Change Your Water to Wine

A friend recently asked me which of my blogs is my favorite. Without hesitation, I named two of them. The one you are about to read is one of them. 

I enjoyed looking at Jesus’ first miracle from an unexpected angle. Perhaps you, too, can identify with being filled with the traditions of men only to have your heart and soul radically transformed by the miracle-working presence of Jesus.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Open your mind as you step into this scene!

*********************************************************************************************************

“The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, ‘They have no more wine.’â€Â  (John 2:1-2 NLT)

Weddings naturally draw friends and family from all around for grand celebrations. This particular wedding was no exception. Six hefty water-filled jars sat stone-faced as they witnessed the Jewish festivities. However, as the celebration continued, water levels within these six weighty containers decreased, causing the jars to feel depleted and greatly ignored.

Many faithful Jews used this purified water for countless hand washings and other rituals. Yet, the close friends who chose to serve the family during this wedding celebration became distracted with tasks other than replenishing the water. Before long, the six stone jars realized their emptiness and inability to do anything about it. Secretly, they wondered if they might ever be refilled or, better yet, filled with the wine that seemed to make hearts glad. Their water storage work had been essential for centuries, but was there more? Could there be something even better?

The jars first noted the servant’s raised eyebrows after listening to a behind-the-hand message from a concerned woman. The soft whispers were too few to decipher at first. However, the solemn secret quietly blew into ear after ear, one servant at a time. The unfolding situation caused a panicked frenzy in the frazzled servants, who tried their best to do everything exactly right.

The woman who first whispered the secret had arrived at the wedding celebration with her Son and a few of His friends. The Son, enveloped by a sweet but unfamiliar aroma, now stood beside the stone-faced jars. Simply having Him near warmed the jars from the inside out. That’s when they overheard the sad secret.

The wine was gone!

The jars had been around long enough to know how embarrassing this would be for such a fine family. An absence of wine created an absence of joy! Joy stands out as the hallmark emotion whenever a Groom takes His bride!

“Fill the jars with water,†the Son told the servants. Realizing they could find no other solution, they did as they’d been told. Not only did they replenish the water, but they filled the jars to the brim. The six hefty stone jars felt completely overwhelmed as the liquid rose inch by inch to the brim. They slowly realized something was different about THIS water – something so very different! It also filled the air with a sweet but now more familiar aroma.

The Son spoke up again, “Now draw some out and take it to the head waiter.†Again, the servants did as they were told, not knowing what else to do. The head waiter tasted it. Eyebrows flew up again! He wondered out loud why the very best wine had been saved for last.  

The stone jars wondered if they’d heard correctly. Did he say, “Wine?†They expected to eventually be filled again with the same ceremonial water they had become accustomed to. They never expected to be filled to the brim with the best wine ever! Not just one of them, but all six jars had been filled! MORE than enough for a celebration! More than they EVER imagined!

The wine left its rich color on the inside of the jars as a permanent reminder of that day. From that day forward, they knew that no matter what anyone else tried to fill them with, they were CONFIDENT they had been changed from the inside out. They had done nothing to accomplish it on their own. It was the Son who had performed the miracle inside them. They resolved to stand as a living testimony to the joy that can be experienced when one gets filled by the Son and releases the sweet fragrance He provides.

“I [Jesus] came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.â€Â  John 10:10, The Message

A glass of water with the words " change your water to wine ".
Posted in
A glass of water with the words " change your water to wine ".

When Did Your Journey Begin?

By Donna Jackson | July 29, 2025 |

It fills my heart with happy to introduce you to my Jamaican friend, Kaidean Rice. I’ve watched her love for God grow into a beautiful display of joy and peace that only comes from walking hand-in-hand with Jesus. Read her description of how her journey began and be inspired to move a little closer to…

Replay the Stories Behind Your Scars

By Donna Jackson | July 22, 2025 |

Mothers often habitually latch onto childhood misadventures and hit the replay button for anyone willing to listen. (I’m shamefully guilty of doing that with my children.) However, no one seemed to enjoy it more than my mother. My mischievous spirit definitely gave her plenty of material for storytelling, enough to make listeners’ eyes glaze over.  Mother…

A Summer Read for You

By Donna Jackson | July 15, 2025

Looking for an uplifting summer read that inspires a deeper love for Jesus? What if there were a miracle greater than physical healing? Would you want it? Follow Denise Johnson’s battle with Stage 4 cancer and discover how you can transform your struggle into something you might not expect. This is by no means a…

Do You Know Who You’re Talking To?

By Donna Jackson | July 8, 2025

Before I began teaching full-time, I substituted for seven years in a K-12 school. My days with kindergarten children found me counting objects, naming colors, giving sounds to letters, tying shoes, and wiping noses. I soon learned that staying aware of middle-schoolers’ raging hormones was essential. And a week with twelfth graders required extra study…

Hope for the Tired Soul

By Donna Jackson | July 1, 2025

Recently, I came across an unfamiliar theological term. Naturally, the schoolteacher in me did what I used to tell my students to do when they encountered a new word – I looked it up! I had heard the words ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘orthopraxy’. (Don’t let those words stop you from reading further. This is going to…

Who’s at the End of Your Pipeline?

By Donna Jackson | June 24, 2025

If you’ve ever built or remodeled a house, chances are you’ve had pieces of PVC pipe lying around. When these pipes are new, they are pristine, clean, and white. That’s good since drinking water usually flows through them. However, over time, these pipes can develop residue that sticks and restricts water flow. This buildup can…

A Fresh Fragrance

By Donna Jackson | June 10, 2025

Arguably, most of us are addicted to something. Some are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Others to pleasure, power, possessions, or a combination of other things. As for me, I am addicted to a judgmental spirit. There! I said it out loud (sort of)! I spent most of my years focused on being an outward…

Overcoming the Slow Erosion of Hope

By Donna Jackson | June 3, 2025

Knowing that God is working THROUGH us to accomplish something of eternal value warms our hearts with joy; however, God working IN us is another matter. More often than not, exchanging our fleshly desires for godly ones is not a quick yank. It’s more like slowly peeling a Band-Aid off a hairy arm. The hairier…

Chasing a Rabbit Born of Water

By Donna Jackson | May 27, 2025

You’ve laced up your boots, strapped on your backpack, and headed down a well-worn and familiar path. Before seeing them, you can picture every tall tree, mossy boulder, and narrow stream. You smile when you see your own boot prints etched in the dirt along the way. You know the trail by heart because you’ve…

Graduating with a Friend

By Donna Jackson | May 20, 2025

As I watched my oldest grandson graduate from high school, a tsunami of memories washed over me. There were 699 in my graduating class. On graduation night, names were called, and faces came forward that I didn’t recognize. Unlike my grandson, I didn’t graduate with a whole lot of honors, but I was good friends…