John 2 - The Life Recovery Bible

2:1-12 Jesus was at a wedding celebration with family and friends when the wine ran out. So Jesus turned the water in six stone waterpots into enough wine for the rest of the celebration. If we are in recovery, this abundance of wine would be dangerous. But one truth should be encouraging to us all: Jesus valued the celebration of people at a wedding feast. God is concerned about the seemingly mundane needs we have and has the power to meet those needs. He may call us to do some painful things in the process of recovery, but his ultimate goal for us is a life of peace and wholeness.

2:13-16 Jesus was angry at those who turned the Temple courts into a marketplace of unjust profit. The merchants forced the people to buy “approved” sacrificial animals at exorbitant prices and exchanged their currency for Temple currency at inflated rates. They abused the public trust and mocked holy worship. Anger that is measured and authorized by God’s purposes is justified. Sometimes this kind of anger can play an important role in our spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery. We may need to stand up to the abusive forces in our life and make changes that will set us free from their grip. As we do, God will stand by us.