Jesus Is Kind

Video Host: Darin Poe - National Student Discipleship Director

BIG SCRIPTURE: John 2:1–11

BIG IDEA

In this story, Jesus and His friends are at a wedding celebration.  Everyone is having a great time until they discover a big problem: they’ve run out of wine. Imagine inviting your friends and family over for a cookout and then running out of soda while everyone is still eating. What would you do? You would probably just run to the closest grocery store to get some more or offer people water from your sink. But neither of those were acceptable, or even an option in Jesus’ time.

Taking good care of your guests was a major deal in this culture and running out of drink at a party would have been very embarrassing for the hosts. But thankfully for them, Jesus was at their wedding. And He performed a miracle—His first one! He turned the water into wine.  Jesus made sure the party could continue.

There are three important things we can learn from this story:

1. Jesus is not an ordinary person. Ordinary people don’t perform miracles. Jesus is beginning to show His friends that He is God. He is beginning to reveal “His glory.”
2. Jesus is kind. This seems like an odd choice for a first miracle, but one thing it teaches us is that Jesus is kind. By performing this miracle, He spared the bride and groom a ton of embarrassment.
3. When you experience the kindness and power of Jesus, you will believe in Him too. Jesus’ friends “believed in him.” As we learn more about Jesus, we will continue to see His power and His kindness working together. Power without kindness can be cruel. Kindness without power can’t change our situations or our lives. Jesus came to earth with the ability to do both.Jesus acted with power and kindness.

BIG QUESTIONS:

• Is kindness undervalued in our world today? Why or why not?
• How does experiencing the kindness of Jesus help us be kind to others?
• In your opinion, why is it important that Jesus came to earth full of both kindness and power?

BIG PRAYER:

God, thank you for your kindness. It is your kindness that leads us to trust you and love you and serve you. Help me to experience your kindness in a way that makes my heart more kind toward others, especially to those who are hard to love. Help me to trust more in your power and your kindness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.