From Ordinary to Exquisite

by David J. Felter

March/April 2006

Most of us have honed the ordinary into a finely tuned expression of daily life. With few exceptions, we arrive into this world with the ordinary accompanying us. Few of us startled the attending doctors, nurses or midwives and few left the birthing room entourage speechless. Just ordinary infants, emerging from safety into a strange, perplexing environment of bright lights, loud sounds, and frequent discomfort. Only when the ordinary comes into contact with the extraordinary does it seem so, well, ordinary!

Perhaps nowhere in the Scriptures is this as evident as in the story of Jesus' first recorded miracle at the wedding in Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was present and let Him know the plight of the wedding planners. At first glance, Jesus' response to His mother seemed curt. It was like he was saying, "Dear woman, why do you involve me in something as ordinary as this, when you know that I was divinely conceived and am facing a momentous era of ministry in my own life?" From the successive narrative of this passage in John 2, we clearly see that Jesus was not put off with either His mother, or the subliminal message: "Jesus, we've got a problem here. It may be pretty ordinary to you, but not to these wedding guests. Please do something, and do it quickly!"

From ordinary water, in ordinary stone jars, Jesus produced the choice wine, at the point when many would have produced the cheaper product. The comment of the chief wedding planner is telling: "You saved the best till now!" Isn't it just like Jesus to take the ordinary and transform it into the exquisite, saving the best for last? Imagine what He can do with you and me!

David J. Felter, editor in chief Holiness Today

 

< back to Knowing God

next article >