The Best Is Yet to Come!

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” (John 2:7-8)

Jesus and His disciples were at a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Wedding celebrations would last a week in the ancient world, and the entire town would be invited to celebrate the couple’s new married life. But this celebration was in danger of turning sour because the hosts were running out of wine; to run out of wine was not only embarrassing, it was considered a demonstration of poor hospitality. Jesus’ mother came and told Him about the problem. After gently chiding Mary that “My time has not yet come,” (John 2:4), Jesus promptly performed the first recorded miracle of His earthly ministry: turning water into wine — and not just any old wine, but the best wine ever tasted.

Have you ever wondered why this was the action Jesus chose to be His first miracle? Why would He begin to reveal His divinity by turning water into wine? Why not do something more spectacular, such as raising someone from the dead, giving sight to the blind, curing a leper, or making the lame walk? I believe that Jesus was demonstrating the principle of beginning with the end in mind. Turning water into wine at a wedding celebration was simply a foreshadowing of the cosmic celebration that awaits the people of God at the heavenly banquet in the kingdom of heaven. It was a sign that pointed to the ultimate wedding feast that will be held for for the Lamb of God and His bride — all those who are united to Him by grace through faith. To echo the words of the master of the banquet who tasted the wine, “You have saved the best till now.”

The promise in this miracle, which might appear entirely insignificant compared to all the other miracles Jesus would perform throughout His earthly ministry, is crystal clear: The best is yet to come. Your best life is not something you are going to experience in the here and now. Your best life is yet to come, when you enter into your eternal rest in the glorious new heavens and new earth. As the apostle Paul exulted, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

There is one more thing that this first miracles should call to mind. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took the cup of wine and shared it with His disciples, telling them that the wine represented His blood, which He would shed as He hung on a cross and paid the penalty for the sins of the world. You see, the best is yet to come for us because Jesus Christ died in our place, rose from the dead, and opened the way for us to reenter a right relationship with God.

It is noteworthy that John’s gospel reports that when the disciples saw this first miraculous sign at the wedding in Cana, they put their faith in Jesus. Is this the confession of your life? Have you trusted in Christ alone for eternal life? If yes, have you also trusted in Christ alone for everyday life? Jesus cared about the people at the wedding, right down to something as seemingly insignificant as how much wine they had to drink at their gathering. He cares about you too . . . even about those “little things” that you’re sure God is far too busy to bother with. What “wine” are you running out of in your life right now? Look to Jesus, and He will refill you to overflowing. Christian, the best is yet to come!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!