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The miracle of turning water into wine did something for His disciples. It revealed His glory and gave them a stronger foundation for their faith.

  • Though miracles alone are insufficient evidence for declaring Jesus to be the Son of God, the cumulative effect of miracle after miracle should certainly convince them of His deity.
  • The disciples had to begin somewhere, and over the months, their faith deepened as they got to know Jesus better.

But there is certainly more to this miracle than simply meeting a human need and saving a family from social embarrassment. The Gospel of John, unlike the other three Gospels, seeks to share the inner meaning—the spiritual significance—of our Master’s works, so that each miracle is a “sermon in action.” We must be careful not to “spiritualize” these events so that they lose their historical moorings; but, at the same time, we must not be so shackled to history that we are blind to “His story.”

To begin with, the word John used in his book is not dunamis, which emphasizes power, but semeion, which means “a sign.” What is a sign? Something that points beyond itself to something greater. It was not enough for people to believe in Jesus’ works; they had to believe in Him and in the Father who sent Him.

This explains why Jesus often added a sermon to the miracle and in that sermon interpreted the sign. In John 5, the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath opened the way for a message on His deity, “the Master of the Sabbath.” The feeding of the 5,000 led naturally into a sermon on the Bread of Life.

  • John 2:11 — 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
  • John 11:4 — 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
  • John 11:40 — 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Our great honor lies in being just what Jesus was and is. To be accepted by those who accept him, rejected by all who reject him, loved by those who love him and hated by everyone who hates him. What greater glory could come to any man?

~Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer