JESUS AND HIS MOTHER MARY

Jesus and His mother, Mary, along with His disciples attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee. For a brief moment Mary becomes the focus of the story because, for some reason, when the wine ran out she felt compelled to come and tell Jesus about it. Interestingly, she didn’t say what she expected Jesus to do, nor did she respond when Jesus asked her why she had even involved Him. Even though she didn’t say it, her behavior seems to imply a request that Jesus provide the desperately needed wine.

Jesus’ question as to why she involved Him may have caught Mary off guard. On hearing the question she realized she had no answer really. She knew a great embarrassment was about to be suffered by the bridegroom’s family. What was unknown to her was that God was already at work in this situation in a way that was far beyond her understanding. Looking back, we know that Jesus’ question and Mary’s failure to answer served the greater purpose of pointing out that this moment in time, this event and even the need for wine were all in God’s hands not Mary’s. Frankly she couldn’t have answered why she involved Jesus even if she had wanted to.

Something deep within me demands that Jesus’ mother be given the benefit of the doubt here. All mothers are special, especially this woman who was handpicked by God to birth His Son and mother Him to manhood. From infancy Mary had cared for this Man, “the one and only Son” whom His Father was now calling out to do His will and work in the world. However, we must never forget that although Mary played a very special role in Jesus life, from the Annunciation to the Resurrection, she was nonetheless just a woman – human not divine.

Mary was very aware of her lowly estate. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said. (Luke 1:38) In Mary’s Song, known as the Magnificat, she said, “From now on all generations will call me blessed,” for indeed she was. But she preceded those words with these, “…my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” (Luke 1:47-48) Mary serves as a role model of selfless submission to the will of God. She was willing to do the bidding of God, even at great risk to herself, and made no assumptions of greatness for herself. It is pure idolatry to make of her something more than she knew herself to be and more than even Jesus acknowledged her to be. She was the mother of the flesh, the Man, in whom “the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:19) But she was not “the mother of God,” as some say, she was His servant.

We have no Biblical evidence that Jesus elevated Mary to some special status above that of other servants of the Lord. In fact Jesus set the record straight when His mother and His brothers showed up outside a house where He was teaching. “Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Matthew 12:46-50) What an awesome thought; anyone who does the will of God in heaven is Jesus’ brother or sister, or even mother. Mary was special to Jesus as His human mother, but she held no elevated status above anyone else who did the will of His Father.

Jesus’ natural family had to deal with who He was just as everyone else did. They were not convinced at first that He was the Son of God. “Even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (John 7:1) They had serious doubts about who He was and even questioned His sanity. On one occasion Jesus’ family heard that such large crowds were coming and going from the house where He was that He and His disciples couldn’t even eat. “When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’” (Mark 3:21) Jesus said, ‘Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’ (Mark 6:4) “And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” (6:6) Obviously, with difficulty because of familiarity, His brothers and sisters and even His mother had to come to faith in Him as the Christ, as their Savior and Lord. How many members of His family ever came to faith in Him is unknown. Each year on October the 23rd the Christian Church remembers one of Jesus’ brothers, James of Jerusalem, who was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus Christ. Paul also speaks of “James, the Lord’s brother.” (Galatians 1:19)

Exactly where Mary, our Lord’s mother, was in her own faith in Jesus on the day of the wedding is not clear. Though she may not have understood why she did it, it would be quite natural for a mother to presume upon her son. When Jesus asked her, “Woman, why do you involve me?” even though she gave no answer, she no doubt looked Him straight in the eyes and gave Him one of those “mother looks” that said, “I’m your mother.” As she was doing this, she spoke right past Him to the servants standing nearby, “Do whatever He tells you.”

What Mary knew or didn’t know and why she involved Jesus fades in importance. At the end of the story Jesus performed a miraculous sign that provided a plenteous supply of wine, the best that was served at the wedding. Jesus pleased both worlds, the human with His mother and its needs and the Divine with His Father and His perfect will. By this sign Jesus granted His mother’s request and revealed His glory according to His Father’s perfect timing and design. Human need and the Father’s will were both fulfilled in the wine.

THE BRIDEGROOM ARRIVED

Jesus went to a wedding in Cana of Galilee along with His mother and His disciples. And while He was there He did an astonishing thing. When the wine ran out He replenished the supply. At first glance that is not so spectacular. But what makes it incredible is that He did it by turning water into wine. Observing this we call it a miracle. But the mircacle has to be put into perspective and not allowed to become the focus of our wonderment. Turning water into wine, as extraordinary as that was, served a much higher purpose and was not an end unto itself. That phenomenal act served as a sign that pointed far beyond itself back to Jesus. The miracle pointed to the Central Miracle – Jesus

The sign itself pales by comparison to the Holy One it pointed to. This sign was only the first of eight such miraculous signs recorded in John’s Gospel by which God confirmed His Son to the world. Peter, an eyewitness to them all, preached on the Day of Pentecost, “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him.” (Acts 2:22)

Jesus’ and His glory was the whole point of this story in the Gospel of John. It was certainly not about a first century wedding where the wine ran out. Nor was it about the wine Jesus provided or its superior quality as compared to the first wine served. Yet the wedding and the wine were the setting and the sign that told the story and revealed the glory of the Son of God.
It was not just coincidental that a wedding was the setting for Jesus’ first sign. The image of a wedding banquet and the bridegroom are images Jesus frequently used to speak of Himself and the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.” (Matthew 22:2) Speaking of Himself and His disciples, He said, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and on that day they will fast.” (Mark 2:19-20) John the Baptist used this same imagery when he readily acknowledged that Jesus was the One who came after him but was to surpass him, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” (John 3:29) Jesus, the Bridegroom had arrived.

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah (my delight is in her), and your land Beulah (married); for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
As a young man marries a maiden, so will your builder marry you; as a
bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:4-5)

For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name. (Isaiah 54:5)
The joyful and festive scene of a wedding feast provided the perfect backdrop for this initial revelation of Jesus, the Bridegroom who had arrived. Yet not once did His presence detract from or overshadow the Cana bridegroom and his bride at their own wedding feast. They remained the central focus of all their guests who were present for their marriage. Amazingly the bridegroom and his bride and all their family and friends were completely unaware of the cosmic drama that was also taking place in the same space and time as their wedding feast.
The personification of the Kingdom of God had drawn near and had come to their wedding. The Bridegroom had arrived and the events of God’s announcing His Son had begun. Yet with the magnitude of all that was happening the wedding was never disrupted. In fact, the wedding was enhanced and blessed by the events. The sign that announced the arrival of the Bridegroom was the wine that also saved a family from certain embarrassment at their wedding feast. Without fanfare Jesus turned water into the wine they needed, and then some. What’s more it was of better quality than they had already served – a blessing with a bonus. Wow! Jesus’ presence, wherever He is, never detracts, but always enhances and blesses.

The Bridegroom, “full of grace and truth” arrived at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14 & 16)