Who should be included on the guest list? That’s a question for every wedding and for children’s parties too. Get out the paper and pencil, and we’ll make a list of whom we will invite.
The Bible has a wedding story, and, of course, there was a guest list. Do you know whose name was first on the list? Jesus! And His disciples were invited too. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was there already. Maybe she was a helper.
If you have a party, you can’t have Jesus on your guest list, because He has gone back to heaven. But He has left us one thing. Can you guess what it is?
A picture of Himself? A statue to worship? A big stone church?
Oh, no! He has left us a wonderful book. Do you know what it is called? You are right if you said, “The Bible.” Sometimes this book is loved, and sometimes it is hated more than any other book on earth. Do you have a Bible of your very own? Do you read it? At the end we’ll tell you where you can read this wedding story in your Bible.
They ran out of wine at the wedding. Mary said to Jesus, They have no wine to drink. It’s hard to have a wedding party without anything to drink. They had six big, stone waterpots, really big ones, but it seems they were empty too. Jesus told Mary that His time was not yet come.
You and I can understand that too, because when we ask Jesus for a treat, sometimes He doesn’t answer us right away. That’s because it’s not His time, and His time is always perfect. It’s good just to trust Him and wait.
Mary said to the servants, Whatever He says to you, do it!
Jesus spoke to the servants and said, Fill the waterpots with water. That was not easy to do, because you remember they were big, stone pots. But they obeyed Jesus with no complaints. They filled them up to the brim!
Then Jesus said, Draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the feast. Water? Just water? Jesus had never done any miracles before, so they had nothing to remember. They did exactly what Jesus said, and they brought some to the feast-master. But what he drank wasn’t water—it was wine! Those waterpots weren’t full of water now; they were full of wine!
The feast-master didn’t know anything about where the wine came from, but the servants knew. He was an important man, but those servants knew something he didn’t know. They knew Jesus and that He had turned the water into wine—a miracle!
Do you know Jesus? He will not turn water into wine for you, but He will wash away your sins if you ask Him. He can do that because He suffered on the cross for those very sins. Maybe you think you don’t need Him. Do you know where those sins will take you? They will take you to hell! But right now, because He loves you, Jesus offers forgiveness through His precious blood. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)). Forgiveness for your sins is far more wonderful than turning water into wine!
The feast-master called the bridegroom because he wondered why he had kept the good wine until last. The Bible doesn’t say it was better or best, but GOOD! There’s nothing to be compared with the good that Jesus gives. It’s not better; it’s good! There is nothing in all the world’s joys to be compared to the joy that’s found in Jesus. His wonderful love will never end!
Maybe if you grow old you won’t be able to run and jump as you do now. But the good joy that Jesus gives will still be there in big supply, and it won’t end if Jesus calls you to heaven. Heaven is a place full of joy, because Jesus is there.
You may read this story in your Bible in John chapter 2.
ML-09/25/2011