What's in your jar?

On my fifteen-minute drive down I-85 to work this morning, I was praying to God asking Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit and make ME a place where His Spirit would want to dwell. As I spoke these words out loud, I was reminded of John chapter 2 where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. I have been studying this chapter this week trying to pull some symbolism out the events taking place. What I was reminded of were the six water jars that were used to hold the water. The text is found in John 2:6-7 and says this, “6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. The first hint of symbolism found by my simple mind was the number six. The second was purpose of the jars and the third was what Jesus told the servants to do.

The number six, according to all of my resources, is the symbol for man, in the bible. That means us, me and you. We are not God, we are mere men, made of flesh, and we live in a broken world because of the sin of Adam. But, John 1:14 says, 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”Jesus came so that our flesh would become His Word! But, how does that manifest? Hold on.

Secondly, the jars were used for ceremonial washing. Ceremonial washing was a man made tradition and not part of the law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” What Jesus DID come to abolish were man made traditions that the religious teachers held over the heads of the people. MOST of these traditions, the religious teachers could not even fulfill themselves yet the people were condemned for not fulfilling them!

Now, here’s where I think it gets good! In verse 14 Jesus tells the servants to “Fill the jars with water.” They didn’t take water that had been already used for traditional washing and turn it to wine. They used new water and “filled them to the brim.” Here the water symbolizes of course baptism with water and baptism in the spirit, exactly what I was praying this morning. But, the most intriguing part of this is what came to me as I was praying this morning. The jars had to be EMPTY to be FILLED!

When we are emptied of fleshly desires, focused on what the God says and not what man says, then we make place for His Spirit to dwell and His Word to be made flesh within us. How do I become EMPTIED, to be FILLED? Matthew 6 gives us some great starting places, “When you pray”(6:5), “when you fast”(6:16), and “when you give “(6:2) Thank you Jesus for giving me the keys to the kingdom and revelation that will empty this flesh so your Word will manifest in me!

For Donald Hobbs