... what if the miracle you’ve been praying for, crying out to God for, is just on the other side of that small step of obedience? Will you obey? Will you do what He tells you to do?
Have you ever wondered why Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine? I know alcohol is a pretty hot topic down here in the Bible Belt, and talking about it really punches some people’s buttons. More often than not, when I’ve heard preachers talk about this miracle, found in John 2, the passage has been used as a commentary on drinking. I just want to warn you—if you think that John 2 is a commentary on social drinking, then you’ve missed the point of the whole thing. In short, Jesus is pro-wine, and if you don’t think so, just wait until He returns. I thought about giving you my thoughts on it here, but to do so seems a departure from the point. So, if you want my thoughts on what the Bible has to say about drinking, I’ve included a commentary in the back of this book. But whatever the reason for Jesus’ first miracle, I sometimes wonder if it didn’t have as much to do with Jesus’ mom as anything else.
John, chapter 2. “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman . . .’” (vv. 1-4). If it feels sharp or terse, that’s because it is. The NLT translation doesn’t do it justice. And the NLT translators even throw the word dear in there, but the Greek does not say, “dear woman,” it just says, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” (ESV) By the way, don’t ever quote that because you think it’s cool. This verse is to be read and meditated upon, not to be quoted to your mom or your wife! And you might say, “But, Jesus—”
Stop. You’re not Jesus. Don’t ever say it.
Jesus says to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Underline that. Bookmark it. We’re coming back to it. In short, that hour is the hour when he pushes up on the cross and says, “Tetelestai!” It is finished.
In Jesus’ culture, it was a huge embarrassment to run out of wine at a wedding. Especially for the groom. He’s had a year to prepare for this week, and to run out so early in the celebration does not bode well for his marriage. Mary understands this, so she taps Jesus on the shoulder. But think about it. Why would she go and talk to Jesus?
Because she knows He can do something about it.
And even though He hasn’t performed a miracle yet, she’s not forgotten that very first miracle, when the angel showed up in her bedroom and said, “Mary, you are with child and you are pregnant.” And she said, “Hey, listen, I know I failed a health class, but there’s a pre- requisite to pregnancy that I have not participated in.” And the angel essentially said, “Well, guess what? It’s God’s baby. And he’s in there. Merry Christmas.” Scripture says, She hid these things in her heart.
Mary knows full well that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and He can do anything. Remember, that’s what she told the angel: “With God all things are possible.” So she says, “Hey, listen, they’re out of wine.” And then—don’t miss this—here’s the best advice in all of the Scriptures. She tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you to do.”
Bam! Mic drop. How different would all of our lives be if we just did that?
Recently I was having a pretty intense conversation with one of my children based on some unwise decisions they had made. To make my point that their obedience to me would lead only to freedom, these words came out of my mouth: “If you would just do what I say, your life would be so amazing.” And the Spirit of God nudged me. It felt like He said, “Say that again.” Does the Spirit of God ever sound a little sarcastic to you? And as I repeated the words I thought, “Okay, God. I got it. If I would just do what YOU say to do, my life would be amazing.” Point taken.
John 2:6 says, “Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification.” In the first century, there were ceremonial washings all over the place. I don’t know if you’ve seen the Jesus movies on TV, but there’s a whole lot of beach and not a lot of ocean. It’s really sandy. Everybody’s dirty all the time. When you arrived anywhere you wouldn’t have time to shower like we do today. You’d wash your hands, and you would do it ceremonially by sticking your hands all the way up to your elbows into these big stone jars, washing all the dirt off your hands, and then shaking them dry.
Also, first-century weddings would last for a week. Meaning, people had been washing their hands in these jars over and over and over. Each jar held twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus turns to the servants and says, “Fill the jars with water,” and they fill them to the brim. And when they had, He said, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”
Think about the servants. Put yourself in their shoes. They think they’re about to prank the master of the feast. I know he’s had some wine. You think he’ll notice if we slip him some nasty, dirty water? Do you know where their hands have been? Now imagine their surprise when the master of the feast tasted the water, now wine.
From the servants’ obedience, Jesus turned something nasty and dirty into something entirely new. And perfect. Chances are good it was the best wine this earth has ever known. Could He have performed that miracle without the servants’ help? Sure. But He didn’t. He chose to use them for His good and to accomplish His purposes. And, if you think about it, He allowed them the joy of seeing it happen. The did-you-see-that moment. But remember what was required for them to see it. That makes me wonder—what if the miracle you’ve been praying for, crying out to God for, is just on the other side of that small step of obedience? Will you obey? Will you do what He tells you to do?
Excerpted from Anything Is Possible: How Nine Miracles of Jesus Reveal God’s Love for You by Joby Martin. Used with permission from FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Oshin Khandelwal
Joby Martin is the founder and lead pastor of The Church of Eleven22 in Jacksonville, Florida. Since launching the church in 2012, he has led a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. In addition to providing The Church of Eleven22 with vision and leadership, Pastor Joby is an author, national and international preacher and teacher.
