Realtors have embedded in our minds the trifecta words, “Location, Location, Location.” They use this mantra to emphasize that a property’s address determines its value. A mansion next to the town’s garbage dump won’t be as valuable as a shotgun house in that neighborhood in New Orleans where everyone wants to live.
Jesus’ first miracle offers a different view of location. It teaches us to value every location as a good place to experience his goodness.
This is the message of the location of Jesus’ first miracle. It was at a marriage reception that he miraculously fermented water into wine. By doing this he “manifested his glory” (John 2:10). That is, he demonstrated how good he is by showing this family and their guests his power and kindness. He does this in response to his mother’s request: “when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine’” (John 2:3).
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3 Places Where Jesus Demonstrates His Goodness
Putting these things together, you see in Jesus’ demonstrating his goodness in this location three places where we should ask Jesus to demonstrate it to us.
Location one where we ought to ask Jesus to demonstrate his goodness to us is in our ordinary circumstances.
This is no Royal Wedding. The bride and groom aren’t an ancient version of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. This is an ordinary wedding between two ordinary people. It’s the kind of thing that’s as universally common as gravity. Yet it’s right in the middle of this everyday activity that Jesus demonstrates his goodness to these people.
Is your life as ordinary as mine? Is it filled with changing diapers and looking for parking places and chauffeuring kids or sitting in an office doing the same thing with mind-numbing assembly line repetitiveness along with the hundred other things that populate ordinary peoples’ ordinary days? Rejoice! You have the opportunity of experiencing Jesus demonstrating his goodness to you in wonderful ways. And he will if you ask him to.
Jesus loves demonstrating his goodness to us in our ordinary circumstances when we ask him to.
Location two where we ought to ask Jesus to demonstrate his goodness to us is in our embarrassing circumstances.
Here’s a true “life is stranger than fiction” story. An Ohio woman showers and decides to do the wash before dressing. She throws on her bathrobe and totes the hamper downstairs. Since her robe needs washing too, she disrobes and throws it the machine with the other dirty clothes. She unloads the dryer and puts the clean wash in the hamper. She’s about to go back upstairs when she spots her son’s football helmet and decides to bring it upstairs to his room. Since her hands will be full with the hamper she puts the helmet on her head. She picks up the hamper and turns to go up the stairs. Just then the outside door opens and the meter reader steps in. The startled woman drops the basket and stands there in her birthday suit and with nothing but a football helmet on her head. The equally startled man simply says, “Lady, I sure hope your team wins today!”
Embarrassing, huh? Just like the embarrassment of running out of wine at a marriage feast. That would have left a scar on this family forever. Years later people would refer to them as “Oh, yes, the family that ran out of wine at their daughter’s wedding—you know, the mother became a recluse after that!” And it’s right in this embarrassment that Jesus works because he’s asked.
I don’t know about you but like that family at the wedding and that woman with the meter reader I’ve faux pas’d my way through life. But I’ve learned that I belong to One who loves demonstrating his goodness to me in my embarrassing, humiliating, shameful times. Are you reeling from something sinful, stupid, silly that you’ve recently done? Rejoice! You have the opportunity to experience Jesus being good to you in a wonderful way. And he will if you ask him to.
Jesus loves demonstrating his goodness to us in our embarrassing circumstances when we ask him to.
Location three where we ought to ask Jesus to show us his glory is in our impossible situations.
New York Yankee Hall of Famer Goose Gossage usually came into the game when the Bronx Bombers were in trouble. A typical scenario: top of the 9th, up at home 2-1, bases loaded, two outs and the opponent’s best hitter at the plate. None of this phased the Goose. Why not? From the horse’s mouth: “I’m not at my best until the situation’s at its worst.”
Goose’s a pale reflection of the Lord to whom we belong. He’s at his best when life’s at its worse. He LOVES working where no one else can. I mean, who else can turn water into wine? No one but Jesus.
Are you in impossible circumstances now? Can’t see how any good can possibly come out of them? Rejoice. You have the opportunity to experience Jesus being good to you in a wonderful way. And he will if you ask him to.
Jesus loves demonstrating his goodness to us in our impossible circumstances when we ask him to.
Location, location, location! We belong to the Jesus who will show us how good he is wherever we are when we ask him to.
That’s why we ought to be Grace-Focused Optimists.