Murple the Purple Flurple's
Adventure In Cana
by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards
Text Version | Afrikaans | Italian
“Whee-e-e-e-e ! This is so-o-o-o much fun!” Murple just couldn't hold back the giggles as she was being picked up and carried off by the breeze. She never knew just what kind of adventure she would encounter, but there was one thing she knew for sure — life as a flurple was the best life she could ever imagine.
Sure, there were times when she landed on someone's back step and had to spend the night in the rain. And there was the time she was picked up by a little boy and was shoved into his pocket. My, was it ever gooey and sticky in there! Going through the washer and dryer inside that pocket wasn't so grand either. However, the fun and excitement of being picked up and blown about by the wind, from one adventure to another, more than made up for the occasional hardships.
Murple, the purple flurple, was relaxing and enjoying her ride on the wind, when she found herself gently floating downward. Although she was a little sad that the wind had stopped and her short journey had come to an end, she perked up her ears, opened her eyes wide, and just knew she was in the perfect spot for a new adventure.
“Hmmm…. I see feet…”
“dozens of feet…”
“HUNDREDS of feet…”
“There are just SO many feet!” Murple noticed from her comfy spot on a rug lying at someone's door. “There must be something REALLY special taking place here. I sure wish I could see something other than just feet!” she sighed. “Maybe, just maybe, someone will pick me up and take me inside,” she hoped.
“OUCH! THAT HURT!” Murple squealed. But since she was just a wee little fuzz ball with a teeny tiny voice, no one even noticed she was there.
CLOMP, CLOMP…CLOMP, CLOMP…. The footsteps sounded terribly loud, but that was only because Murple was so close. Sooooo close in fact, that she was now riding along on the buckle of a sandal. The footsteps paused for a moment [pause], and the door opened.
“Oooh! Goody, goody, goody! I'm going inside!” She was so excited she could hardly stay put, but, of course, she had no choice since she was still attached to the buckle. Now the buckle wasn't nearly as comfortable as being on the rug. It scratched and it hurt, but the trade off was worthwhile because now she was inside and just might be lucky enough to discover what was happening and why there were so many people in this one large room.
Murple still couldn't see very much because of her position so close to the floor, but she did notice that the floor was very clean, and the robes that hung down around the feet were all very fancy robes. She also noticed there were long tables and lots of chairs. Oh, how she wished she could be a little higher up and not attached to this buckle!
It wasn't long before she got her wish. A hand reached down to adjust the buckle and knocked the little purple fuzz ball to the floor. At the same moment, the door opened and a whoosh of air sent Murple sailing up…up…UP…where she landed on a shelf. From there, she was able to see everything in the room and everybody who was there.
What a buzz of excitement there was! The whole room seemed to be celebrating. There was a young woman wearing the most beautiful dress Murple had ever seen and a young man dressed in his very best outfit. The room was full of people who had come from Cana and other nearby towns and villages to attend the wedding feast. The tables were set with the very best dishes, and the caterer had the most delicious food prepared and ready to serve.
Murple observed all the people washing their hands with water from the very large pots nearby. After they washed their hands, they took their seats at the table. The food was served, and the people were eating and drinking, and talking and laughing. Everyone was having such a wonderful time at the wedding celebration.
“Hey! I know that man!” Murple thought to herself. She was excited to see a few familiar faces. “I spent some time behind a bench in his carpenter shop not long ago. He is a really nice man and makes very good furniture too. His friends are here and I see his mother also.”
From high on her shelf, Murple could see things that other people couldn't see. Some confusion in the kitchen caught her attention. Uh-oh! Uh-oh! UH-OH! THIS could be a REAL PROBLEM! The waiter had come in for more wine to serve the guests at the dinner tables, and Murple heard the caterer say, “I'm sorry. There just isn't any more wine.” She watched as the guests, one by one, finished up what was in their glasses and were asking for more. What a terrible thing it was to have a wedding celebration and not have enough wine! “Whatever are they going to do?” Murple wondered.
A woman, noticing the problem, arose from her seat. She approached the carpenter and told him there was no more wine. “How strange!” Murple thought. “The woman is the carpenter's mother, and they are both guests at this celebration. Why would she be telling him that there was no more wine? It really isn't any of their business, and he is just a poor carpenter. He certainly can't do anything to help!” Murple kept watching, wondering what, if anything, would happen next.
The mother then turned to talk to some of the servants. “Do whatever he tells you,” she said, pointing to the carpenter. The carpenter then told the servants, “See all those empty pots that held the water that was used for washing hands? Take those pots to the well and fill them with water.”
It sounded like a strange command. Why should they fill the water pots with water, when what they really needed was wine? But the servants did as they were told and returned with all the pots filled with water.
“Now pour some of that water into a wine glass and serve it to the host,” the carpenter told them.
“Oh, my!” Murple thought. “This carpenter is going to get himself into deeeeeep trrrroubbble! The host is going to be mad, mad, MAD when they give him a glass of water!”
The servants thought it was mighty strange too. They knew it was just water, and it wasn't even pure drinking water. This water was put into pots that were used for washing, not drinking! But, even though they thought it was strange and didn't understand it, they did just exactly what the carpenter told them to do.
Murple couldn't believe what she was seeing. “Oh, my! Oh, my! OH, MY! They are really going to do it,” she thought. “They are really going to serve the host a glass of water. I'd better hide my eyes. I just can't bear to look.”
When the host took a drink, he was surprised. “Why, this is the best wine I've ever tasted!” he exclaimed. “Why did you save this till last? We usually serve the best wine at the beginning of the feast.”
“How, how, HOW did THAT happen???” Murple gasped with surprise.
The servants were just as amazed as Murple! They knew there was water in those pots, because they had filled the pots themselves. How did wine come out of the pot when water was put into it?
As everyone was finishing up their wonderful meal and continuing with the festivities, Murple heard someone mention a name she had heard before. It was then that she remembered the carpenter's name was JESUS. She knew that Jesus was special because when she was hidden behind a bench in the carpenter's shop, she had heard the stories of the angels, and the shepherds, and the wise men that had come to see Jesus when he was born. She had heard how Jesus was taken to Egypt to escape the wicked king who wanted to kill him when he was a baby. And now, she just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see Jesus perform his very first miracle of turning the WATER into WINE.
THINK!
1. Why were the people celebrating?
2. What was the problem that arose?
3. How was the problem solved?
REMEMBER!
JESUS is the answer to every problem.
A VERSE TO LEARN:
“Whatsover he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5).
ALTERNATIVE VERSE TO LEARN
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Who noticed that the bridegroom had a problem? What did she do about it? Do you think Jesus already knew about the problem? Why did He do nothing until Mary asked Him to? Have you noticed a problem in someone else's life? Do you yourself have a problem? What can you do about it?
[After discussion:] If you're unable to solve a problem you have in your own life or see in the lives of others, ask Jesus for help. He already knows everything, but He wants you to come and ask Him for help so you can learn to trust Him and depend on Him. You can also get someone to pray with you, because God says in his word that if two or three agree on something and pray about it, He will grant it. Is there something you need to ask God? Take time to do it now.
LET'S PRAY:
****************************************************
Dear Jesus, thank You for coming down to earth
and performing miracles that help me learn of
Your great love for me. Help me to remember
to ask You for help when I have problems,
and help me to obey. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
****************************************************
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
John 2:1-11
Jesus' First Miracle (online)
Jesus Turns Water Into Wine (online)
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