The SERVANTS Know!
“Jesus told the servants “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled to the brim, He said, “Dip some out and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So they followed His instructions. When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “Usually a host serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone is full and doesn’t care, he brings out the less expensive wines. But you have kept the best until now!”
When Jesus did His first recorded miracle and turned the water into wine at the wedding, there were two main groups of people involved:
Those who knew
Those who knew nothing
Mary, the mother of Jesus, commanded the servants at the wedding feast to do whatever Jesus told them to do. What were His instructions to the servants? Fill the empty wine containers with water and serve it to the Master of Ceremonies. I’m sure the servants were shocked when plain, ordinary water became the best quality wine. They knew what was put in the containers, and they knew a miracle occurred when they saw what came out of the containers. The bride and groom, the master of ceremonies and the guests, did not know that something miraculous had just occurred. All they knew was that the wine served at the latter end of the festivities was better than that served in the beginning. The bridegroom was praised for saving the best wine until last.
The servants were close enough to the situation to know that this Jesus wasn’t just Mary and Joseph’s oldest child. They knew He was much more. They saw God, in the flesh, physically at work in the affairs of men.
So, what is a servant? One close enough to hear the commands of another and execute them.
This wonderful miracle of Jesus encourages me to serve Him more diligently. Not only is He worthy of our service, but He is good enough that He allows us to receive a blessing from our obedience to serve Him. Servants know! They know what their master wants! They do what their master wants. Because of this, because they are close enough to hear their Master and execute His commands, they also see the results of those commands!
As believers, as bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in this same unique position to know what our master is doing and to participate in the doing. The Lord wanted to turn water into wine, so He had the servants fill the containers. If the Lord wants to heal, He calls us to lay hands. If He wants to bring revival, He calls us to pray and fast. Sure, Jesus could have done it all Himself. He could have supernaturally put the water in the containers, but He allowed the servants to take part in the miracle. Sure, He can heal, without us laying hands, but He gives us the privilege of participating in His work! He talks to us! We have insight into what He wants to do!
Servants know, so serve! Get close enough to Jesus to make yourself available to do WHATEVER He calls you to do. It may be something simple as filling a container, but that small act of obedience will lead to you seeing something wonderful!