The Bible has a fascinating story about a wedding in Cana of Galilee. You can read about it in John, Chapter Two. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were all invited. If we could go back in time, I wonder what those who attended that wedding would say was the most important thing that happened during the celebration.
Before we imagine what their answers might be, we need to remember that a Middle Eastern wedding was much different than a typical American wedding. Those weddings were like community-wide holidays. That was true then, and it is still largely true today in many Middle Eastern cultures. For starters, those weddings were not just brief ceremonies. It was a lavish affair shared by everyone in the village. The typical Jewish wedding feast could last up to seven days. It gave everybody an opportunity to break the monotony of life and celebrate together. In Christ’s day the wedding would usually begin on Tuesday at midnight. After the wedding, the father of the bride would take his daughter to every house in town so that all could congratulate her.
If we could interview those who attended that particular wedding over two thousand years ago, what would they say they remembered most about it? What would they say was the most important thing that happened? Some might have said it was seeing the bride all decked out in her beautiful wedding garment. Many would probably have mentioned the extended time to celebrate with friends and neighbors.
As it turned out, none of those things are the reason that wedding is still remembered today. The Bible says that the miracle Jesus did at that wedding was the beginning of His signs that proved He is God. Even after all these years, that wedding is still remembered. I’ll use the words of a little boy who was interviewed on television. He actually explained it very clearly.
Many years ago Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show. (Some of us old-timers remember him!) One night he interviewed a boy who had rescued two friends in a coal mine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny interviewed the boy, it became clear that the young man was a Christian. Mr. Carson asked him if he went to Sunday school. When the boy said he did, Johnny Carson then asked, “What are you learning in Sunday school?” The boy looked at Johnny and said, “Last week our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.” The audience roared with laughter, but Johnny tried to keep a straight face. Then he said, “And what did you learn from that story?” The boy hesitated at first, but then he looked up and said, “If you’re going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!”
That little boy was on to something. The most important thing about the wedding of Cana was the fact that Jesus was there. He was the only One who could turn water into wine when the wine ran out.
What about us? King Solomon put it this way: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). In other words, Jesus should be involved in every part of our lives, not just weddings. Why? Because Jesus is the only One who can turn our sin into forgiveness, our despair into hope, and our drudgery into joy.
Before we can invite Jesus to accompany us, we must first answer the invitation that Jesus has given out to us: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Never forget that when we come to God, when we answer His invitation, we don’t have any gifts of goodness or even of religion that we can offer Him. That’s because, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
We come to God empty-handed. We must come this way if we want His forgiveness. “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. listen, that you may live…” (Isaiah 55:1–3).
Have you answered Christ’s invitation to follow Him?
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