Jesus Delivers the Best!

October 16, 2024

My wife and I traveled to Napa Valley, California for a business trip several years ago. If you’ve ever been there, you can attest to the tremendous display of grapes on the vines during the harvest season, which usually runs between August and October. The fruit was plentiful in late August when we were there.

I’m not a wine drinker, but I enjoyed walking along the vineyards and touring the wine making facilities to see what all went into going from grape to bottled wine. It’s a process to be sure. And while I’m out of my league on this topic, I’ve learned through research that there are basic steps to making wine.

1. Harvesting the grapes
2. De-stemming
3. Crushing the grapes
4. Fermentation
5. More fermentation
6. Clarification
7. Bottling[1]

Seems pretty simple, but if you research what it takes to make a really good wine, then you’ll find there is probably way more than you’d ever want to know about winemaking even before you even get to step 1, Harvesting the grapes. There are colleges that offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in winemaking (more specifically viticulture “the study of grapes” and enology “the study of winemaking” degrees).

So, why all this information about winemaking in a blog squarely focused on hope in Jesus?

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I share all this information because when I saw my picture of the grapes from Napa Valley, I immediately thought of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

The wedding account can be found in John 2:1-11. In the account we learn that Jesus and his family had been invited to a wedding. Jesus’ mother became concerned that they had run out of wine. She took her concern to her son, who solved her problem by performing his first public miracle.

He had the servants fill six stone water jars, holding 20 – 30 gallons each, with water. They filled the jars to the brim, according to the Bible.

Jesus told the servants to draw out of the jars and take what they removed to the master of the banquet.

Look at what the master said after tasting what came out of the jars.

“Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’” (John 2:9-10, NIV)

On top of providing the best wine, His miracle revealed His glory, resulting in increased faith of His disciples.

“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11)

I don’t know what you are dealing with right now. You may need a miracle.

Mary knew she could only turn to one person to solve her problem. And no matter what you are going through, your hope lies in the same person—Jesus. He can take what appears to be an impossible situation and do what only He can do.

I’m not saying He will solve your problem exactly the way you would. His solution may not look anything like your solution, but I know from reading His Word that He will do just what He did for His mother and the wedding guests.

He will provide the best and it will glorify Him.

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[1] https://finding.wine/blogs/blog-posts/basic-steps-of-the-winemaking-process?srsltid=AfmBOop5KTAymVlBul1ckWWouUQDwEGRCTESOnCJpqcZVljapxcXJPdS