The Time Has Come
6 min read
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
John 2:3-7
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Some people might read this episode and think, “Aha! It is OK to drink alcohol!” Of course, that is not the point of why John documented this story at all.
Thankfully, John explicitly gave us the reason he wrote this gospel:
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31
And so what are the details of this account that point me to the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Is it simply that Jesus turned water into wine? Obviously, that is a significant part of it. But there is so much more in the “non-supernatural” details that reveal to me the heart of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus, and God’s desire for the kind of servant He wants me to be.
There’s the detail that wine in the Bible symbolizes abundance and joy as gifts of God. Is joy running out in my life?
There’s the detail that the stone jars were ceremonial jars used for washing. Am I finding the traditions of culture (like Christmas) and the traditions of faith (like church) meaningless and useless in my life?
There’s the detail that Jesus’s mother overrode the Son of God’s objection and pulled out her “I’m still Your mother” card because of her love for the family throwing the wedding. Wow. There is a lot I can unpack here.
In the past, I’ve been taught that the lesson is that we should take our concerns to Jesus, like Mary did. And we certainly should. But she used her relationship as Jesus’s mother to press Him into doing something. When our concerns are dire and born of great love, will I press Jesus like that or just say, “Oh well”?
Not only that, if Jesus had pressed His own objection and refused to act, Mary would have lost “face”—a lot of it. But because of His love for her, He acted, knowing that doing so would usher in His “time” that would lead to the cross. Do I have that kind of concern for saving the “face” of everyone God has entrusted to my care—even if it might end well for me?
And then, there are the servants. Of course, they were servants. They had no choice but to follow orders, no questions asked. But even though they were obligated to follow orders, they were the only ones outside of Jesus’s inner circle who witnessed the miracle and the ushering in of the “time” of the coming Messiah. Can I obey the Lord with such simplicity so that I may witness the power of the Holy Spirit in this age?
Father, You are God, and You are so, so good. I am but a sinner who thinks way to highly of myself more often that I would like to admit. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for calling me to be Your servant. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
