John 2:4-5 "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."
I've always loved this tiny exchange between Jesus and his mother just prior to His turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. If you notice, Mary doesn't answer Jesus' question. She knows He will do something about the situation.
To make sure we know the creation of wine was not to propagate a drunken party: To run out of wine at a wedding was somwhere between an embarrassment and a disgrace to the household that was hosting the wedding celebration. It did not speak well of the marriage that just commenced.
Mary's instructions to the servants of the household show that she knows Who her Son is and what He can do. But more than just His ability, they show that she knows what He's willing to do. That is, she has faith in the goodness of God's Son.
The miracle that happens is a "back room" one, mostly a private matter to preserve the dignity and grace of people in need. In our church circles, we sometimes get the impression that miracles are always a show; and they happen as a way to verify our good standing, powerful prayers or unswerving faith. Jesus' motivation here is to help people who need help; people like us.
It's compassion that moves the heart of God, compassion He wants us to have and exercise as well. May we first receive it, then give it as freely as it comes to us.
I've always loved this tiny exchange between Jesus and his mother just prior to His turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. If you notice, Mary doesn't answer Jesus' question. She knows He will do something about the situation.
To make sure we know the creation of wine was not to propagate a drunken party: To run out of wine at a wedding was somwhere between an embarrassment and a disgrace to the household that was hosting the wedding celebration. It did not speak well of the marriage that just commenced.
Mary's instructions to the servants of the household show that she knows Who her Son is and what He can do. But more than just His ability, they show that she knows what He's willing to do. That is, she has faith in the goodness of God's Son.
The miracle that happens is a "back room" one, mostly a private matter to preserve the dignity and grace of people in need. In our church circles, we sometimes get the impression that miracles are always a show; and they happen as a way to verify our good standing, powerful prayers or unswerving faith. Jesus' motivation here is to help people who need help; people like us.
It's compassion that moves the heart of God, compassion He wants us to have and exercise as well. May we first receive it, then give it as freely as it comes to us.
