John 2:1-11

The wedding at Cana is known as the place where Jesus began to publicly perform miracles. In my devotion today I was caught off guard as I watched the scene where Jesus was sitting with is disciples, brothers, mother, and probably other family members.

Up until today I had always thought along the same lines as many commentators, that the wedding feast and the first miracle were symbolic in some way, that perhaps the fact that Jesus instructed the servants to use water pots that were used for ceremonial washing was significant, indicating Jesus’ authority over ceremony? Perhaps the miracle proved that God saves the best for last, as Jesus’ miraculous wine was far superior than anything they had served at the wedding to that point. I have heard conjectures like these all my life.

Now I will say, it is true, that Jesus’ creation of wine may be significant, prophetically. Jeremiah had foretold that in the Messianic age “they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—the grain, the new wine . . .” (Jeremiah 31:12). Amos said that Israel “will plant vineyards and drink their wine” (Amos 9:14). The association of the Messiah with a time of plenty—including freely flowing wine—makes Jesus’ first miraculous sign all the more meaningful. But I don’t think that is the main point of the passage.

Listen again to what happens in the text. I think this is incredible.

1 “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

I love this exchange. I think that rather than anything negative, this is a lighthearted, even funny exchange between a mother and her son. It’s most likely possible that Mary was one of the orchestrators of this wedding feast and was feeling the pressure when the wine ran out (which in that culture would have been disastrous).

Mary looks at Jesus like, “Do something. I know you can.” And I can almost see Jesus look back at his mom and smile and say, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” In other words, God has not chosen for me to begin revealing myself to the world yet. And that’s true. Jesus had been baptized by John over a month ago, and Jesus has just spent the last 40 days fasting and gathering up half of his disciples. Jesus had not started doing miracles yet. Jesus is not opposed to doing miracles, bearing witness to the glory of God, but he just feels that it is just not the right time.

But them something incredible happens!

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Did you catch that? Whatever he says to you, no matter what, do it. This coincides perfectly with what we talked about yesterday in John 1:1-4, and John 1:42 where we learn that Jesus is the Word. He is the Word that spoke all things into existence. So when Jesus speaks, things happen. When Jesus calls Simon, Peter, the rock, that releases God’s supernatural power to change Peter into the very thing that Jesus pronounced.

We learn a couple of important things here in this text. Mary had great faith. She had already come to the point of putting her faith in Jesus. And second, the principle of “faith finds the miraculous” is true. God, it seems, at least from Jesus’ point of view, was not quite ready for Jesus to start performing miracles. But at the request of Mary, because of her great faith in her son to speak things into existence by the power of his word, God decided to begin Jesus’ miracles here instead of later. Heaven was moved through faith! And when heaven was released in their midst through the miracle, God was glorified (John 2:11)

6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

Always remember. Faith finds the miraculous. Every day. From the greatest most significant moments of our lives, to the most mundane, every day events of our lives.

 

Tim Brown is Minister of the Gallatin Church of Christ in Gallatin, TN.