Extravagant!

"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” 

 (John 5:19 - NIV)

Seen through the lens of this truth, the earthly ministry of Jesus takes on a new dimension – for his primary purpose is to be and to reveal the true nature and character of his Father. In his own day, as in ours, people’s concept of Father had been marred - mostly by religious tradition. Jesus came to re - redefine the heart of the Father to his own generation.

As we follow the life of Jesus both in John’s account and those of other biblical writers we discover again and again that the true character of Father's heart shocks people. Far from being dictatorial, demanding, and heavy handed, as implied by the religious leaders – Jesus reveals Him to be compassionate, extravagant, lavish, and passionate in His love towards us.

It is not by accident that the first miracle performed by Jesus at a wedding, a place of joy, that of changing water to wine – is extravagant by any standard. He turned water in to the best wine people had ever tasted. It was not a cheap or even good wine - it was better than the best – of divine vintage. Nor was it a small quantity created for the select few - he made about 180 gallons of it. In other words he was extravagant! This is the heart of the Father towards us.