Exodus 40, and John 2

Yesterday, my routine was thrown out of whack, too many things were going on. In the blur of the day, I missed the opportunity to invite the Lord’s peace, but I was too caught up in everything that needed to be done. I should have prayed, “Lord, if this is the enemy, make it stop in the name of Jesus”. Hopefully, by writing this down, I’ll remember. This morning, we are reading Exodus 40, Leviticus 1, and John 2. In Exodus 40, the Tabernacle is finally completed. We see 7 instances where Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded.

‘Moses proceeded to do everything just as the Lord had commanded him. ‘
Exodus 40:16

When Moses is finished in verse 10, the altar “shall be the most holy.” The NLT reads “absolutely holy”. I love that the Tabernacle is absolutely holy. Then, in John 2, we learn of Jesus’s first miracle: he transforms water into wine. Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Like good servants, they listen to her command, then Christ commands them to fill the jars with water.

I love the transformation in these 2 chapters, written hundreds of years apart. God transforms the Tabernacle into an absolutely holy place, and Christ defies the laws of nature, turning water into wine. The power to transform, to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. That’s what happens when we are baptized and believe in Christ. When we follow Christ, our lives transform. He gives us the Holy Spirit, and we can now come before the Most High God, because we are absolutely holy through Jesus Christ. We are no longer locked out; we are adopted children into God’s own family.

‘¹⁵So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶For his Spirit joins with our Spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. ‘
Romans 8:15-17

‘For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. ‘
Hebrews 10:10

‘¹⁵But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”‘
1 Peter 1:15-16

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for this day, your unfailing love, your grace, your mercy, your perfect Son, Jesus. By his sacrifice, we are absolutely holy and can come before you as adopted children. Lord, help us to listen to your Holy Spirit today. Help us do your will, to try to be mindful of our behavior, and to be Holy. Holy Spirit, guide our thoughts, words, and actions. Lead us to everlasting life. In Jesus Holy Name we pray. Amen.