ODJ: glory & authority

January 29, 2014 

READ: John 2:1-22 

His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (v.5).

John records for us two events that occurred at the beginning (probably in the first few weeks) of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus performed the first of his 35 recorded miracles at a wedding in Cana, turning plain water used for ceremonial washing into top quality wine (John 2:1-11). More than just showing us a tender and compassionate Jesus helping an embarrassed, newly married couple whose wine ran out too early, we’re offered a taste of His transforming power!

John then shows us a totally different and intolerant Jesus. Enraged and with a physical display of anger, Jesus made a whip from some ropes and threw all the traders out of the temple compound (vv.13-22). Turning water into wine revealed Jesus’ glory (v.11) and throwing out the traders showed His authority (v.18).

John put these two events back to back to give us a balanced view of Jesus. We need to see both His tender kindness and His holy wrath, that the Lamb of God is also the Lion of Judah. The qualities of a lamb—gentleness and tenderness—indeed are found in Christ, but so are the majesty and ferocity of a lion.

We welcome His power in our lives, especially if that power is used for our benefit. We have no difficulty basking in Jesus’ glory, but we resist His authority over us. We welcome Jesus’ action of turning water into wine but we resist when He turns our lives upside down, inside out and right side up. We don’t want Him to interfere with how we live.

We need to pay heed to what Jesus’ mother told the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (v.5). Jesus’ glory and authority demands our obedience and submission. Will you do whatever Jesus tells you to do? —K.T. Sim