MONDAY, 08 March 2021 “A Wedding”

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

As we begin a new work week today, consider that 4 weeks from today is the Monday after Easter. I’m attempting to condense the nearly three years of Jesus’ ministry life into 30 days for our ‘journey to Easter 2021.’ Yesterday in John 1 we watched as 5 different men had their first encounters with Jesus, and already their lives were starting to change as they began to consider who this Jesus really is!

Today, let’s join them at a wedding… I love weddings, do you? Jewish weddings were something very special in the first century. They often included a full week of celebration as friends and family wanted to be sure the newly wed couple was launched into their life together with lots of wise advice from those older than they, and of course lots of singing, dancing and making memories.

Evidently Mary, Jesus’ mother, was invited to a wedding in the town of Cana, near to Nazareth, and she was encouraged to bring her family and their friends. So Jesus came, we presume with the five men we met yesterday, Andrew and his brother Simon Peter, John, Philip and Nathaniel. John gives us his account in John 2. Oh it must have been a fun filled time for all… until Mary pulled Jesus aside with some disturbing news.

“They have no more wine.” Mary whispered to Jesus. Maybe people drank far more than the host expected over these several days of festivity. Maybe the parents had miscalculated the number of guests. Maybe whomever they made arrangements with for wine delivery was late bringing in the next shipment? Whatever the reason this was an embarrassing moment for many people. But it caused a predicament for Jesus. You see Jesus had to be very careful about time. He knew that once He began doing miracles, His popularity would run quickly as word would spread about Him.

But Jesus had not come to do miracles, He had come to proclaim God’s truth with clarity, and eventually give His life as a sacrifice for the ransom of sin enslaved humanity. Jesus knew that death sacrifice needed to happen at the Passover celebration time, in order to have its full impact for the Jews. What should Jesus do about the empty wine carafes?

Please don’t be offended by Jesus’ response to His mother. “Woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” (John 2:4) I suspect it was a quiet, private conversation between mother and Son, as Jesus looked over the situation. Was there a way Jesus could help the crisis without drawing too much attention to Himself? Look, over there, Mary is talking to the head waiter “Do whatever He tells you.” As she said it, I suspect she pointed to Jesus. What does it tell you about Mary and her understanding of who Jesus was?

Do you remember back in the stable when she held Him in her arms for the first time, surrounded by shepherds in that stable, Luke tells us “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Luke tells us that 12 years later, as Mary and Joseph stood in the Temple looking at young Jesus debating spiritual truth with the religious scholars, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)

For 30 years Mary had pondered and treasured in her heart all she had learned about Jesus, and she knew it was only a matter of time, until Jesus would be ready to show who He really was. Perhaps, Mary thought, this crisis at this wedding might just be the time.

Can you see it? The head waiter, going over to Jesus and just looking at Him, waiting. I see Jesus leaning over to quietly say only one short sentence: “Fill the jars with water.” John explains there were six large stone water pots standing nearby, each able to hold from 20-30 gallons of water, normally used for ceremonial washing. That meant washing before meals and washing before prayer times.

I would guess the headwaiter had a furrowed brow as he urged the other servants to help him. 150 gallons is a lot of water to haul up from the well. Finally he returned to Jesus, I suspect all the while wondering… ‘so what does this have to do with our wine shortage problem?’

I think Jesus probably thanked him for his hard work, then said “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” Now that made no sense! The banquet chief wanted wine, very good wine, not well water! But, Mary had said “Do whatever He tells you!” So, he did what he was told… but can you imagine the head waiter’s astonishment when the ladle brought up beautiful red wine, not well water? Now the head waiter was really confused. He knew what he had put in those jars, and what he was bringing out was not at all the well water that he had poured in.

Can you imagine the questions? ‘Where did you get this wonderful wine, I thought we had run out? This is the best I’ve ever tasted! Why would you hold back the best wine until now?’

I imagine the headwaiter turned to point toward Jesus… but He was gone. He had slipped out quietly and quickly. This was not the time for this wedding crowd to know God had just turned water into wine at their wedding! I wonder if Mary continued to stay and simply pretended she didn’t know anything about it?

I would imagine the 5 guys with Jesus probably headed out with him… all except one. I am guessing one lingered behind, just to watch and see the reaction of the master of the banquet. Was that Simon Peter, Andrew, John, Philip or Nathaniel. Whoever it was, he didn’t linger long, just long enough to be able to report to the group what he had seen and heard. John writes: “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.” (John 2:11)

What does it mean, “His disciples believed in Him”? They had not yet heard Jesus preach a message of God’s truth. They had not yet seen anyone healed or seen Him walk on water or raise dead people to life. They’d only begun to learn about Him and they’d seen one remarkable, unexplainable event. For them and many others, the deep question which would keep them awake at night for many months was this: ‘who is this man?’

As you and I begin this work week… what is your explanation of WHO Jesus is and HOW He changed that well water into wine without a touch or a word? Here’s a more important question: What has Jesus done in your life which has turned the routine into the spectacular? Or when has Jesus come to your rescue in a difficult situation? Or most important… what are some of the ‘fingerprints’ of God in your life which are the evidence of Almighty, Creator God doing what only God can do IN you for His glory?

What ever you are facing today… is Jesus more than Big enough? Does Jesus understand it better than you do? How much do you trust Jesus today? Why not invite Jesus, right now to do in your life whatever He thinks would be for your best as He helps you become the person He designed you to be?

Here’s a song and video clip celebrating the miracle working power of Jesus as we walk with Him in these days, toward Easter…

Today’s Scripture is John 2:1-12.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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