Last night I sent an email out to our church. In it, I mentioned Jesus' first miracle: turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. There's something in this story that's very subtle, yet very important.
In this story, there are three groups of people: those who are encouraging Jesus to perform the miracle (his mother), those who are witnessing the miracle, and then there are those who get to participate in the miracle.
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
John 2:8-9 NIV
The servants were probably tired and bored from their mundane work of waiting on the guests of the wedding. Jesus gives them a thrill of a lifetime. He chooses the lowly servants as the instruments by which His first miracle comes to pass. Jesus could have very easily done this miracle differently. Instead, he choose to allow the bored, hard-working servants to participate in this important story that would later be captured in Scripture. Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars with water and then draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.
I'm sure the servants knew the water had been changed. Wine looks different from water and it smells differently. As soon as the servants drew the wine from the jars to take it to the master, they knew something miraculous had happened. And they had been chosen to help out with this miracle behind the scenes. They were rewarded with the insight into the miracle prior to their master. What a privilege!t
When we're given the opportunity to serve in ministry either in an ongoing position or with a special opportunity, it's a special privilege that the Lord is giving to us to be a part of a miracle. So, the next time a ministry opportunity comes along, prayerfully consider being a participant of a miracle instead of just being a witness.
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