Vessels to Be Poured Out

(John 2:1-10, Acts 9:15, 2 Cor. 4:7)

Last year, I heard someone speak of wine and new wine many times.  When I think of wine I think of joy.  Remember how at Pentecost, some of the onlookers mocked and said those coming out from the upper room were drunk; they were filled with new wine.  We might say they were but it was not natural wine.  They were filled with great joy.  I am sure that was quite a scene.  A quiet hint of this came at Jesus first public miracle at a wedding in Cana.  Wine was a part of the wedding celebration among the Jews.

As with any story of Jesus’ life, we can see much in this passage about the wedding.  My focus is now on the vessels.  We are vessels.  Jesus calls for the servants to bring these specific water pots, made in a certain way for this purpose.  We are each made for  particular purpose.  Often the Lord will group a people together for a specific purpose.  I see this an operation of the Spirit among His people.  He calls His servants to gather some vessels for a particular purpose.  Again, I think of those gathered in the upper room.  He had directed them to go and wait.  May we hear Him direct us to the ones He wants to fill.  So Jesus directs them to fill the pots with water.

The Lord never works the same way.  He had seen Saul well before He revealed Himself on the road to Damascus.  The Lord Jesus watched him as he was taught by Gamaliel.  Paul, the new Saul, later said that he had been zealous for God but not according to knowledge, meaning the personal knowledge of Jesus.  The Lord watched when Stephen was stoned and Paul assented.  And He heard Stephen say with a loud voice, “Lord do not charge them with this sin.”  I think Stephen wanted the crowd to hear.  Jesus was preparing this man for when He calls Ananias (Acts 9) to pray for Saul, He says that Saul is a chosen vessel to be His witness to the Gentiles.  The wisdom of God is so far above ours!  He reveals it in His time.  May we be ready when called as Ananias was.

I am sure Ananias did other things as the Lord calls but he is only mentioned here.  He himself was a vessel, prepared and set apart for this purpose.  We have all known this in some measure.  We have heard God’s call.  According to the gravity of assignment the Lord will come to us and make it clear.  He came to Ananias in a vision and gave specific instructions.  We can read the rest of that story and we know the far reaching ministry of Paul.

And we have this treasure in earthen vessels.  Paul wrote that to the Corinthians, speaking of himself.  Today we know that is for us all.  We are called, chosen, each for a specific purpose, that the Lord might be seen through us.  He fills us with living water as the pots in Cana, and when we are poured out to others they taste new wine.  Joy!  We allow the troubles of this life to mature us so we are fit for use at a wedding feast, His wedding feast.  And we follow Him and obey His directions and others receive a blessing.  The Lord is glorified and His vessels are prepared to fulfill His call on their lives.  Thank you Lord for the faithful servants that you have used to pour into our lives, that You might pour us into others.