John 2:1-12 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.”
Key Points: What is so special about this miracle?
· Mary knows she can go to Jesus for help
· Jesus responds to requests based on His Father’s will
· Jesus uses what seems to be a trivial moment to reveal His glory
· Jesus is our provider, revealer, and joy giver
Mary knows she can go to Jesus for help
We know that Jesus did many miracles when He was on earth. But at the time of this wedding, Jesus had not yet performed any - yet - Mary knows she can go to Jesus for help –
Why would Mary go to Him with such a request?
What did she think He was going to do?
Why would she think He could do anything?
We know from the account of the angel and Mary that she was well aware that Jesus was the Messiah explained to her by the angel before His birth (Luke 1:26-38) and then again by Jesus Himself at the temple when He was twelve.
It's quite an interesting moment between mother and Son and reveals to us some of their relationship.
What was it like to be Jesus' mother?
What was it like to be Jesus - a human son who is also God in flesh - whom loves and reveres His mother, yet honors His Heavenly Father above all.
Jesus responds to requests based on His Father’s will
Why did Jesus respond to her the way He did?
“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
Sounds a bit harsh but if we are to look at the context of the time, "woman" is not spoken like we would hear it today in our culture.
Does it sound as if He is speaking to a stranger? Sort of. He is more so using language to express a stepping into His independance apart from graciously. "Maam," with no cultural sass added, "what does this have to do with Me."
He loved His mother dearly and held her in great honor, but He needed to express to her that though He was her son, He was first and foremost the Son of God and that He she needs to understand that He must honor His Father's will over hers. Especially when He path leads Him closer to the cross.
Yet, He knows why she has come to Him – running out of wine during a weeklong wedding celebration would bring great shame to the family hosting the celebration. So, Mary knowing who her Son is, came to Him for help.
So why did Jesus ask the question He did?
"...what does this have to do with me?"
Jesus is not simpy asking a question, He is trying to tell her and His listeners kindly but intentionally, “It is not your place to tell Me how I ought to use my power. My power has purpose and it will be used how My Father wills it be used."
Again Jesus is pointing us to a very important truth, no one gets special treatment, not even His mother.
“The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
Jesus then ends His question with an interesting statement -“My hour has not yet come."
Whenever Jesus refers to His “hour,” He means the time of His death.
So, Mary comes with a request, “They have no wine,” and Jesus responds to her, “It’s not my time to die.”
Interesting, isn’t it?
Why does He respond this way?
Remember He was just baptized by John, which was a powerful moment for Him, for John, and for all who saw and heard.
Matthew 3:16, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
Jesus uses what seems to be a trivial moment to reveal His glory (John 2:11)
- Jesus knows His Father’s timeline and that there was much to be done before “His Hour.”
- Jesus knows that when His miracles start to spread by word of mouth it would be like a forest fire and would draw the attenion of those He knew would want Him dead for what He is doing and what He is proclaiming.
- In doing this miracle, He is not only revealing a side of Him most did not know but He is pointing to what is to come with this miracle.
When Mary responds by saying to the servants - “Do whatever he tells you..." does this imply she has some inside information that the general public did not? Many have debated as to what she means –
Does she know He will do it or is she simply submitting to His will by telling the servants to do whatever it is He decides to do – and either way she trusted He knew best and would do what is best for all?
Whatever she meant by telling the servants to do as He tells them, we do know is this:
She knew her Son, Jesus, and she trusted Him to do what was best and she left her request with Him to handle.
Then in the next breath – Jesus tells the servants - “Fill the jars with water”.
"So, they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so…”
Jesus tells the servants to “fill the ceremonial cleansing jars with water.”
Wait - didn't Jesus just say it wasn't His time?
Is He changing His mind? Because Jesus knew the time of public ministry was coming, He knew it had to be handled in accordance to His Father's will and in a timely fashion. So, He did perform a miracle, but discreetly, and only a select group of people saw it in the back room of where the wedding would have been held.
The next thing you might have noticed is that He told the servants to use the ceremonial jars that are only used for bathing—for purifying rituals.
Again, interesting ....
Maybe Jesus is again using this opportunity to reveal a bit more about Himself by choosing ceremonial jars that they used to clean themselves with to say, "This is what “my hour” is all about " – "I am the cleansing sacrifice that will rid you of the purifying rituals of the law by my death and resurrection and the gift of grace – My blood will purify you instead of rituals."
In Jewish tradition it was the bridegroom’s responsibility to provide the wine for the wedding. Yet it was Jesus who provided "the choice wine", hinting for those around a glimpse of who He truly was, Jesus, the Divine Bridegroom.
Stop for a moment and consider what this meant to Him. Let this beautiful moment settle in deeper as your reflect on the beauty of God's love and Jesus sacrificial love. .
Jesus is our provider, revealer, and joy giver
“And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
There is also something interesting to note, Jesus did not notice that the wine was running out. Now maybe He wasn't concerned about "watching the wine." Maybe He was busy with His disciples and wedding guests...or maybe...
Jesus never just does something – for something to do – He is always doing something to reveal more of Himself and to teach us.
Again – through this entire scenario - Jesus shows us how He is the perfect, joy giving, all-providing, satisfying Bridegroom.
Out of water comes wine—from cleansing jars – to a grand feast – He is better than any husband could provide.
Some thoughts and questions for you to reflect on:
· If you are a follower of Jesus, it means that God was thinking of you at this wedding feast.
· What Jesus did that day was to show you the kind of groom He is to you.
· If you are not a follower, it means that day Jesus was doing this so that you might come to see His goodness and
put your trust in Him. Jesus desire is for you to see that all your attempts to be good or that you need to clean your
life up with your own versions of "ceremonial" jars" can only happen through Him.
All your shame can be washed away, all your desires to be loved and experience real joy comes from Him.
His love will never run out and can be yours.
Do you take this man to be your eternal Savior and husband?
· Do you know that Jesus is trustworthy to go to – for anything?
· When was the last time you went to Him for help?
· What are some things in your life that you need help with?
· Do you find it easy to bring your requests to Jesus?
· Do you find it easy or difficult to trust Him with your requests enough to leave them with Him to handle according to
His good and perfect ways?