Article September 5, 1914 Issue

Jesus' First Miracle

LUCIA C. COULSON

The first miracle that Jesus wrought is of special significance to the student of Christian Science. In the second chapter of John's gospel we read of the turning of water into wine at Cana of Galilee, a demonstration which evidently made a deep impression upon all who heard of it, and which prepared the way for the healing work, as we learn from the fifth chapter of the same gospel.

Just how Truth finds us, just where Truth finds us, there the healing transformation begins, so that in most instances the first miracle wrought in us is the turning of the water of our daily experience into wine, and there is no detail too small, no condition too commonplace, for the exercise of Truth's power. It must have been soon after Jesus had finished uttering the sublime truths of the Sermon on the Mount that he came down and with tender consideration ministered to the needs of the wedding party. In "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy speaks of "the Principle that moves all in harmony,—from the falling of the sparrow to the rolling of the world" (p. 174), and this illustrates the universal and comprehensive effect of the Principle that is Love. It is very likely that most of those present at the feast regarded this miracle as simply a manifestation of the power of mind over matter, as many estimate the healing work of Christian Science today; but its spiritual significance may be gained as we follow the Master's work as recorded in the gospels.

One of the interesting points of this miracle is the fact that Jesus did not discard the water. It was not cast away; it was transformed. He changed the water into wine. This takes away the fear which comes to many beginners in Christian Science, the fear of losing something. The dread of a vacuum between the known and the unknown comes to some of us, and for such the lesson of this miracle is full of comfort,—not loss, but transformation! Here we may see that as our concepts of things change, the outward appearance changes also. As our concept of God grows clearer and truer, as it becomes enlarged, we become better able to see His reflection in ourselves and others; and in raising our concepts we help to raise the thought of all humanity, and this change is mirrored in what we call nature. Human experience is transfigured in proportion to the transformation of our consciousness, till at last we see that in the realm of Truth there is nothing "stale, flat, and unprofitable."

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