Red John 2:1-11
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, 9and 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 10and 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."
11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. (NIV)
_________________________________________________
This is an interesting passage in that it is the first act of Jesus after he called his disciples or some of his disciples. Cana is very close to Nazareth and most theologians believe that the wedding was a relative of Mary’s, hence her involvement in the preparations of food and drink. And our English does not do the dialogue justice. In our English translations, the exchange between Mary and Jesus is short and terse. We see first Jesus calling Mary, “woman.” The Greek word is actually a term of endearment. It is the same Greek word Jesus would use on the cross to give care of Mary to John. It is the same Greek word that Homer uses when Odysseus addresses his wife, Penelope. It is the same word Augustus addresses Cleopatra.
The second thing we see is the phrase, “why do you involve me?” This is one of those weird phrases that cultures have. It’s meaning is all determined by the tone it was spoken in. Spoken harshly, it means something of utter disagreement or reproach. But when spoken softly, it means, “No worries, I got this.” Or “Don’t worry, I will take care of this.” By the action that follows, we see that it is the second meaning in this case. It is interesting that Mary has to tell the servants to follow his instructions.
Jesus told the servants to fill six purification jars to the brim with water. These were jars used to hold water to wash feet or to wash the hands before and while eating. The water would be poured over the hands and the water allowed to run down. But notice, they are filled to the brim. There can be nothing else added but the water. And so, Jesus’ first miracle is to make sure a young couple’s wedding in not ruined. I love that because Jesus does care about our joy. In fact, the rabbis would say that if there is no wine at a wedding, there is no joy. Now, they don’t get drunk as this would be a disgrace.
But we also see that Jesus was perfectly at ease at a wedding. He wasn’t this person who always wanted to talk church. He wanted to share in people happiness. So, in all this, John in the very beginning of his Gospel gives us a glimpse of who the Savior is. Our Savior cares about the little things in our lives. Jesus cares about our joy. Jesus does not look on our station, but will even make a difference in a small home in a small village. And when we are in trouble, we can turn to Jesus even if we don’t know how they will fix it as Mary immediately turned to Jesus to address her problem.
I think this is important for us to think about. I have heard so many times that people don’t pray about little things because they don’t want to bother God or don’t think it is serious enough to give to God. God wants us to bring all of us to him, even the little things. I have told people we should take our shopping to God before we go shopping. We should take our work to God before we go to work. Everything we do, we should take to God, especially the little things and let God’s glory come upon those things.
Have you taken little things to God that were a concern to you? Do you have times that you think your problems are too small for God to address with all that is happening in the world? Do you joyfully trust God with everything and take everything to God in pray as the song goes? Questions to ponder.
Comments? Questions?
Blessings and Peace
Pastor Harry