led to his ultimate identification with sinful man on the cross. In Jesus's baptism, the three Persons of the Trinity were all manifested at once to show the significance of the occasion. The Holy Spirit came in bodily form like a dove. The voice of God the Father was audibly heard, and the beloved Son was baptized in the flesh. There was visible, tangible evidence that the Holy Spirit had come upon Jesus as a sort of special anointing. A similar thing happened with the apostles when tongues of fire appeared over their heads on the day of Pentecost. The voice from heaven left no doubt as to what was happening. This wasn’t just another sinner being baptized; this was the sinless, eternal Son of God, pleasing the Father by his identification with sinful man and his willingness to step into his messianic role. When God spoke 'You are My beloved Son', it was an echo of Psalm 2:7, a Messianic Psalm pointing to the fact that Jesus was the long-awaited and prophesied Messiah from the Old Testament. 'In You, I am well pleased' is an echo of Isaiah 42, marking Jesus as the suffering servant spoken of in that chapter. Jesus would be and still is the fulfillment of every Old Testament promise, and he began his earthly ministry with the blessing of the Father and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that in Jesus, we can also hear the Father say to us, 'This is My beloved son, in you I am well pleased'. In Jesus, the Holy Spirit can also come upon us for empowerment and blessing. Jesus lived out his ministry as a Spirit-filled man, choosing not to rely on the resources of his divine nature but willingly limiting himself to what could be done by the guidance of God the Father and the empowering of God the Holy Spirit. In this way, Jesus was modeling a life that would be available to anyone who came after him.
After identifying with sinners in baptism, Jesus then identified with them in temptation. Walking in the Spirit, Jesus was led into the wilderness, where he was tempted. We sometimes think Jesus’s temptations in the wilderness were not real because they were not exactly like ours. But in many ways, Jesus’s temptations were more real and more severe. For us, often the pressure of temptation only relents when we give in – but Jesus never did. He had to withstand much greater pressure of temptation than you or I ever will, and he came out victorious on the other side. Many parallels exist between the way Jesus was tested and the way Adam was tested, but Adam faced his temptation with the most favorable circumstances imaginable, and Jesus faced his temptations in the worst. Jesus was tempted for the entire forty days; what was written were just highlights of that season of temptation. The first recorded temptation was to transform stone into bread for personal needs. To tempt a man with food who had fasted for forty days seems almost unfair, yet the Father allowed it because he knew Jesus could endure it. The fact that Luke, the physician, noted that after 40 days of fasting, Jesus was hungry is important. After such a long fast, renewed hunger often points to a critical need for food due to starvation. Jesus was hungry physically, but spiritually, he was full of the Spirit. We are usually just the opposite – full stomachs and empty spirits. Satan then enticed Jesus to use the power of God for selfish purposes. The temptation to eat something inappropriate worked well with the first sinless man (Genesis 3:6), so the devil thought of trying it on the second sinless man.
In every temptation, Jesus countered Satan’s temptation with Scripture. Even when Satan's words made logical sense, the word of God made even more sense. Jesus reminded Satan of the Biblical truth that the word of God is more important than the very bread we eat. Even in our lives, the temptation to sin might seem logical and reasonable, yet still in opposition to what God desires. Jesus used the same weapons available to us when he did spiritual battle against Satan’s temptations. We, too, can be spirit-filled and full of the word of God, just as Jesus was. We can answer Satan’s seductive lies by shining the light of God’s truth upon them. But if we are ignorant of God’s truth, we are poorly armed in the fight against temptation and will most likely fail. Jesus answered Satan’s misuse of Scripture with the proper use of the Bible, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. As Jesus rejected Satan’s twisting of Scripture, he rightly divided the word of truth, understanding it in its context as we are called to also do. When Satan saw that he couldn’t get anywhere, he left for a while. The devil will always look to come back at an opportune time, so the advice to us is that we should never give him the opportunity. Satan is not stupid; he will not continually put his limited resources into an ineffective battle. Satan and his minions can be defeated, but only by using the same spiritual weapons Jesus used and fully recognizing what we have in Christ.
Matthew 3:1-17
Matthew 4:1-11
Mark 1:2-13
Luke 3:1-23
Luke 4:1-13
Major Events
John the Baptist Prepares the way
The Baptism of Jesus
Jesus is tempted in the wilderness
Devotional
Two major events that marked the beginning of Jesus's public ministry were his baptism and testing in the wilderness. Luke tells us this happened in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, which sets these events between A.D. 27 to 29. Like any good historian, Luke gave his writing a real, historical framework to show that this is not a fairy tale beginning with “once upon a time.” Modern archaeologists have discovered specific, undeniable evidence that the people Luke mentioned lived and ruled in these places and times.
Thirty years of age was seen as the age of full maturity in Jewish culture. Priests and rabbis could only begin their service at the age of 30 (Numbers 4:2-3), and now that time has also come for Jesus. John the Baptist would set the stage for these early events. John had lived in the desert since his youth, which makes sense given that Herod wanted all children under 2 killed, and this would have put John's life in danger, as well as Jesus's. Most likely, his family fled and lived in the wilderness for a time, and John returned there in adulthood. God now prompted him to fulfill his calling to be the forerunner of the Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. (Isaiah 40:3) John boldly preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The idea behind remission is not only forgiveness of sin but also liberty and deliverance from the bonds of sin. Some people today think repentance is mostly about feeling sorry for your sin, but John told his listeners to make a change of heart, mind, and actions, not merely to feel remorse for what they had done. While there was nothing strange about the ceremony of water baptism in itself at that time, it was strange that Jews were submitting to it. Water baptism was a more common ritual for gentiles who wanted to become religious Jews and for a Jewish person to submit to baptism was to admit that they were just as stained as a heathen gentile. For any Jew, this would be a show of great humility, yet many were humbling themselves because of a truly repentant heart.
One day, in the middle of a crowd, Jesus came to John to be baptized, not because he was a sinner who needed to repent and be cleansed from His sins, but to completely identify himself with sinful man. This was the same heart that led to his ultimate identification with sinful man on the cross. In Jesus's baptism, the three Persons of the Trinity were all manifested at once to show the significance of the occasion. The Holy Spirit came in bodily form like a dove. The voice of God the Father was audibly heard, and the beloved Son was baptized in the flesh. There was visible, tangible evidence that the Holy Spirit had come upon Jesus as a sort of special anointing. A similar thing happened with the apostles when tongues of fire appeared over their heads on the day of Pentecost. The voice from heaven left no doubt as to what was happening. This wasn’t just another sinner being baptized; this was the sinless, eternal Son of God, pleasing the Father by his identification with sinful man and his willingness to step into his messianic role. When God spoke 'You are My beloved Son', it was an echo of Psalm 2:7, a Messianic Psalm pointing to the fact that Jesus was the long-awaited and prophesied Messiah from the Old Testament. 'In You, I am well pleased' is an echo of Isaiah 42, marking Jesus as the suffering servant spoken of in that chapter. Jesus would be and still is the fulfillment of every Old Testament promise, and he began his earthly ministry with the blessing of the Father and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that in Jesus, we can also hear the Father say to us, 'This is My beloved son, in you I am well pleased'. In Jesus, the Holy Spirit can also come upon us for empowerment and blessing. Jesus lived out his ministry as a Spirit-filled man, choosing not to rely on the resources of his divine nature but willingly limiting himself to what could be done by the guidance of God the Father and the empowering of God the Holy Spirit. In this way, Jesus was modeling a life that would be available to anyone who came after him.
After identifying with sinners in baptism, Jesus then identified with them in temptation. Walking in the Spirit, Jesus was led into the wilderness, where he was tempted. We sometimes think Jesus’s temptations in the wilderness were not real because they were not exactly like ours. But in many ways, Jesus’s temptations were more real and more severe. For us, often the pressure of temptation only relents when we give in – but Jesus never did. He had to withstand much greater pressure of temptation than you or I ever will, and he came out victorious on the other side. Many parallels exist between the way Jesus was tested and the way Adam was tested, but Adam faced his temptation with the most favorable circumstances imaginable, and Jesus faced his temptations in the worst. Jesus was tempted for the entire forty days; what was written were just highlights of that season of temptation. The first recorded temptation was to transform stone into bread for personal needs. To tempt a man with food who had fasted for forty days seems almost unfair, yet the Father allowed it because he knew Jesus could endure it. The fact that Luke, the physician, noted that after 40 days of fasting, Jesus was hungry is important. After such a long fast, renewed hunger often points to a critical need for food due to starvation. Jesus was hungry physically, but spiritually, he was full of the Spirit. We are usually just the opposite – full stomachs and empty spirits. Satan then enticed Jesus to use the power of God for selfish purposes. The temptation to eat something inappropriate worked well with the first sinless man (Genesis 3:6), so the devil thought of trying it on the second sinless man.
In every temptation, Jesus countered Satan’s temptation with Scripture. Even when Satan's words made logical sense, the word of God made even more sense. Jesus reminded Satan of the Biblical truth that the word of God is more important than the very bread we eat. Even in our lives, the temptation to sin might seem logical and reasonable, yet still in opposition to what God desires. Jesus used the same weapons available to us when he did spiritual battle against Satan’s temptations. We, too, can be spirit-filled and full of the word of God, just as Jesus was. We can answer Satan’s seductive lies by shining the light of God’s truth upon them. But if we are ignorant of God’s truth, we are poorly armed in the fight against temptation and will most likely fail. Jesus answered Satan’s misuse of Scripture with the proper use of the Bible, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. As Jesus rejected Satan’s twisting of Scripture, he rightly divided the word of truth, understanding it in its context as we are called to also do. When Satan saw that he couldn’t get anywhere, he left for a while. The devil will always look to come back at an opportune time, so the advice to us is that we should never give him the opportunity. Satan is not stupid; he will not continually put his limited resources into an ineffective battle. Satan and his minions can be defeated, but only by using the same spiritual weapons Jesus used and fully recognizing what we have in Christ.
The Ministry of Jesus Begins
Read
John 1:19-51
John 2:1-25
John 3:1-36
Major Events
John the Baptist Testifies about Jesus
Johns disciples follow Jesus
The first disciples are called
Jesus first Miracle in Cana
Jesus clears the temple courts the first time
Jesus speaks with Nicodemus
Devotional
On the third day after Jesus had returned from his wilderness temptations, he and His disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana. The town of Cana was due west of the Sea of Galilea, not far from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, which explains why Jesus and his mother had some personal connection to the newlyweds. This is the first of many stories suggesting that Jesus and his disciples were always welcome among those having a good time. The fact that Jesus was invited to this wedding speaks to the person Jesus had been even before his public ministry. He was not a legalistic prude who would spoil a joy-filled good time, and in the Jewish culture of that day, a wedding was known to be the best party of all. There is no mention of Joseph here, only Mary. The most likely explanation is that, at this point, Joseph was dead. This is also the reason why Jesus spent so many long years in Nazareth; he had taken it upon himself to support his mother and family. It was only when his younger brothers and sisters were able to look after themselves that he left home.
The conflict in the story arises when the host runs out of wine. This was a major social mistake; in that culture, it could shame the newlyweds their entire lives. For a host to fail to provide adequate hospitality in every area was a great dishonor to everyone involved. Additionally, rabbis of that day considered wine a symbol of joy and to run out of wine would almost have been the equivalent of admitting that neither the guests nor the bride and groom were happy, and this would be a picture of the marriage to come. In the ancient Near East, there was also a strong element of reciprocity about weddings, and it would have been possible to take legal action in certain circumstances against a man who had failed to provide the appropriate wedding gift. This means that when the supply of wine failed, much more than social embarrassment was involved; the bridegroom and his entire family may well have held great legal liability. All this leads us to what happens next. Mary knows the solution to the problem lies in her son. She doesn't know exactly how the problem will be solved, but she is confident that he can solve it. It wasn’t wrong for Mary to sense that the time had come for her Son to enter public ministry. She knew he had been baptized by John and confirmed with a heavenly sign at His baptism. Mary knew he had endured temptation in the wilderness. She knew Jesus had been publicly introduced as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and had begun to gather disciples to himself. Jesus spoke to his mother with a term of respect, but he did not call her “mother.” It was not rude to refer to her as 'mother,' but neither was it an expected way for a son to address a mother. Jesus did it on purpose, wanting to emphasize that now, at the beginning of his public ministry, he had a different relationship with Mary. If she sought his help now, she must not seek it based on their mother-and-son relationship but as the Son of God.
Jesus began this miracle by using what was at hand. He could have supplied wine in any number of ways, but he started with what was already there. This is also true of our lives; often, the supernatural hand of God will be at work in what we already possess in our hands. It could be our time, talents or treasure. The servants, under the direction of Jesus, were in a unique place of blessing for this miracle. Jesus could have filled the pots himself or just as easily created the liquid in the pots with a word. But he knew that if the servants shared and cooperated in the work, then they would also share in the blessing. This is also true in our lives as Jesus continually desires for us to share in his miraculous work. The servants did not do the miracle; their efforts alone were completely insufficient. But because of their unquestionable obedience to Jesus, they shared in the joy of the miracle. If they had been lazy and only filled the water pots half full because of the burden of weight, there would have only been half as much wine, but because they obeyed to the fullest and filled the water pots to the brim, the miracle also came in its fullest form. We often forget that all this took faith on behalf of the servants. Imagine how angry the master of the feast would be if the servants brought him water to taste! Their jobs were on the line, yet in faith, they obeyed the word of Jesus. We are not told exactly how Jesus performed this miracle. We assume that the transformation took place in the water pots, but it also could have happened during the wine serving or the tasting. Yet, according to the record, Jesus did not say a word or perform a ceremony; He simply exercised his will, and the miracle was done.
Jesus insisted that the miracle be put to the test right away. After tasting, the master of the feast knew it was very good quality wine, but he didn’t know about the miracle. The master of the feast then paid the bridegroom a great public compliment in his praise of the wine, which would have been high praise for the marriage as well. Not only was there wine in abundance now, but because it was a miracle of Jesus, this was the best wine ever produced or tasted in the history of the world. Think about that; Jesus wouldn't have just made average wine, but the best and highest quality. The amount of wine transformed was estimated to be somewhere near 150 gallons. This was a large quantity of wine and much more than the wedding party could consume. Selling the excess wine was a likely source of income for the newlyweds.
It is fitting that Jesus' first recorded miracle involved wine. Wine would also be symbolic of the Last Supper, the new covenant, and the blood that Jesus would shed on the cross. It was a symbol of great joy and of great sorrow. In the Old Testament, Moses turned water into blood, showing that the Law results in death (Exodus 7:17-21). But Jesus turned water into wine, showing the gladness and joy of His new work, which brings life. This acts out what John said in John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." We could say that the water is like a relationship with God under the Old Covenant, and the wine is like a relationship with God under the New Covenant. The wine was after the water, and the New Covenant is after the Old Covenant. The wine was from the water, and the New Covenant is from the Old Covenant. The wine was better than the water, and the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. Everything about the new and what Jesus would do was far better than what came before.
John 1:19-51
John 2:1-25
John 3:1-36
Major Events
John the Baptist Testifies about Jesus
Johns disciples follow Jesus
The first disciples are called
Jesus first Miracle in Cana
Jesus clears the temple courts the first time
Jesus speaks with Nicodemus
Devotional
On the third day after Jesus had returned from his wilderness temptations, he and His disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana. The town of Cana was due west of the Sea of Galilea, not far from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, which explains why Jesus and his mother had some personal connection to the newlyweds. This is the first of many stories suggesting that Jesus and his disciples were always welcome among those having a good time. The fact that Jesus was invited to this wedding speaks to the person Jesus had been even before his public ministry. He was not a legalistic prude who would spoil a joy-filled good time, and in the Jewish culture of that day, a wedding was known to be the best party of all. There is no mention of Joseph here, only Mary. The most likely explanation is that, at this point, Joseph was dead. This is also the reason why Jesus spent so many long years in Nazareth; he had taken it upon himself to support his mother and family. It was only when his younger brothers and sisters were able to look after themselves that he left home.
The conflict in the story arises when the host runs out of wine. This was a major social mistake; in that culture, it could shame the newlyweds their entire lives. For a host to fail to provide adequate hospitality in every area was a great dishonor to everyone involved. Additionally, rabbis of that day considered wine a symbol of joy and to run out of wine would almost have been the equivalent of admitting that neither the guests nor the bride and groom were happy, and this would be a picture of the marriage to come. In the ancient Near East, there was also a strong element of reciprocity about weddings, and it would have been possible to take legal action in certain circumstances against a man who had failed to provide the appropriate wedding gift. This means that when the supply of wine failed, much more than social embarrassment was involved; the bridegroom and his entire family may well have held great legal liability. All this leads us to what happens next. Mary knows the solution to the problem lies in her son. She doesn't know exactly how the problem will be solved, but she is confident that he can solve it. It wasn’t wrong for Mary to sense that the time had come for her Son to enter public ministry. She knew he had been baptized by John and confirmed with a heavenly sign at His baptism. Mary knew he had endured temptation in the wilderness. She knew Jesus had been publicly introduced as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and had begun to gather disciples to himself. Jesus spoke to his mother with a term of respect, but he did not call her “mother.” It was not rude to refer to her as 'mother,' but neither was it an expected way for a son to address a mother. Jesus did it on purpose, wanting to emphasize that now, at the beginning of his public ministry, he had a different relationship with Mary. If she sought his help now, she must not seek it based on their mother-and-son relationship but as the Son of God.
Jesus began this miracle by using what was at hand. He could have supplied wine in any number of ways, but he started with what was already there. This is also true of our lives; often, the supernatural hand of God will be at work in what we already possess in our hands. It could be our time, talents or treasure. The servants, under the direction of Jesus, were in a unique place of blessing for this miracle. Jesus could have filled the pots himself or just as easily created the liquid in the pots with a word. But he knew that if the servants shared and cooperated in the work, then they would also share in the blessing. This is also true in our lives as Jesus continually desires for us to share in his miraculous work. The servants did not do the miracle; their efforts alone were completely insufficient. But because of their unquestionable obedience to Jesus, they shared in the joy of the miracle. If they had been lazy and only filled the water pots half full because of the burden of weight, there would have only been half as much wine, but because they obeyed to the fullest and filled the water pots to the brim, the miracle also came in its fullest form. We often forget that all this took faith on behalf of the servants. Imagine how angry the master of the feast would be if the servants brought him water to taste! Their jobs were on the line, yet in faith, they obeyed the word of Jesus. We are not told exactly how Jesus performed this miracle. We assume that the transformation took place in the water pots, but it also could have happened during the wine serving or the tasting. Yet, according to the record, Jesus did not say a word or perform a ceremony; He simply exercised his will, and the miracle was done.
Jesus insisted that the miracle be put to the test right away. After tasting, the master of the feast knew it was very good quality wine, but he didn’t know about the miracle. The master of the feast then paid the bridegroom a great public compliment in his praise of the wine, which would have been high praise for the marriage as well. Not only was there wine in abundance now, but because it was a miracle of Jesus, this was the best wine ever produced or tasted in the history of the world. Think about that; Jesus wouldn't have just made average wine, but the best and highest quality. The amount of wine transformed was estimated to be somewhere near 150 gallons. This was a large quantity of wine and much more than the wedding party could consume. Selling the excess wine was a likely source of income for the newlyweds.
It is fitting that Jesus' first recorded miracle involved wine. Wine would also be symbolic of the Last Supper, the new covenant, and the blood that Jesus would shed on the cross. It was a symbol of great joy and of great sorrow. In the Old Testament, Moses turned water into blood, showing that the Law results in death (Exodus 7:17-21). But Jesus turned water into wine, showing the gladness and joy of His new work, which brings life. This acts out what John said in John 1:17 "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." We could say that the water is like a relationship with God under the Old Covenant, and the wine is like a relationship with God under the New Covenant. The wine was after the water, and the New Covenant is after the Old Covenant. The wine was from the water, and the New Covenant is from the Old Covenant. The wine was better than the water, and the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. Everything about the new and what Jesus would do was far better than what came before.