I have often wondered why our Lord made wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and why He made so much of it. Six stone waterpots containing two or three firkins apiece adds up to about one hundred and fifty gallons. Now that is a lot of wine for one wedding reception!

Some people would use that great miracle the Lord did as a rationale to drink to excess, but that conflicts with all the verses throughout the Bible warning about drunkenness.

It is not that I need to question what my Master does; it is enough that He has given me the privilege to serve Him. I know He does all things perfectly; I do not need to understand the "whys." However, there are times when God reminds me that He wants to share His secrets with those who love and want to serve Him. Jesus said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:14,15).

Jesus would not perform miracles to prove who He was (Mat.12:39); He did them out of compassion. People were sick and He healed them; they were hungry and He fed them; the disciples were in danger and he came walking on the water to them and calmed the storm . . . but . . . changing the water into wine? Why did He do that?! There must be a lot more to this mighty miracle than keeping a wedding reception supplied with wine!

The miracles of Jesus recorded in the Bible that I love the most are the ones where he healed people. When my youngest son was a baby, the Lord healed him of cancer. That may be why I have regarded the healing miracles of our Lord of greater importance than the changing of water into wine. I had no real insight into that miracle, because I tried to understand it with my mind rather than asking the Lord to reveal it to my spirit.

The Bible is not a book for men to digest with their human intellect. Scripture itself says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor.2:14). Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).

It is not good for you to run to another person or to depend upon commentaries for insight into the Scriptures. You should go directly to the Lord, and if He doesn't give you a quick answer . . . WAIT! The Bible says, "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isa.64:4).

If you read the Bible in quietness with much reverence for His word, and learn to wait to hear the voice of the Lord rather than the utterances of men, you will know how the two felt while on their way to Emmaus when they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).

Much of the Bible is like a secret love letter from the Lord to His beloved Bride, which is written in a code of symbolism; and when the Bride gets alone with the Bridegroom, He breaks open the code and reveals His word to her heart. Let us draw near to Jesus and take a closer look at His great miracle of changing the water into wine, for there is something in it that even outshines the wonders of the miracles of physical healing. All of the Lord's works are wonderful, but this one is extra special. It was the first of the great miracles of Jesus recorded in the New Testament, the one God chose to manifest forth the glory of His Beloved Son (John 2:11).

I see the portion of Scripture (John 2:1-11) describing this great event as a wedding present from God to all who are married to Christ--a very special gift that has been carefully wrapped by the hand of our Heavenly Father in the language of symbolism. It is understanding the symbols that opens the gift so we can see what God has for us inside. The three key symbols in this love gift are the wedding, the wine and the stone waterpots.

The wedding at Cana is symbolic of our marriage to Christ; He is the Bridegroom, and we who belong to Him are His precious Bride. The new wine is a picture of something the Lord made, not for the general public but, exclusively for His Bride. The wine itself was once water changed by the hand of the Lord into wine when it was placed into the six stone waterpots that were there at the wedding, which were used for Jewish ceremonial purposes (John 2:6). The stone waterpots symbolize those of us who belong to Christ, for we are called "Lively Stones" or living stones that are being built up into the House of the Lord (1Pet.2:5). The containers for the new wine are the most expensive items in the universe; they were purchased by God at the cross of Calvary!

These precious containers should not be misused! Men will want to use you for religious ceremonial purposes and fill you with theology, but God wants to fill your heart with Jesus.

Jesus said, "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better" (Luke 5:37-39).

But man is wrong! The old wine is not better . . . THE NEW WINE IS! Don't settle for old wine just because men say it is better. Read the label. Examine the ingredients and see how it is made, and what effect it will have on you if you drink it.

This old manmade wine which men cherish is more addictive than the kind made from grapes grown on a vine. This old wine is brewed in the tradition of men, which makes the word of God of none effect (Mark 7:13); fermented in religious ceremonial rituals, which gives it artificial flavor; saturated in the letter of the word, which kills (2Cor.3:6); and it is steeped in the law, which is the strength of sin (1Cor.15:56). It also voids the faith that claims righteousness from the inheritance of God's children (Rom.4:14).

This old toxic wine has been tasted, tested and approved with intellectual expertise. Men love the taste of it and the effect it has on them. It makes them "feel" spiritual. Even older men and women who should be filled with the wisdom of God have let their minds be so programed by the traditions of men that they spend much of the valuable time they have left here on earth hanging around worldly religious establishments, drinking that old deadly wine. The old may taste better to the natural man, but it will not nourish his soul because there is no life in it. Even for the one who wants to follow Christ, it sometimes takes years to lose the craving for that old addictive booze.

It is a tragedy, a cause for great sorrow, when a new believer in Christ--who is just beginning to really enjoy his new life with Jesus--gets introduced and addicted to this old wine. Many will encourage a new born babe in Christ to drink it, because they are hooked on it themselves. They think the old is better, but they are wrong . . . THE NEW IS BETTER!

After wine is made, it must be stored in containers. Back in Bible days it was stored in skins, but in time, these wineskins would become old and break and spill the wine. The container for the Lord's new wine is the new you, that is, your innermost being. That does not become old like your physical body, and it is not dead like the old man you used to be before you came to Christ. The Bible says, ". . . but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2Cor.4:16).

The problem is not only that we try to put the new wine into the old container (old man), but we also try to put the old wine into the new container (new creation). Are you going to attempt to feed that old toxic brew to your new creation? Do you want the new man within you to be overshadowed by an old wino? Don't you want the new you to be revealed and bear fruit to the glory of God?

The Bible says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2Cor.5:17). If you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are a new creation; the old sinful you is passed away. It is dead, nailed to the cross with Christ. You now have a new life, alive in Christ. Praise God!

Now, wouldn't it be ridiculous to try to build up the old you that is dead, rather than the new you that is alive by the power of God? The Bible speaks about putting off the old man and putting on the new, which is renewed to be like Christ (Col.3:9,10): "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.4:24). It is God who, through the sacrifice of His dear Son, has made you new, and righteous and holy in His sight. The new wine is definitely for the new you.

The world longs for this new wine but cannot have it, because it is served only in the Kingdom of God. The world has tried to duplicate it, but can only come up with a lifeless imitation. The new wine is made by the hand of God, exclusively for His children to enjoy here on earth as well as in Heaven.

Heaven is the glorious place in His Kingdom where we will one day be with the Lord in our new resurrected bodies, but we do not have to wait until we get there to enjoy the new wine of the Spirit that is limited to the Kingdom of God. We enter into His Kingdom while we are here on earth through the new birth (John 3:3), which takes place in our inner being. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20,21). One must repent and believe the gospel and receive Jesus to be able to enter His Kingdom and drink this new wine.

We who belong to Jesus have a purpose here on earth while we wait for our glorious journey to Heaven. Even though we need to remain here for a while longer in our physical bodies, the world does not own us; we need not conform to its ways or drink its old wine, for God has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son (Col.1:13).

It is the Bridegroom who serves the wine of the Spirit to His beloved Bride. He wants her cup to overflow with His goodness. Does she enjoy it? Listen to her words after she drinks it: "I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste" (S.of S.2:3).

Notice where she was seated when she was served. It was in her resting place, which is close enough to the Bridegroom to be "under His shadow"! The Bible says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust" (Ps.91:1, 2).

If you depend on a person or a religious establishment to serve you this new wine, you are in danger of getting the wrong stuff. Go directly to Jesus who is the Source, and the thirst in your soul will be satisfied.

Some Christians are inwardly filled with a lot of worry, doubt, anxiety and fear, which is the result of drinking in that old manmade wine steeped in religion and listening to the foolish words of men rather than hearing the voice of God. Others, even though they may be experiencing the same outward circumstances, are inwardly full of faith, joy and peace. It is the wine of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that produces within us the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance of Jesus (Gal.5:22,23).

There is a wide variety of wines sold in the marketplace. Most have an attractive appearance by the way they are bottled, labeled and displayed. It is also like that in the spiritual realm. Don't let an appealing religious ritual become a substitute for true repentance and faith in the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There is a kind of wine that looks so pure it is hard to discern from the new wine of the Spirit. It is when well-intentioned Christians make a real effort to be more loving and kind, more joyful and peaceful, which all seems fine; but it is still only a manmade imitation of the real thing and does not come from the True Vine. Jesus said, "I AM THE TRUE VINE" (John 15:1).

Remember how Jesus told the servants at the wedding to fill the stone waterpots with water right up to the brim, and as they did the water turned into wine? The containers were not filled directly with wine but with water. Jesus said to the woman at the well, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4:10). The water that was placed in the stone waterpots symbolizes Jesus, the Living Water!

Notice, the stone waterpots were filled to the brim (John 2:7). That means we need more than just a little of Jesus--we need Him to fill our lives! Don't set your heart on searching for love, joy and peace; set your heart on Jesus, and His love, joy and peace will automatically be yours.

God wants to swap some things with us. He wants to give us "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" that we might be called the "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified" (Isa.61:3).

Some Christians expect to go to an altar, pray, have hands laid on them, and immediately have fruit come forth. But for a tree to become fruitful, its roots must go into good soil and drink in much water (Ps.1:3). Let your roots go deep into Christ and drink in plenty of Living Water, and you will bear much fruit--for the glory of God!

We do not get the love, joy and peace of God down into our innermost being by drinking the new wine directly. Just as the water was poured into the stone waterpots at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and then became wine, we must, by faith, drink Living Water into our inner being; and, in there, the great miracle happens: the Lord turns it into the wine of the Spirit!

This Living Water is not from a trickling, murky brook, regulated by men in their religious practices; it is a river of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb! (Rev.22:1) And it is available to all who want it: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev.22:17).

We can drink in all the religious activities in the world, but that will not get the new wine into our container; the ONLY way to get the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is by drinking (believing) in the Living Water (Jesus)! Are you thirsty for Him?! Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).

If you, by faith, drink into your heart more and more of Jesus, you will experience the effects of new wine deep in your innermost being, which comes forth from the fruit of the Spirit "in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Eph.5:9). You will truly be able to say, "I SAT DOWN UNDER HIS SHADOW WITH GREAT DELIGHT, AND HIS FRUIT WAS SWEET TO MY TASTE. HE BROUGHT ME TO THE BANQUETING HOUSE, AND HIS BANNER OVER ME WAS LOVE" (S.of S.2:3,4).

That physical changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana was a mighty miracle, which displayed the glory of the Lord and caused His disciples to believe on Him. But even greater than that is when our lives are changed from the inside by the Living Water, which brings forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit!

The governor of the feast of the wedding in Cana said to the bridegroom, "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine . . . but thou hast kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10). Anyone who is married to Christ knows how good it is at the beginning of the wedding, but, let me tell you, it gets better and better as time goes on in the eternal wedding ceremony; that is, if you stay close to the Bridegroom!