Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection, and our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Murdo A N Macleod, the minister of the Snizort Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), on the Isle of Skye.
Presiding Officer and members of Parliament, good afternoon—feasgar math.
In the gospel according to John, in chapter 2, we have an account of the first public miracle that was performed by the Lord Jesus Christ, at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, thereby setting his seal of blessing on marriage—an institution that he himself had first created. The miracle, in which he turned water into wine, was an act of both compassion and revelation.
In the culture of Jesus’s day, weddings were fairly extravagant affairs, often lasting several days, and those who were responsible for the event had to ensure that sufficient supplies were there. For some reason, on this occasion, the wine ran out, bringing huge embarrassment and the potential for serious problems for the young couple.
In that situation the Lord showed compassion—the same compassion that brought him into this world, to Bethlehem and, ultimately, to Calvary. His first public miracle was an act of compassion, and his last public act, on the cross, was an act of supreme compassion, as a substitute for poor sinners.
It was also an act of revelation, showing who he was and what he would do. He demonstrated his power and authority—not needing to even handle the water, he simply willed the change and it was done. That was the same authority with which he would later still the wind and the waves.
The miracle revealed what he still does—turning sorrow into joy and emptiness into fullness, and compensating again and again perfectly for our deficiencies.
The miracle also showed how he would do his saving work. In the miracle, just as here, he does it abundantly. It was not a small amount of wine that he provided, and, when he comes into our lives, he brings an abundance of blessing. He does it perfectly. The wine that he produced was reckoned to be superior to all that had been provided before. Likewise, his saving work is perfect. He does it abundantly, perfectly and, yes, confidently. Having effected the change, he did not ask for a sample to see whether the miracle had been successful. He did not need to. He instructed that it be taken immediately to the head of the event. Such confidence in his own work gives those who have come to trust in him as their saviour confidence in him.
Sir James Simpson, who pioneered chloroform in surgery and midwifery, was once asked in a university here, in Edinburgh, what his greatest discovery was. He replied:
“I am a great sinner and Christ is a great saviour.”
I conclude with the Aaronic blessing:
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
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