Jars of Clay

"When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”
John 2:3-11

Christ's first miracle and our first encounter of His ministry is an incredible account, but how does it relate to us on a practical level?



Each of us contain aspects of ourselves that are strong, and these containers are the ones we can imagine to be filled, maybe even so filled that they spill over. But there are other parts of our hearts that are empty, the weaknesses we find ourselves trying to fulfill on our own. Christ asks for us to bring these empty jars to Him saying, "Fill the jars with water." He asks for our weaknesses because He can fill these empty spaces.

Why would we not want He who is the True Vine and Living Water to fill us with His water rather than our own? The water we provide ourselves is unconsecrated and full of impurities. Why settle when we can be filled with the clearest, cleanest water from our Bridgegroom? "To still waters He leads me; He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:2-3).

This is not to say that our jars that are full are not put to good use. Just as He transformed the jars of water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, he transforms our own clay jars as well. We have filled these jars, but He makes them rich and sweet leaving us saying, "You have kept the good wine until now." Christ transforms us and makes the gifts we have been given richer and greater than anything we can imagine.

The gifts He has given, we are called to share. But Christ allows us to not stop with quenching the thirst in others for Truth-- He does not just provide us with water. We are able to give them a beautiful gift of wine. We can present this thing of beauty to them that not only satisfies our thirst, but the Truth we are given is something we can delight in.

Let your jars overflow. Let Christ fill those that are empty and transform those that are full into something sweeter than any fruit we have tasted.