Joy as the Barometer of Faith 3
Bible passage: John 2:1-11, 5:22-23
“ 7. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9. and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10. 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."
In the world, where there is something real, there is also something fake. The more valuable something is, the more prevalent its counterfeits become. Joy is no exception.
Joy is such an important virtue that it can be considered a hallmark of Christians. Joy serves as a measure of whether a Christian is living a proper life of faith. Those who live a dull spiritual life become anxious and fearful when difficulties arise. Such joy is not true joy. The Holy Spirit desires to give us true joy, but Satan tempts us daily with counterfeit joy. We call this counterfeit joy “worldly pleasure.”
The scripture is set against the backdrop of a wedding feast, which should be the happiest and most joyous of occasions. However, at this feast, where joy should have been overflowing, a very embarrassing situation arose. In verse 3, it says, "The wine ran out." How distressing is this statement? At this wedding feast, which faced such an awkward situation, Jesus turned water into wine so fragrant that the celebration overflowed with even greater joy.
Though this may seem like a simple, accidental event on the surface, verse 11 assigns significant meaning to it: It says, "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." In this first sign, the word used is "semeion," which originates from "sema," meaning "announcement" or "foreshadowing."
