A certain pastor once said to me, "you would be given a new kind of sermon after visiting the Promised Land." I very much think this is true. On visiting that place, each one of the Biblical scenes seem to be revealed to me so clearly.

Here's one passage I knew in there that surprised me! A man before marrying needs to have a house to welcome his future wife into. He needs to prepare everything his wife will need to start a new life together. I am sure that Joseph, Jesus' adoptive father provided Mary with all that she would need for a married life. And, I heard that the wedding banquet normally lasted more than one week.

John 14:1-3. This is Jesus' promise to us. As you all know, we are Jesus' bride, and He is our bridegroom. In this passage, it is very clear that as our bridegroom, He is preparing our new home in Heaven for newly married life with Him.

Back in today's scripture passage, Jesus demonstrated his first miraculous work in Cana. I also heard that in the Middle East at a wedding there should always be something red and sweet to show or demonstrate joy. In all cases, wine is used. The colour red and taste of sweetness demonstrates this joy. For weddings, we need wine to show our joy and happiness. It's indispensable. Wine also represents the sweetness and goodness in life of marriage. As time goes by, lots of bridal couples gradually run short of this wine. It takes such a long time to make wine, as you know. Maybe it's some years, some ten years, or hundreds of years. But, here in Jesus' hands, it took only an instant to change water into wine.

Jesus did this, but it was also by Mary's prayer, or intercession. The situation was very serious; the party was still going on and the wedding couple was almost out of wine! It would have been such a shame to have continued the party without wine in those days, and in that area. Mary was very anxious that the young couple would not be embarrassed. She prayed, and asked Jesus with such a strong faith. Believing in Him strongly, though He was her son, she asked Him. We are often in similar situations -- we need to ask Him with belief that He can help us in our situations, or the situations of others, too!

There are several cosmetics companies in the world. And also there's a certain company that helps those companies advertise their products in the world. It recommends the exact number of advertisements. But, if a company doesn't listen to it and stops making the advertisements before they have reached the number, they don't get good sales that year.

In today's scripture passage, Jesus mentioned "His time." Everything is fulfilled in His time. We pray for certain things every day, without any idea when God will answer them. But before we get to the time, we stop praying, and we miss the blessing! Gal.6:9.

John 4:44-53. This miracle of healing also occurred in Cana. When the royal official believed in Jesus' words, his son was healed. Exactly at the moment that he believed his son was healed. The opposite attitude is described in Matthew 13:54.

Back to today's scripture, a servant who obediently does what Jesus has told him to do is who we need to follow, or be like. In the fulfillment of His work, we need to know there is 'His time' in doing it, and we need to have obedient hearts. Jesus, Himself, came down here to wait on us, not to be waited on.

Here's a good story. There was a hotel that was suddenly filled with people due to a sudden storm. However, during this time, a certain couple visited this hotel with intentions of staying there, and there wasn't any room. The wife was feeling sick, and they badly needed a place to stay, so a hotel man took pity on them and offered them his own place. They felt greatly grateful to him, and stayed overnight. A few years passed, and a letter came to that hotel man, it was from the couple he had helped. The letter stated that they were building one of the largest hotels in the United States of America and it asked him if he would like to come and work there as the General Manager. Of course, he gladly accepted the position. But, this is the point: he had shown them he knew how to wait on people, and this had very much impressed them.

I want to say this again; to pray in faith, knowing His time will surely come while we serve God and people, is an attitude that we badly need as good Christians.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
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