As we walked by the Sea of Galilee, I switched between gazing at the mesmerizing blue waters and the equally captivating presence of Jesus.
Something had happened to him in the desert. He wasn't the same person. He not just preached about new and foreign ideas and purposes, in front of the public, but he felt different. His very atmosphere quivered with…power. Oh, yes. I was certain that he was destined for something momentous.
Still, for all his change, he offered no explanation but, "My Father is revealing to me his plan bit by bit."
"Is that why you preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand?'"
He smiled. "It is."
On that particular day, however, Jesus was quiet. I didn't mind, content to simply be in his company.
We walked for some time, when he suddenly stopped, staring out towards the sea. I frowned.
"What is it?" For nothing was amiss, save a couple of fishermen washing their nets.
Jesus suddenly called out, "Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people."
I watched with wide eyes as the two men, clearly brothers, left their nets and walked up to us. They bowed their heads to Jesus, ignoring me, but that was typical. I was a mere woman.
Jesus smiled to me. "Simon, and his brother Andrew. They will travel with us, as my disciples."
I blinked. "Disciples? You're a rabbi now?"
He laughed. "You can say that."
Not a word was said as we continued, evidently for more disciple-fetching. The next two were also brothers, James and John, and also fishermen, who similarly left their nets, but more strikingly, their father.
"Why do they leave him?" I asked Jesus. "For you?"
"Why do you follow me, Judith?"
And that answered my question, for they must have felt his beckoning, powerful spirit like I did.
In addition to those four, as we travelled around and Jesus continued preaching, more and more disciples joined. I began to fear that my closeness to him and our friendship would suffer, but he assured me otherwise.
"I have so much love that I can give you more of it in addition to an equal amount for everyone else. Do not fear that I will forget you, Judith. You have a special place in my heart."
"Everyone does," I pouted. "You say that to nearly everyone."
"And do you fault me for it?"
I sighed. "I guess not."
Jesus smiled, patting me on the shoulder. "Come, we travel on to Cana. Nathanael's brother is getting married."
"I suppose he's one of your disciples?"
Jesus nodded. "One of the most loyal."
No one talked to me. Though I was used to being ignored, it made for an incredibly dull wedding celebration on my part. I was never very fond of dancing, so I was left to sit by Jesus' side and listen to him talk to the numerous people who wanted to speak with him.
Which, it turned out when the feast was halfway over, included Mary. She pulled him aside, an urgent expression on her aged face.
"They have no wine," she whispered, looking at him pointedly. I wasn't surprised. There was an extraordinary number of guests, drinking a very festive amount of wine, which may have accounted for why they ignored such a boring woman like myself.
Jesus replied, "What does this have to do with me? My time has not yet come."
With that, he moved back to the table, and I followed, but not before I heard Mary order the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
We had sat down for just a few minutes when I saw a look of resolution wash over Jesus' face. He stood, going to a side room which contained six stone water jars. The servants waited expectantly.
"Fill the jars with water."
They obeyed his order, filling them up to the very brim.
"Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast."
The rest of his disciples and I stared at him in bewilderment, but the obliging servants went about his command. As they poured a cupful, I widened my eyes as rich, red wine flowed into the cup. A servant dutifully carried the cup to the master, who sipped it slowly.
A grin broke out, and he called the bridegroom over with a jubilant expression. "Most people serve the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now! This is the best I have ever tasted!"
The bridegroom nodded slowly in confusion, but the rest of us gazed at Jesus in awe.
"How did you do it?" I asked.
He smiled. "I didn't do it. My Father did it. Right when they poured the water, I thought out a little prayer. He answered just as I knew he would."
This first miracle of his only strengthened my belief that he was, truly, the Son of God. And it seemed apparent that the rest of the disciples also began to see him for who he really was.
A/N: My goodness, it's almost March! The Spring Semester has kept me quite busy, and it's likely to get more 'thrilling', so I have devised a method to keep the chapters more frequent: making them shorter! Perhaps one chapter for a miracle or two.
Thank you for sticking with me, and may God bless your day! :)