The Wedding Guest - 13 Prayers

Did you plan a wedding?

I remember my own wedding…

…like it was yesterday/last month or so…It was, after all, back in 1987. I remember the music, the vows, the joy on my face when the photographer called me “Mrs. Shaull” – for the first time ever. (That’s the moment in today’s photo!) There was cake at the wedding reception. And punch. And the only hiccup was that the limo didn’t come.

We waited and waited and said our goodbyes. Then we finally climbed into Hubby’s pickup and drove off – exhausted from all the wedding hoopla.

So, all in all, that one black mark didn’t ruin the day or cause anyone (but me) undue stress. And we had a “Plan B” in place.

Not so at a wedding Jesus attended…

Wedding guest

Jesus went to a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). We know that His mother was there, and He brought some of His disciples. But we don’t know His relationship to the bride/groom. Yet, His attendance does tell us several things about Him:

His attendance shows approval of the construct of marriage.
His participation in a human celebration is evidence of His human side.
His obedience to His mother proves both His love and respect for her and her connection to the host family.

A mother’s urging

You see, the combination of a poor family and the number of guests led this family to run out of wine. And Mary approached her Son with a simple statement of fact: “They have no more wine.”

Remember, she knows exactly who He is, but she’s never seen Him do a miracle. (Although, she may have heard about those fish…read about that here.)

Now, to us, this would seem embarrassing to run short of drinks. We’d probably run down to the local WalMart and get some 2-liters. But at a first century Jewish wedding, it is a grave offense against Jewish standards of hospitality. Mary may even have had some official responsibility at this wedding to be so concerned.

His response

”Woman” This may seem harsh. I know I’d probably flip if MY son addressed me this way… However, ‘Woman’ is a term of great respect in that time and culture. In fact, Jesus used that same term to address His mother from the cross when He transferred responsibility for her to John.

”Why do you involve Me?” This moment is an important step of growth for Him. He is distancing Himself from His earthly mother. He is clarifying a separation of His heavenly mission and the earthly responsibilities of a son.

“My hour has not yet come.(v4)” He was also very aware of the time of this implied request.

Mary’s faith

There is not further discussion, but I’m almost positive the mother and Son locked eyes and an entire conversation between them was unspoken before she tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Jewish culture requires obedience and respect between mothers and sons. And Mary used that to benefit her friends. She knew Jesus could save the reputation of the family and salvage the celebration.

But, most importantly, she knew this miracle required obedience. So, her comment to the servants was simple: “Do whatever.” She didn’t know how He would fix this. But her faith told her He could.

The solution

The wedding site also had 6 large stone jars used for ceremonial washing. (Stone so they can’t become unclean.) The number 6 in Jewish culture symbolized insuffiency. And yes, there is insufficient wine. So Jesus simply told them to fill the jars.

And they did. No doubt, they were skeptical of how filling 6 jars with a total of 120-180 gallons of water could help. And just take a minute to let the magnitude of work required sink in. The didn’t go to the tap and fill the stone jars. There was no fire hose for rapid filling. They were most likely drawing buckets from a well – a gallon at a time!

And they listened to Mary, proving she had the authority to initiate this level of work. They filled all 6 jars. To the brim. And overflowing wine is a symbol of joy and blessings. But this is water…

…until Jesus told them to draw some out for the banquet master to sample. There is nothing recorded in between. Just fill ‘em up, and take some out.

Against wedding tradition

The banquet master is unaware of the drama behind the scenes. He boasts to everyone that the hosts have actually done something very unusual: They saved the best wine for last – instead of saving the cheaper wine for guests who have already had too much (v10).

In other words, Jesus – who can only create THE BEST – breaks with tradition. This is a critical thing to note. His first public miracle breaks tradition by offering something better.

That sums up His entire ministry. The Jew’s expectations and traditions for the coming Messiah wouldn’t match up with what Jesus had planned, and He started that trend at the very beginning – at a wedding.

It’s interesting to note that Moses turned water (the Nile) to blood – a curse as water is required for Life. Here Jesus turned water to wine – a symbol of sweetness and joy – for the most common relationship in life…

What it means for me:

Jesus approves of marriage – I need to keep Him in the middle of my primary relationship!
Mothers – as I’m writing this, I still have my mom – age 95, despite a recent health scare. (More about that next time.) Honor and service must be my attitude with her, following His example.
Obedience – Just as the servants worked tirelessly to fill 100+ gallons of water, I need to keep working on the task(s) He’s given ME. I may not see the payoff yet, but I will, if I keep working.
Creation is under His control – He made the vines to drink in rain and turn to the sun to grow grapes. Here, He just fast-forwarded the process.
Proof – His followers now believed in His deity. His God-ness. I should always approach Him with reverence, regardless if He’s working miracles in my face.
Priorities – The world serves the best first. Jesus saves the best for last. Satan turns good to bad, and then to worse. But Jesus transforms good into the BEST. He can transform me if I come to Him as an empty(or willing) vessel.