So far, John has spent the first chapter of his gospel introducing the glory of who Jesus is. He wanted to make sure we really understood Jesus from a broad perspective, that we had a view of the eternal Son of God having come down to fulfill the Scriptures and draw the world to himself, before he ever got into the details. But now we finally get to the stories of the life and ministry of this one humble man. The time has come!
In fact, Jesus wanted to make sure the time was exactly right. Throughout the book, Jesus will constantly reference “the hour” when he will fulfill his mission and be glorified for it. That hour was still yet to come by the time of this wedding in Cana, but his first miracle set things in motion. Once he got the world’s attention, the clock was ticking for him to accomplish the redemption of his people. With a simple and subtle but undeniable miracle, Jesus boldly entered the scene, and the time had indeed come for him to begin ministering and changing the world.
But he also made clear that he operated on no one’s timetable other than the Father’s! Even when his mother whom he dearly loved urged him to act, he reminded her that his obedience belonged first and foremost to his Father in Heaven. But conveniently, with his incomparable wisdom, the Father made it work out to where the fulfillment of his ultimate plan of global redemption happened to line up with a little blessing Jesus could give to this bridegroom’s family. When we say God knows better than we could, it’s true—his timing is always beautifully perfect!
Sometimes it’s incredible to realize what incredible things Jesus accomplished in the humblest ways possible. At a wedding in a tiny rural town, by turning water into wine for only a few people to see, Jesus changed the world. He blessed a family, he initiated his earthly ministry, and perhaps most importantly, he gave the first of many signs that he was indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God. The time had come! It was time for the world to know that the long-awaited Messiah was in their midst, and he was beginning the miraculous work of filling a lacking world with brand new eternal life.
