Day 7: John 2- Believe

The Wedding at Cana
2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
 Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
 18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
 Jesus Knows What Is in Man
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
 
Meditation:
Java is my favorite family pet (named after the island he was born on in Indonesia). Java often shows affection by fixing his eyes on me. He also likes to fetch tennis balls. Sometimes he confuses the activities and when I throw the ball he is still looking at me. The problem- I do not want to go get the ball so I speak louder saying, “Java, go get the ball!” But when Java is confused he looks at my finger pointing, rarely following my voice and my finger to the ball- he is focused on the sign.
This chapter contains two very familiar stories- Jesus changing water to wine and later cleansing the temple. The first story is a “sign” (2:11) and the second centers on the question of a sign (2:18).  The gospel of John, is referred to as the “Book of Signs” as there are seven miracles of Jesus called “signs.” We must remember, the point of the signs is what the signs point to- We cannot fix our attention on the sign.
 All signs in John point to believing in Jesus as the Son of God- the stated purpose of the book (20:30-31) and a key word repeated in this chapter (11, 22, 23). Reading this chapter when we know where we are going, where the signs are pointing to, we must ask ourselves- Do I believe in Jesus (11) with my whole life? Do I believe in His word (22)? Do I believe in His name (23)?
 
Richly Dwelling:
-When we believe in Jesus, following the signs, we will see him take the ceremony of our religiosity and fill it with new wine as he did with the ceremonial jars at the wedding. Where does your religious ceremony need to be filled with the festivities of the new wine of relationship with Christ?
 - When we believe in the word of Jesus He clears out the misuse of the temple of our lives as He did the temple recorded in this chapter. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)- How do you need to be cleaned out, restored to a more faithful purpose for the Lord?
 Key Verse:
1:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.