THE FIRST MIRACLE JESUS PERFORMED

Beloved much has been said about this miracle. I hope a study into this miracle will bring us encouragement and reveal the heart of God concerning us. Over the next few days we will explore different aspects highlighted by this portion of scripture. Let us start at the beginning where the book of John sets the scene for us.

John 2: (AMP) 2. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus also was invited with His disciples to the wedding.³ And when the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, They have no more wine!

Before I go into the main theme, I asked myself of all the places for the first miracle to take place; why did God choose Cana of Galilee. Then I asked myself, what does Cana mean? According to Strong’s, Cana means graciousness, kindness and favour. Galilee is actually the land that was allotted to Naphtali in the Old Testament.

Let’s go to scripture: Deuteronomy 33:23 Of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favour and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the Sea [of Galilee] and [its warm, sunny climate like] the south.

Galilee is also the place of safety Joseph took His family [Mary and Jesus] to after he learned of the death of Herod and his departure from Egypt [refugee]. From the above mentioned scripture, I would say Galilee was a blessed land and favoured of the Lord. And for whatever reason the Lord chose, He decided that He would demonstrate His kindness, grace and favour upon her.

Nonetheless, let us get back to John 2. Basically Jesus, His disciples and His mother were invited to a wedding. I am assuming everyone was having a really good time. Weddings are usually very festive and jovial occasions, with dancing, music and laughter. I can almost hear the echoes of the tambourine, flute, clapping and men and women singing. The day was filled with people talking and just generally being happy. But what is it about this passage that should draw our attention?

The first thing that strikes me is that the passage starts with these words, “On the third day”. These words have a lot of significance in Christianity. Most notably, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. He often spoke about it, saying:

Matthew 17:23a AMP And they will kill Him, and He will be raised [to life] again on the third day.

Mathew 20:19 (AMP) And deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and whipped and crucified, and He will be raised [to life] on the third day.

Luke 13:32 (AMP) And He said to them, Go and tell that fox [sly and crafty, skulking and cowardly], Behold, I drive out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish (complete) My course.

From the above we can see that the third day represents atonement, complete deliverance and healing through the life that Christ was to bring. The question remains, did God leave any clues in the word to point to the spiritual significance of this day? I will not cover all the themes that emerged from my study but I will touch on the ones I can tie to the prophetic picture God was flashing to all in His word.

1.   THE THIRD DAY AS A DAY FOR INTERCESSION AND DELIVERANCE.

Genesis 22:4 (NIV) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. This was the place where he was planning to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac (the son of promise). We can say that this event was a preview of what God intended to do to reconcile man back to himself. Like He provided a substitute for Abraham in the form of a ram caught in a thicket, He gave us His only Son Jesus (the Son of Promise)  as the final and lasting substitute for us. Isn’t God a wonderful God? The book of Esther also provides us with a beautiful picture of redemption. Let us take a closer look beloved.

Esther 5:1 (AMP) On the third day [of the fast] Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the royal or inner court of the king’s palace opposite his [throne room]. The king was sitting on his throne, facing the main entrance of the palace.

Just to put things in context let us look at what Esther herself had to say about her appearance. ¹¹ All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any person, be it man or woman, who shall go into the inner court to the king without being called shall be put to death; there is but one law for him, except [him] to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live. But I have not been called to come to the king for these thirty days.

King Xerxes [her husband] could choose to put her to death. She decided to go and see the king to intercede on behalf of her people (the Jewish nation) whom Haman was planning to wipe off the face of the earth in much the same way Hitler did during the Holocaust. Esther had called a fast amongst all the Jews and she herself was fasting for favour wisdom and strength. She would prove to be their only hope. The king held out his sceptre and she was spared. He also allowed her a request. She invited the king and Haman to a banquet where she asked the king to spare the Jewish nation. Her request was granted. If Esther had not chosen to stand in the gap, many would have perished. In the same way Jesus intercedes for us in the Fathers presence through His blood to atone for our many sins. AMEN. What can we learn from the story of Esther? The church needs to get back to praying and fasting. It is a principle that our Lord and saviour advocated. In fact He said, some [insert any stubborn challenge here] come out through fasting and prayer. If God said it, who are we to neglect it? It is a sacred and powerful key for all believers. Remember we are to pray without ceasing with all manners of prayer. Prayer is not an event it is a lifestyle.