How this transformation occurred is not explained.
Somehow, between the filling of the six 30 gallon water jugs and the tasting by the master of ceremonies, the water became wine.
No command of Jesus is recorded.
No physical interaction between Jesus and the water is described.
It all happened simply because Jesus willed it to happen.
No wonder John tells us that, when they witnessed the glorious power of their rabbi, Jesus' disciples "put their faith in Him" (John 2:11).
But the disciples are not the only ones who put their faith in Jesus that day, nor were they the first.
Jesus' mother, Mary, beat them to it.
Mary is made aware of a problem at the wedding. The hosts had run out of wine.
What an embarrassment for the wedding couple and their families!
Mary, however, figures out a solution. She will tell Jesus about it.
Jesus' response to His mother is unexpected, and even sounds outright disrespectful.
"What is to me and to you, woman?" is the literal translation. A more natural rendering would read, "Dear woman, what does your concern have to do with me?"
Jesus is not being disrespectful, but He is distancing Himself from Mary and her concerns.
In explanation He adds, "My hour has not yet come."
What Mary does next is truly surprising. Rather than walking away disappointed in her son, she tells the nearby servants, "Whatever He says to you, do."
Jesus hadn't said He would do anything about this problem. He made no promises. He even makes it sound like He's not going to take any action at all.
But Mary knows her son. She knows He is a man of compassion and of power.
She puts her faith in Him and declares it with her words to the servants. "Whatever He says to you, do."
She trusts Jesus to act in whatever matter and at whatever time He chooses.
She didn't beg from Him. She didn't argue with Him. She didn't dictate to Him.
She made known to Him the need and left the rest up to Him.
Sounds like a good way to pray.
As is so often the case in life, mother knows best.
I think Jesus comment to his mother could be translated as, "And this concerns us why?" Or "What has this to do with us?" Or even "Woman, it's not our problem." So, it's not really disengagment from her, as it it disengagment from the situation. What Mary does next, is so much as, "Well, I'm making it my problem." And so turns and says to the servant, "Whatever he might say to you, do it." Which is what one might expect from the archtype of the Church... Do what the Lord says. From Mary is confident the Lord will do something, and so she keeps the faith, and the words to the servants are to act on it. Notice, in the end the only ones to know what is going on is Mary, the servants, the disciples and the Lord. And while we can assume word gets around, the episode ends with only those who hear and know the Lord is at work in on the sign, everyone else is clueless.
ReplyDeleteOh... And I read a great article in Archeology Today, about whose wedding this might be, and why Mary was most certainly involved in or concern with the hospitality rather than being seen as spreading gossip or whatever prompted her interference... That Mary, Jesus, his 'brothers and sisters' and his disciples would all be invited... is connected in some manner to Nathanael being from Cana, and that the modern location for Cana is not correct, there is better evidence it was closer to Nazereth, and Capernaum. It debunks this as the Wedding of Jesus, which the liberals love and we know is self-evident as NO. I mean the article is by a guy who thinks Jesus could have been married but argues in favor of this being the wedding of a relative to Nathanael or someone in Nathanael's family, and argues, I think convincingly that Cana was friendly retreat for Jesus and his disciples when things got too hot politically. Anyway...