Obedience means being
involved
"Dear woman, why do you
involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." His
mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you" (John
2:4-5).
In Bible times, a Jewish
wedding was a special celebration that could last seven days. It was a time of
joy and celebration on behalf of the couple. Wine was an integral part of these
weddings. Jesus, the disciples, and Mary, his mother, were invited guests to
such a wedding. At some point during the celebration there was no more wine.
Mary became concerned and turned to Jesus to solve the problem. But Jesus had
not yet performed any miracles. However, His mother must have known that he was
capable of doing so. Perhaps she had been waiting for the time for him to begin
performing miracles.
When she proposed to Jesus
that He solve this problem, he answered, "My time has not yet come."
You can almost hear that motherly Jewish tone... "Yes, it has son. Please
handle this emergency for me." Then she instructs the servants to do
whatever Jesus tells them to do, seeming to know that He was going to solve the
problem, but not really knowing how. Jesus proceeds to respond to his mother's
request.
Now, my western mind imagines
what the headline would be the day after this wedding, in the politically
incorrect Cana's Daily News: "Son of Mary turns water into alcoholic drink
- 180 gallons!" What a way to begin a ministry! Thankfully, there was no
negative press.
Now the quality of the wine
that Jesus made was exceptional and would have cost a fortune. Imagine, 180
gallons of fine wine! As in most miracles Jesus performed, He involved the
faith and obedience of others. The servants were an important part of the miracle
- as they did just what Jesus told them to do.
Have you ever asked Jesus to
get involved in an unusual problem? No matter what problem you have, Jesus
invites you to seek Him as the solution to your problem.