Come and SeeIsampula

Grace and truth. These two words give a well-rounded description of Jesus. He was full
of grace. Invited to a wedding, He chose to perform His first public miracle here. At the height of
the celebration, the wine ran out creating enough unrest that Jesus got involved. Miraculously,
He transformed the water used for hand-washing into the most superior wine. It was an act of
gracious benevolence and compassion for the bridal family. No one deserved it and no one
earned it. He did it out of His goodness and to demonstrate God’s glory. In that culture, wine was
a symbol of joy, and by miraculously producing it, Jesus revealed that His involvement increases
joy in every celebration.

Jesus was also full of truth. After the wedding, He goes to Jerusalem and enters the
temple. When seeing the evil being done in His Father’s house, He took a stand for what was right.
Driving out the thieves and their spoils, He cleansed the temple, purifying what had become dirty
and distorted. He was still rather unknown in His ministry, yet He didn’t bow down to the most
influential people or the most accepted practices. His passion for His Father’s temple left no
room for leniency to sin. Truth called out what needed to be cleansed, and Jesus revealed that
when He is involved refinement is always necessary.

The temple of God is now the people who make up His Church. And to His people, God
still demonstrates His grace and His truth. Like the Jerusalem temple, He cleanses us, clearing
out what doesn’t belong. And like the empty cups at the wedding, He fills us with unspeakable
joy.

With Jesus, we were never meant to be indifferent bystanders. The servants at the
wedding were the only ones who knew where the miracle wine had come from. They
experienced the depth of His grace because they had obeyed the truth, “Do whatever He tells
you.” As servants of Christ, we also experience the depth of His grace when we are quick to do
what He says. And as we follow His Word, we are filled with the fullness of joy.

DAILY READING

John 2

CHRISTMAS CONNECTION

Take some time to send out Christmas cards. Let your messages be full of loving grace as well as
the truth of Christ.