John 2:6-10 “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water;’ so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first, and then brings out the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 

We see Jesus’ love in the quiet manner in which he performed his miracle. He didn’t put on a big show.  In love for the bride and groom he did his miracle discreetly. On this big day in their lives, he didn’t steal the attention, deserving of that attention as Jesus may have been. Information about the true source of this wine was on a “need to know” basis. 

To focus on the miracle would be to focus on the wrong thing, anyway. When Jesus turned the water into wine, he didn’t want everyone to start clapping and yelling, “Encore! Encore!” as he took a big bow. He didn’t come to provide the entertainment for the wedding. He wasn’t substituting for the band. The miracle was meant to turn the attention of those who knew somewhere else. The power he used to bring this blessing worked behind the scenes.

God’s power often works that way. It does its work in a quiet, gentle way. Many of Jesus’ other miracles were done without many more words or gestures than this one. The power God uses to sustain our lives each day is something we hardly notice. The power and miracle of God’s word taking hold of a person’s heart often operates with subtlety.

Sometimes we human beings want the spectacular instead. Not patient enough for God’s love to change people and hearts, we want something that will “wow” the masses. “Come on, Jesus, do us a trick!”

But God’s power works for us in love. That means that it usually works in quiet and subtle ways. 

Even if Jesus’ power works quietly, that doesn’t make it less real or less miraculous. Look at how richly he blesses this couple! His gift to bride and groom measured about one hundred and twenty gallons of wine (certainly more than he intended the guests to consume at the wedding feast). This gift would last the newlyweds into the coming weeks and months. 

Look at the quality of his blessing as well. According to the master of the banquet, Jesus’ provided the best wine, the choice wine, for this occasion. His blessing was perfect in every way. 

That our Savior blesses us just as richly is a truth easily lost on us in our day-to-day experience. More blessings surround us than we can count. Many of the spiritual blessings are not even possible for us to perceive as he gives them. Yet, how many troubles does it take to hide all these blessings from us?  Isn’t it true that a single problem can make us feel as if we have no blessings at all?  We can be living in a treasure trove of God’s goodness, but one or two problems take up all our attention.

No matter the crisis of the moment, our Savior’s quiet power is still providing all we truly need.