The story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana is well known. How he turned the water into wine, and not just any wine, but the best wine. It’s a beautiful story of Jesus caring and interceding at his mother’s request for a need that could have been considered embarrassing but certainly not life-threatening.

Though we often talk of Jesus, his mother, and the master when relating this story, it’s worth paying attention to the servants. If you have ever worked in the service industry, you can appreciate the amount of work that would have gone into the wedding preparations; the chaos and frantic dash to pull it all together, early mornings, late nights, and also… quite possibly…the lack of appreciation for all your hard work! Such was the unenviable life of a servant.

So when Jesus commands the servants to fill the water jars with water, their response is amazing! Instead of grumbling and complaining, they filled the jars ‘to the brim’. Tired though they might have been with a wedding on the verge of disaster, they followed the peculiar commands of a stranger and they did so completely. To the brim. No room left to do more.

Do I obey Jesus so completely? Is my obedience ‘to the brim’? Or do I half-heartedly follow his commands; more as mere suggestions?

The fruit of their obedience is seen in the miracle that follows – the changing of the water into wine. The master did not realize where this extraordinary wine had come from, but the servants knew. They knew the full story. They were witnesses to this amazing event. They had the ‘inside scoop’ on a story that would have been the talk of the village.

Their obedience unlocked the invitation to a miracle, but it was their position as servants that placed them at the heart of it.