Musings on John Chapter Two: IV

“…the master of the feast called the bridegroom 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.’”

Was the master of the feast reproving the bridegroom? Was he commending him? Or was this a simple exclamation? And the bridegroom; did he have any idea that he had run out of wine? When he heard the master’s words did the bridegroom think that the servants had made a mistake in serving the good wine last?

What wine it must have been! Had the master ever tasted such wine before? Was the bridegroom’s palate able to discern the richness and bouquet of the wine? If it was, then perhaps the bridegroom wondered where this marvelous wine came from, for surely when he was taste tasting the wine he purchased for the wedding he did not taste anything comparable to this wine.

And the other guests? How many of them were in a condition to wonder, “Where did this wine come from? Why is the best being served last?”

God often saves His best for last. The prophet Haggai writes, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts,” Haggai 2:9a. Jesus is the greater Temple, a Temple that expands until it fills the entire earth, (Daniel 2:35; Ephesians 2:21, 22; 4:15,16; Hebrews 12:18 – 29).

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature…” Hebrews 1:1ff.

Jesus is the best wine that our Father has to offer and He is the best wine that we can offer others. Unlike natural wine, Jesus does not make us drunk, He makes us sober; He does not impair our vision, He causes us to see for the first time. Jesus enlightens our eyes and gives joy to our hearts.

And yet professing Christians insist on purveying other wines; when we walk in wine shops operated by professing Christians we do not find Jesus front and center, no, we must look for Him. If we find Him He will be in a dusty bin and we’ll usually see that it has been sometime since anyone requested Him. The popular wines? Let me count the varieties.

Nationalism, politics, economics, foreign affairs, prophecy, music styles, modes of sacraments and worship, church polity, the way people dress, self-help, church growth, personal peace and affluence – the list is endless.

When we are drunk on lesser wine we will not recognize the best wine. When our palates are trained in the best wine we will have no taste for lesser wines.