For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
John 2
John says that turning the water to wine was the first sign that Jesus used to reveal His glory. Does that mean it was His first miracle? If so, I wonder what gave Mary the confidence that Jesus could do anything about the wine situation. She seemed to know what He was capable of. So perhaps it means that this was Jesus’ first public miracle. Or maybe there is something specific about this miracle that reveals Him as the Christ.
I notice that John starts this story with an out of the blue, “On the third day…”. The third day of what? The best I can figure from looking back at chapter 1 is that this was the third day after Jesus’ baptism. That seems significant. Mention of the third day alone brings an obvious correlation to Jesus’ resurrection to mind. Then there’s the fact that Jesus used jars meant for ceremonial washing to turn plain old water into the best and finest wine. So maybe the “sign” in this miracle is that it foreshadowed what Jesus would do for us through His death and resurrection. When He rose on the third day, He cleansed all who do what He says of their old nature and made them into something new; something the master of the banquet can approve of.
Amos 7-9
Amos’ prophecy of judgment ends with a promise of restoration. How is God giving you hope in your situation? Our hope in any and every situation is always God’s promise of restoration. It is the end of the story, and it is what we live for. It is why we hold fast to our faith; why we endure to the end. That restoration started on the third day, when Jesus conquered the grave and God restored David’s fallen shelter. It will be made complete on that day when we are presented in faith to God, the Master of the Banquet and He declares us righteous, never again to be uprooted, because of Jesus’ cleansing work on the cross.