Do Whatever He Tells You: A Meditation on John 2 for the 2nd Sunday of Epiphany

 

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;

and the mother of Jesus was there:

 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

And when they wanted wine,

the mother of Jesus saith unto him,

They have no wine.

Jesus saith unto her,

Woman, what have I to do with thee?

 mine hour is not yet come.

His mother saith unto the servants,

Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

 

And there were set there six waterpots of stone,

after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,

 containing two or three firkins apiece.

 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water.

And they filled them up to the brim.

And he saith unto them,

Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.

And they bare it.

 

 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,

and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;)

the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine;

and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse:

but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,

and manifested forth his glory;

and his disciples believed on him.

 

There is much to be learned from this inaugural sign John records of Jesus at the wedding in Cana, but I think John helps us understand that the most important aspect of the story is the faith it generated in Jesus’ disciples.  Faith is a central intention of John’s whole Gospel, and the end of this passage points out again that even as this was the beginning of miracles Jesus performed in Galilee, the result was that it manifested forth His glory and His disciples believed on Him. What I think might be easily lost in quick readings or dramatizations of this passage, is the way faith is exhibited by both Mary and the servants at the beginning.  For one, Mary, Jesus, and the disciples are merely guests at this wedding feast, and the text does not infer why they were invited, nor that they were particularly honored guests (Jesus’ family is of humble means, and the setting is one with a big house and numerous servants.)  Secondly, when Jesus seems to dismiss the problem with the wine running out and the disgrace which might be faced by the wealthy family throwing the party, Mary’s response of do whatever He tells you does not infer that Jesus will fix the situation, but that He will do what is right.  Third might be the faith of the servants, who after doing all the labor of hauling water by hand to fill the large ceremonial pots (roughly 150 to 200 gallons worth) are called to follow Jesus’ word and take what they knew was previously only water and now appeared to be wine, to the wealthy lord of the manner.

 

Without faith, none of this would have been done.  Perhaps Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were there because someone in the wealthy family knew them, or maybe they were there because the wealthy family just let everyone in the area in to celebrate the wedding.  Regardless, it is the faith of Mary and her compassion for the wedding family that inspires her to approach Jesus with the wine problem, even though she most certainly knew that wine and revelry were not the reason her Son was born into the world.  And it was Mary’s faith in her Son which guided her response to Jesus’ mild correction (what have I to do with thee?, or perhaps otherwise rendered, what does this request have to do with my mission?) by accepting whatever Jesus would decide to do about the situation, then guiding everyone else to do the same.  It was Mary’s faith in Jesus which inspired the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do, which included a great deal of physical labor without any clarity of what would be the outcome.  Mary, as she so often is portrayed in the Scriptures and remembered down through the ages, is a model of faith working in love, trusting in Jesus her Savior, abiding in His Word, and encouraging others to do the same.  What the disciplines learned of Jesus’ majesty and glory which was building in them a living faith in the Messiah, was facilitated by the faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary as they learned also from her what it was to be a disciple of Jesus.

 

While Jesus is always the pivotal center and focus of the Scriptures, it worth taking a moment to reflect on the faith and love of Mary toward her Son.  In the modern world, faith is so often taken to be anything but what Mary showed it forth to be.  How often have Christians sought their own material benefit when approaching their Savior in prayer, rather than the benefit of others who may not even know Jesus?  How often have we demanded of God an answer to our prayers which fits our intended outcome, be it health, wealth, providence, protection, knowledge, or any host of other things, rather than being content with whatever answer the Lord might provide?  How often have we leaned on our own understanding and experience when counseling others in their problems, or silently wagged our heads at others in their self-imposed misery, rather than gently calling others to follow the path of humble faith in Jesus?  Mary, for all her blessings and honor as the Mother of God, is not the object of our faith, but like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, David, Elijah, John, Paul, Peter, and others in the biblical witness, her model of faith is worth considering.  And since Mary’s faith is one that grew in the presence of her Savior in a way unique to all other people in the history of the world, it is worth pondering the faith that Jesus gave her as we also reflect on the weakness and challenges of our own faith.

 

This I think is key to understanding the wedding feast at Cana.  Mary is not the author nor the object of her own faith.  Her faith is given to her by God, so that her life may abide in God her Savior, even as her Savior is born from her own body by the power of the Holy Spirit, and grew up under her motherly care into the fullness of wisdom, grace, and truth.  Mary’s faith is not of her own works nor made by her own powers, but given to her by grace so that she might live forever in the forgiveness, life, and salvation Jesus would win for us all by His Cross.  Mary’s gift of faith is one that works in love for her God and her neighbors, a compassion which flows from the unwarranted and unending love God first had for her.  Mary’s faith which lived humbly under the Word of the Lord came to her by that same Word, so that in her as in all others, faith would come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.  Mary is and remains a model of faith to all Christians, because what Jesus worked in her, He promises to work in us, as well, that all people might be saved by grace through faith in Him alone.

 

In this time of Epiphany, may the light of Jesus and His Word shine forth in us, and the faith He once formed in the heart of His Blessed Mother be the faith He forms in us, that we might also live and abide in Him forever.  Leave behind the selfishness and pride and fear that would cloud your gift of faith, that like Mary we might be a witness to everyone around us that Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for all mankind.  Amen.