John 2 - 4 (6th Oct) - Weiling

John 2 records the first miracle that Jesus performed. It was the turning of water into wine at a wedding. The wine ran out at the wedding, which was not really a matter of life and death. Jesus also added that “[his] hour has not yet come”. But it shows God cares about even the little things concerning our lives and just the crucial bits. It also shows that Jesus had authority over nature and the natural state of things. What is more, we see that Jesus 很有水准. His wine was not just any average old wine. It was so good that the headwaiter commended the groom for it. So He is not just a utilitarian God who cares only about the bare necessities, who says “enough can already”. Indeed, He is a God of the so much more!

In John 3 we find one of the core verses that every Christian should already know – John 3:16. But the verse that caught my attention in this chapter is verse 17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him”. Jesus came, not in a position to spot faults and levy punishment. He is not like the inspectors who go around giving “summons” to people who park illegally, nor is he like the driving tester who catches all your mistakes and gives you demerit points. Jesus came in a position seeking to save. He came for the purpose that you and I may be saved. He came in a position of love. He wants to see people saved. Today, ask yourself what your perception of God is. Do you see Him as a loving God who is for you and wants the best for you? Or do you see Him as a forbidding God with a checklist waiting to catch all your mistakes and sins?

An unusual scene unfolds in John 4. A Jew talking to a Samaritan in that time was unheard of. But Jesus did not merely chat with this Samaritan woman. He saw her, for who she is, He knew her past and probably her heart aches. He asked about her husband knowing her dilemma. She had five husbands before (perhaps they passed away) and acknowledged that the man she lived with was not even her husband. And because of that revelation of knowledge from Jesus, (v.29) she believed that Jesus is the Messiah. And because she testified, many Samaritans believed in Jesus too. We see also that when the Samaritans heard for themselves (v. 41, 42), even more of them believed. Therefore, we learn here that we should tell people about the goodness of God in our lives, so that they may hear and believe. But we know that what is even more powerful is when they hear from God themselves and receive a personal touch. We can do this by praying for them, by inviting them to church and also by releasing the word of knowledge or wisdom that God gives you for them!