Renegade Catalysts October 28 John 2 Todays reading in our daily plan is John 2. Take a moment to pray, asking God to speak to you from this passage. Then read, using the following notes and questions to help you get everything out of the passage. SAY WHAT? (What is the passage saying?) Jesus turned water into wine for his first miracle, and John says this was when the disciples first put their faith in Jesus. Verse 6 contains some facts about the water jars. They are seemingly unnecessary details, but demonstrate that John was an eyewitness to this event. Jesus made a ton of wine for the party, and notice the master of the banquet says this wine is far better than what they had without Jesus. In the second story we see Jesus clear the temple. There were vendors who were taking advantage of the people who had come to worship God through how they were selling animals for sacrifice and exchanging money for foreigners. Jesus does not tolerate this, and forcefully removes them from the temple. In verse 18 the Jewish leaders question Jesus about his authority to do this. Jesus answers with a somewhat cryptic statement, which John explains (in verses 21-22) is about his resurrection. The answer is hard for the Jews to hear because it expressed Jesus as superior to their religious worship. SO WHAT? (What are the underlying principles?) Jesus first miracle was to turn something religious (the water for ceremonial washing) and turns it into something alive (wine is actually alive) and festive. This was probably no coincidence. Jesus came to take stale religion and make it come alive, and give life, by making it about a relationship with God rather than just ceremonial practices and traditions. NOW WHAT? (How will you personally apply this passage?) Where is your faith right now? Is it waning? Is it just about religion? About the ceremonies of showing up at church and maybe giving a little money to the offering and reading your Bible once in awhile? Or is it about a living relationship with God? Does having Jesus make your life way better than what it was without him? Ask Jesus to clear you of anything that needs to be removed from your life that is holding you back from a life-giving relationship with God, and to turn the ceremonial water of your life into life-filled wine.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 22:16:49 +0000