Ryan's Ramblings

Are You Water or Wine?

“The wine supply ran out during the festivities…” (John 2:3, NLT)

Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. That wasn’t random—it meant something.

I used to teach fifth graders the difference between living and non-living things. It sounds simple—until it isn’t. Without getting too deep into the weeds, we’d define the difference like this: living things can sustain and reproduce life. Non-living things can’t.

Then we’d start sorting examples:

Trees, animals, humans, bacteria, mushrooms—living.

Rocks, air, their desk, pencil, and plastic water bottle—non-living.

And then we’d get to water… and things would get murky. I’d explain that water is non-living. And without fail, my students would push back: “But water moves! Fish live in it! It helps plants grow! It’s so important for life!”

And they’re right—water is essential for life. But it isn’t alive.

Water is a simple, inorganic compound—just hydrogen and oxygen. No carbon chains. No cells. No metabolism. No life processes. It doesn’t grow, reproduce, or change on its own. It can hold life, but it doesn’t possess life.

Wine, on the other hand, is the result of fermentation. It’s made through a living process—one that uses microscopic, living organisms called yeast to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The liquid literally changes at the molecular level and it becomes something new. Wine is organic. Complex. Alive.

And for Jesus’ first miracle, He turned water into wine.

He didn’t just add flavor or sparkle to the liquid in those water jars. He didn’t drop in some electrolytes or mix up a batch of ancient Kool-Aid. No—He turned what was non-living into something living. He took what was dead and made it alive. It was more than hospitality. It was resurrection. It was a miracle—and a metaphor. That’s what Jesus does.

The wine shortage at the wedding in Cana wasn’t just a party problem. It was a sign—a glimpse of the gospel and the Kingdom to come. Where Jesus is present, lifeless things don’t stay that way.

The wedding celebration was about to fall flat, and Mary, Jesus’ mother, nudged Him to do something. She knew who He really was. He told her His time hadn’t come.

But then… it did. And Mary told the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.”

They followed His instructions—fill the jars with water, draw some out, take it to the master—and somewhere in the midst of their obedience, the miracle happened. The water became wine. The dead became living.

That’s the way the Kingdom works. Paul says it clearly in Ephesians 2:1:

“You were dead in your trespasses and sins” (CSB).

We all start there. Like water, we are moving, present, even helpful—but frankly, dead. And then Jesus steps in—not just to improve us, but to transform us. Not to give us a better version of ourselves, but to make us alive.

Are you water or wine? Let Jesus do His work in you. Listen for His voice. Do what He says.

And watch the miracle unfold.