In John's Gospel, Jesus does not do "miracles." In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus does "miracles," which are a translation of the word "dunameis," or "acts of power." (Incidently, this is the same word from which we get our "dynamite.") In John, Jesus does not do "dunameis," He does "semeion," or "signs." These signs, like all signs, are meant to point to some reality beyond themselves. In this gospel, signs point to the glory of Jesus, which is the revealed glory of God.

Today we read Jesus' first sign -- turning water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, a town in Galilee. It is sometimes said that the Jesus revealed in John's Gospel is the most divine, the most unlike us, that is, His humanity is downplayed and His divinity is played up. Yet, I find it very interesting what Jesus chose (and He did CHOOSE) as His first sign -- helping a host avoid the embarrassment, the social nightmare, of running out of wine. This is a VERY human act.

Think about this. Signs reveal the glory of God, the character of God. God's glory had never before been visible to human beings (see my Jan 28 blog). Jesus, in revealing something about God through His signs, might have wanted to do something BIG -- turn the sun blood red, or delay the rising of the moon, or something equally dramatic. But no. Jesus goes to a wedding, a very important, even to this day, human social feast. And He turns purification water into wine. What aspect of God's glory, or God's character, does this point to? God is very concerned about us. God sweats the little things as well as the big things. God is with us.

What's going on in your life today that you would wish God would sweat with you?