Little Wideawake: A story book for little children

by Mrs. Sale Barker

MAMMA’S SUNDAY TALK.
MIRACLES OF OUR SAVIOUR.

WATER TURNED INTO WINE.

Now, darling children, come round me while we have a little talk fit for Sundays. You remember that during the past year I gave you some account of our Saviour’s teaching, and of the principal events of His life. Now I shall tell you about some of the miracles He performed.

The word “Miracle” signifies simply—wonder: but there may, of course, be many wonderful events which are not miracles. As the word is used, a miracle means strictly an act by which the laws of nature are set aside: and though the wisest of us do not understand all nature’s laws, we should be able, I think, generally to distinguish what was really a miracle from what was merely wonderful. For instance, if a doctor were to cure a blind man by anointing his eyes, we might think it wonderful, but should conclude that he had discovered a cure for that kind of blindness. If the physician, however, were to give sight to the blind man by merely commanding him to see, we might then pronounce the cure a miracle.

The Jews expected that all who claimed to be prophets should perform some miracle to prove that they were divinely inspired; as did Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and several of the prophets. When the divine promise was given to Moses and others, that a great prophet should be raised up for the people of Israel, it was foretold that this prophet should be known by the greatness and variety of the miracles which he performed.

By such signs he was to be distinguished from all pretenders, and Isaiah says:—“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened; and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.”

Our Saviour may be said generally to have had two objects in performing miracles. In most instances, one object was the immediate relief of suffering. But He always had the greater object by His miracles of proving that He was the Christ, whose coming had been foretold to the Jews so long before. The miracles were the signs that He was the Messiah.

The first miracle performed by our Saviour was that of turning water into wine.

We are told by St. John that there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and at the feast our Saviour and His mother were present. After a time the servants found that the supply of wine for the guests was running short. One of them told this to the mother of Jesus, and she, going to Him, said:—“They have no wine.”