- •• In Marriage 2
‘And the third day, there was a marriage in Cana, of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they lacked wine, the mother of Jesus said unto Him, they have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the Servants, whatever he saith unto you, do it And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins a piece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. Jesus saith unto them, draw some out now and bear it unto the governor of the feast. And they bore it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not from where it was (but the servants who drew the water knew), the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou has kept the good wine until now.’ (In 2:1-10 KJV)
In the marriage in question, everything looked fine at the beginning, but ever before the marriage ended, wine finished. The wine of that marriage finished. In other words, the excitement they had at the beginning finished. Any time from then, things would begin to scatter.
Friend, examine your marriage today. Has the wine of your marriage finished? Or is it about to finish? Remember the excitement you had when you were in courtship. Remember how you expressed your love to one another. You felt your partner was the best in the world. But now, what is your assessment? Remember the joy with which you companied with each other at the beginning. But as of now, you feel better staying outside your home, companying with other people apart from your wife or husband. The food outside your home is now more palatable to you than that which your wife prepares at home. May be your wine is beginning to finish. Be sincere with yourself. Is it well with you? Is it well with your home? Whatever your situation may be, Jesus is still available to help if you will dare call him to intervene.
When wine finished in that marriage, the people were at a loss. The marriage would have ended prematurely if not for the divine intervention of the Lord. Mary the mother of Jesus noticed that wine had finished in that marriage and she went to the right person to solicit for help. She went to Jesus. She pleaded their case with Jesus. If you notice wine is finishing in your home or another home close to you, you can also act like Mary today. Take that situation to the Lord in prayer. Intercede on their behalf, and Jesus will intervene.
You can be of help to other lives in that way. Mary told Jesus, ‘They have no wine’. ‘As you see them covering up like that, they have no wine. Their marriage is almost scattering. That is the true situation of their marriage. They have no wine.’
Jesus was reluctant at first to intervene, maybe because He was not the Lord of the marriage. Only the Governor of the feast had the right to take a decision of his own accord without anybody questioning him. But Mary gave them an important instruction after speaking to Jesus about their situation. “Whatever he saith unto you, do it.” That is the only way you can have the wine of your marriage restored. That is the only way your home can come back into shape. Whatever Jesus says unto you, do it. He is the Author, the Manufacturer of marriage. Whatever He says unto you, do it. He is the only one that has the manufacturer’s instruction: It is only in Him that all things hold together. Apart from him, things scatter. So whatever He says unto you, do it.
Is your home beginning to scatter or has it actually scattered? Have you noticed that you are no longer excited with your wife or husband again? Do you feel unfulfilled in your marriage? The only solution to your problem is Jesus. Take it to the Lord in prayer; then whatever He says unto you, do it. As you do that, you will surely see a break-through in Jesus name.
Then came Jesus’ intervention. He gave them instructions and it was carried out. And so, wine was produced from ordinary water, in abundance. And Jesus, who would not bypass the Governor of the feast, He who would not usurp authority, asked the servants to take part of the wine to the Governor of the feast. And the man tasted it and testified concerning the water that was made wine, ‘Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine and, when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou has kept the good wine until now (Vs 10).’ That miracle wine was described as the good wine, while the first one was said to be worse. The wine of any marriage not produced by Jesus is normally worse. Only Jesus gives the good wine.
The love and affection you have for each other is best described as ‘worse wine’ if Jesus is not the ‘Governor’ of your home. You remember how much you cajoled each other at the beginning with many sweet words and gifts. Remember how much you treasured each other, yet quietly in your heart, you know that your love is just the natural love. You know that actually you did not hear Jesus speak to you about that marriage before you went into it. At best you were only building on ordinary sand. Or maybe you heard Jesus speak to you but you explained it away and you cleverly disobeyed and went into that marriage. Despite all the sweet words and affections, that ground is a sinking sand. That wine is the worse wine. It will put you into troubles. And even if you followed the Lord’s instruction into marriage but you took over the lordship of your home along the way, the wine will soon finish and things may scatter if you do not cry out to Jesus for help. Probably you thought you could make it on your own so you put Jesus in the second-class position in your home i.e. if at all He was invited.
Only Jesus gives the good wine. You need to repent today and make Him the Lord in your home. He will change your situation and bring restoration. He will shed abroad the love of God on your heart for your wife (or your husband). He will give you a constant supply of the good wine and cause you to fulfil God’s purpose for your home.
If you discover that the wine of your marriage is the worse type, you need Jesus the upholding Principle of the whole scheme of creation. Or if you see that the wine of your home is about to finish despite the fact that it is the good type, may be you have left Jesus out of your home along the way. He is still standing at the door knocking. If you hear his voice and open to Him, He promised to come in and eat with you. He will restore what the cankerworm and the caterpillars have eaten in your life and home. He will give you lasting joy and peace: He will give you a fulfilled marriage as you call on Him to intervene. Or have you discovered that you have personally not made Jesus the Lord of your life as a person? Are you born again? Are you a child of God?
Are you still living in sin? 1 Jn 3:8 says ‘He that committeth sin is of the devil’. Whatsoever is born of God does not continue to sin … (1 In 3:9). You need to acknowledge and receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord today as a person. That is the only way He will agree to be the Lord of your marriage. He cannot be the Lord of your marriage when He has not been the Lord of your life. You must first make Him the Lord of your life as a person. For all things (including your life and your marriage) were made by him, and it is only in Him all things hold together. It is only then that God’s purpose for your life and home would come to pass. If only you will make Him the Lord of all!
