On most days my goal is to be more like Jesus. But when I read this story, and see how the servants trusted her, and God listened to her, I want to be more like Mary.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding- from the Book of John
One thing that is apparent to me, as I look at the story of the Wedding and the Wine, is that the central character of this story is not the couple who is being married, for their names are not even mentioned. It is not the governor of the feast. It is not the servants. It is not the disciples. It is not the Lord Himself, although most certainly He is an important part, for He is the reason the book of John was written.
The central character was not part of the wedding party, and did not sit at the main table. The central character did not help with the details of the planning, or help with the work of the event. This character did not perform a miracle, and was not called to sit at the feet of the Master. The central character was Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The Lord and His disciples were there because of Mary. She was the one who was held in high esteem by the servants, and probably by the couple themselves. It is clear that Mary was chosen for the wedding. If there was any culling of the guest list, Mary’s name survived it.
It was not the first time Mary was chosen. God Himself chose Mary, and He chose her for the same reasons that the couple chose her for the wedding guest list. One of those reasons was that she was a woman who listened. Mary was a very good listener.
When the angel came with the announcement that she was chosen to bear the child of the Heavenly Father, she listened. She listened deeply, with all of her heart, and with great understanding. She had been listening to God much of her young life, and she continued to listen deeply after the birth of her Son, not only to God, but to others as well. She would listen to their problems, their stories, their conversations about the events of the day, with deep and keen interest. It was easy to talk to Mary. She would draw you out. She would ask your opinion. Her ears would perk up if you started to tell your story.
When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Mary was chosen because she had understanding. If you deeply and intently listen to others, and if you deeply and intently listen to God, God grants to such a person a rare gift, the gift of understanding.
Knowledge is when you know what you are thinking, and why. Understanding is when you know what the other person is thinking and why. Knowledge is good. Understanding is better! Mary had that!
There is a reason the servants were standing near when Mary spoke the words, “They have no wine.” The servants did not go to the couple being married. The servants did not go to the governor of the feast. They did not go the Lord Himself. Each of these had the capacity to solve the problem. Instead, when the servants noted that the wine was gone, they went to a person they knew would listen to them, and would understand the dilemma. They went to Mary.
When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Mary had deep understanding. She understood that her Son, like all males, already had an agenda for the day, and that agenda did not include turning water into wine. God has perfect plan in place. Approaching God for help successfully takes this into consideration. It is not wise to ask for God’s help by starting off with the premise that God has screwed up, and He needs your artful intervention to fix things. God is not asleep at the switch. He knows what He is doing.
She understood the consequences of offending the wedding guest. To make a marriage work, it takes everybody’s help. This is the reason why so many marriages fail today. We are quick to intercede with advice that breaks up relationships. We hold the offending parties to a high, almost impossible standard, and then if one of them fails to make the grade, we quickly advise to cut the losses, and bail out. We don’t want to do the painful, tedious work of listening with understanding, and prayerful and respectfully approaching the only Person Who can really make a difference, The Lord God Almighty. All of this takes time and effort. It is an effort that few of us are willing to make.
Mary also understood the nature of God’s perfect plan, the incredible effort and work that God has made to put our worlds together, a world filled with joy and beauty and love and friendship and mistakes and failures and learning and struggles. Yet she boldly, but reverently suggested an improvement, an upgrade, an innovation, for she knew that it is a desire of God that His Children be a part of the planning process.
God had to literally check the consequences of this bold move to see how it would echo through the hallways of Eternity. In a moment the massive mind of God double checked every possibility, and saw that the suggestion was a good one. The same mind that saw the details of the Cross, and the motion picture in exquisite detail of the return of Christ, shifted His massive mental gears and added an addenda to the planned Word of God. So now, 2000 years later, on Valentines Day, because of coincidental timing, I am sharing this story from the Word of God with you, a story that, before Mary came into the picture, was not in God’s plan, but is now shared at thousands of weddings, if not millions of weddings, and read in pulpits, and mulled over in devotions, innumerable times.
This all happened because of Mary. She listened, and she understood, and a group of servants took their problem to her, and listened to her.
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water, and said…WOW!.
On most days, my singular goal is to be more like Jesus. But sometimes, when I read this story, and I think of how the servants trusted Mary so much that they followed her advice to the letter, and bore the water with trembling hands, and closed their eyes as the Master of the wedding drank, waiting for his angry reaction, for the spewing of the water from his mouth, for the humiliating reproof, and instead hearing…”WOW!” because they trusted Mary, sometimes….I want to be more like Mary.
Krispy Kremes: foundation of the USDA food pyramid. Next: chocolate & coffee, last is healthy food.
