June, 1941
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
218
Lessons from A Wedding
Because Christ Came To Our Wedding
John 2:1-11 By H . A . IRONSIDE* Chicago, Illinois
® HERE is the record, in John 2, of that which was at once a simple w e d d i n g and . a great word translated “miracles” means signs. There are only eight such signs men tioned in this Gospel. Each one is for a specific purpose, as when, for instance, Jesus healed the palsied man hy the pool of Bethesda. We see in Him there the One who has almighty strength, able to impart power to those who have none of their own. An'd here in this first sign recorded in the Gospel, thè Lord Jesus is seen in a definite character. He comes before us as the Creator of all things. John already has told us that fact,
• Fifty-four years ago, on the twenty- second day of July,, we invited the Lord Jesus to our wedding, and just as in that earlier day in Cana, He came to the marriage. We asked Him to abide with us in our new home, and He did. There have been many problems— some too big for human wisdom. But He knows how to turn water into wine and to meet every need. Our years together have proved that He can be “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” He un derstands and can help us to under stand. We have come to see clearly that although a carpenter can build a house, It takes the Lord Jesus to make a home. — P. W. PHILPOTT, Pastor and Evangelist, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. t Happy as was our wedding day, each succeeding day seems to have been a more blessed one— all because the Lord Jesus Christ was present on that memorable day more than twenty- seven years ago. His presence has sanctified every hour and given grace to meet every need. It has long been my conviction that a happy married life begins before the wedding day; it goes back before the „days of courtship, and only as His will is ascertained and followed may we expect Him to be present to add His benediction when “they twain shall be one flesh.” It has been comforting as well as assuring to sense His pres ence in the home life and In the rear ing of our five children, all of whom have found Him in personal salvation and are active in His glorious service. Paul could say, “ By the grace of God I am what I am,” and we can say that our home life is what It is by the same wondrous grace. —-R. S. BEAL, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tucson, Arizona. • “ But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (I Cor. 11:3).
we read that Nathanael was of Cana of Galilee; so evidently, in the course of their journey up to Judea, Christ and His disciples stopped at Nathanael’s home town where this wedding took place. Some persons have supposed that it was the marriage of Nathanael him self, but there is no proof of this. The names of the bride and groom are not given in the Word. The important thing is that, when our Lord accepted the invitation to the wedding, He placed His approval upon that intimate relationship of marriage which is very frequently dishonored today. Alas, that in our day marriage, should often be degraded through the willfulness and wickedness Heavenly Bridegroom By J. Hudson Taylor T RUE LOVE cannot be station ary; it must either decline or fears of our . poor hearts, Divine love is destined to conquer. The bride exclaims: “Thine ointments have a goodly fra grance; . “Thy name is as ointment poured forth; “Therefore do the virgins loVe thee.” grow. Despite all the unworthy Drawn to the
miracle. Throughout John’s Gospel, the
d o ctri nal l y, when he said: “In the begin ning was the Word, and the W o r d w a s with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the be ginning w i t h God. All things were made by him; and with out him was
not anything made t h a t w a s made.” But now in this sign, we have a vis- i b 1e manifestation of this truth—the putting forth of His creational power so that He does in one m o m e n t of time what ordinarily is done in weeks and months. Notice the occa sion of the miracle. “The third day [aft- . er the c a l l i n g of Nathanael] t h e r e was a marriage' in Cana of G a l i l e e ; and both Jesus was called, and his dis ciples, to the mar riage.” In John 21:3,
There was no such ointment as that with which the High Priest was anointed: our Bridegroom is a Priest as well as a King. The trembling bride cannot wholly dismiss her fears; but the unrest and the longing become unbearable, and she de termines to surrender all, and, come what may, to follow fully. She will yield herself to Him, heart and hand, influence and possessions. Noth ing can be so insupportable as His absence! If He lead to another Moriah, or even to a Calvary, she will follow Him. “Draw me: we will run after thee” ! But ah! what follows? A wondrously glad sur prise. No Moriah, no Calvary; on the contrary, a KING! When the heart submits, then JESUS reigns. And when JESUS reigns, there IS rest. —From Union and Communion* *Published by Morgan & Scott; China Inland Mission . distributed by the
* Pastor, Moody Memo rial Church,
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