“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 wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which 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 hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” Jn.2:1-9

     A lovely story is told here. It is the inauguration of the power of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. All that Jesus did and said was at the Father’s command (Jn.15:16; 17:14). Our LORD was so in tune with His Father that even the order of Christ’s movements and accomplishments was ordained from above, and Jesus would never step outside the leading of His Father (Jn.5:30; 10:30). Spiritually speaking He held His Father’s Hand all the way to the Cross, just as Isaac held his father Abraham’s when he was led up to be sacrificed. “The LORD” stayed Abraham’s hand and provided another sacrifice, but not so with our heavenly Father! He had to allow “His only Begotten Son” to be sacrificed on the Altar of Man’s Salvation. No greater pain pierced the heart of GOD The Father than to watch His Son suffer and die. Yes, He knows “the end from the beginning” (Isa.46:10), but all that we see in the life of Jesus we see in the character of our heavenly Father (Jn.14:9). And so when we read the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept,” we know that our Father in Heaven has wept as well. Of all the thousands of creatures that live on the Earth, only the human being sheds tears through emotion.

     No harder command was ever given to holy angels than to allow their Commander to perish before their eyes. The “captain of the host of the LORD” Who had always fought against sin at the side of holy angels was now to become it’s Supreme Victim (Josh.5:14). The whole universe stood aghast at what Satan led men to do to the Creator of heaven and earth (Jn.1:3): the GOD who had always lived to bless and to serve.

     This is the insanity of sin: to live, to strive, and to oppose everything “holy, and just, and good” (Rom.7:12). But this is as the Father ordained it must be, that angels and men can see the bitter fruit of sin and the destination to which it leads—eternal death. And that after all is said and done, every freewill being will never again choose sin’s path of destruction. “Affliction shall not rise again the second time.” Na.1:9.

     This opening miracle of Christ went right to the heart of man’s salvation. The LORD always addressed the core of human need and was never distracted from His work to maximize every moment of His Presence among men in His short 3½ year ministry. Many churches have taught that Jesus turned the water into fermented wine; that the first miracle of Christ was to contribute to the intoxication of men, perverting their judgment, passions and actions. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Greek word for wine also applies to the pure juice of the grape. The same can be said for the wine of the Last Supper. To associate the perfection of Christ’s life’s blood with the tainted juice of fermented grapes is an insult to holiness. In the Bible, fermentation and leaven are always representative of sin.

     It was the drunkenness from wine that caused the fall of Babylon and the most profound rebuke of GOD seen in the Old Testament Scriptures, as it is written: “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another…And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” Dan.5:4-6, 25-27.

     It was the drunkenness from wine that caused the beheading of John the Baptist, as it is written: “But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.” “And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.” Matt.14:6,7; Mk.6:25-28.

     And it is the drunkenness of America’a government and Corporate America that is bringing our nation’s ruin no less than the fall of Babylon and the abuse of righteous men. The sins behind the scenes are little known. And the church fares no better in its judgment. GOD made it perfectly clear of the moral dangers from drinking, even to the forbidding of allowing wine or strong drink to enter the sanctity of the church as it is written: “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.” Lev.10:9-11.

     The parameters of godliness call for careful, prayerful consideration. In the days in which we live we desperately need every faculty of our minds and bodies to be at full charge. And the Bible provides the perfect and wise counsel to accomplish a great work for the cause of Jesus Christ; as this present world is a dying world, and every man is called to consider his ways, and strengthen that which is weak that there be no faltering. Let the LORD’S words speak:

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” II Cor.6:1-18.