Waterboys

“Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.” (John 12:7 NIV)

Whenever the “water to wine” story is told, you don’t hear much about the servants who do the fetching for the water. They were just simple waterboys. Yet, Jesus spoke to these servant waterboys FIRST. It was the servants who helped set the stage for Jesus’ first and one of His most notable miracles.

Think of the labor-intensive effort it took to fill these six clay pictures, each containing 20 to 30 gallons of water. There was no faucet or hose. Most likely, these waterboys had to run to the nearest creek or reservoir, carrying several smaller vessels back-and-forth filling the pots up until they were full.

These clay pots were normally used for priestly ceremonial washing. To be a servant-leader, requires a washing, a regular reminder that we are priests of a different order. It takes a certain humility to do the things that many celebrity-superstar type leaders would never do. It is a washing of humility.

The turning of water into wine symbolizes natural things transforming into supernatural things. Wine also represents the power of the Holy Spirit. Often, it takes doing simple, even tedious tasks to set the stage for miracles. Super + Natural = Supernatural. God wants to put His super on our natural.

Psalms 110:3 tells us that when people have an attitude of willingness, God’s power will be present. In a culture of serving, God’s presence is manifest to do incredible things amongst His people. There’s something about a humble, volunteer, working spirit, that attracts God’s grace to do the AMAZING!

So, when you’re in the act of serving and labor is involved, don’t just put your elbow into it. Put your heart to it! And remember… Your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).