From Ordinary to Extraordinary

            The Apostle John opens his Gospel by describing the eternal Word of God. That Word—Jesus--“was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The account is very time specific. John the Baptizer, who prepared the way for the Lord, is with two of his disciples when He sees Jesus coming toward them. He declares, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Stirred by this truth, Andrew seeks out his brother, Simon Peter, and drags him to the Messiah who promptly changes the fisherman’s name to Cephas, meaning a stone. The two shall be living stones and two of Jesus’ disciples. 
            The account carefully points out that on the next day, Jesus goes to Galilee and finds Philip, the other disciple of John, and calls him to follow Him instead. Philip does so promptly, and then seeks out his friend, Nathanael, to likewise follow Jesus. It takes a miraculous sign from Jesus—a word of knowledge—to convince Philip’s young friend to believe that this man from Nazareth (of all places) is indeed the Messiah.
            The saga continues in chapter 2. Unfortunately, the chapter numbers that the translators added after the fact often do not make sense as to where they place the breaks. In this case, we know the time-specific story continues because chapter 2 begins with, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.”
            You may recognize this story as the record of Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine. “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” Let’s think about this for a moment. Of all the miracles that could announce the Lamb of God’s ministry, God chose a non-life-threatening moment to reveal His Son. Running out of wine definitely would have been a personal embarrassment to the host family in that culture. But in terms of showing off His healing power, it doesn’t make sense. That is, until you recognize the Day Code shadow.
            It’s a third day wedding. The bride and her bridegroom shall be united as one. It’s personal. For it casts a long shadow into our time—to our Third Day union when our beloved Bridegroom comes to take His Bride back to Father’s House in Heaven. It is our Third Day perfection when we are resurrected at the rapture and instantly changed into immortal, glorified beings. In other words, ordinary men and women, who have come to know Christ, shall be turned into extraordinary, glorified men and women. No wonder we are drawn to superheroes. It’s in our future!
            The Chronos Lesson: The apostle Peter wrote about the timing and purpose of Jesus’ first coming. “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Pet. 1:20-21).
            Notice the connection in this relationship—being raised from the dead and being glorified. This is resurrection. It is different from being raised from the dead and brought back to this physical life as Lazarus was. Resurrection is overcoming death and living forevermore, never to die again.
            Romans 8:29 says that this is one of the ways we are conformed to the image of Christ. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” He is the firstborn in the sense that He was the first human to be resurrected on the third day after He was crucified. He is the firstborn among many brethren who shall be raised from the dead on the Third Day. This is the Day the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it!