Jesus and Mary at a Wedding
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, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2/1–5
This is one of my favorite scriptures. It contains one of Mary's few speeches (only two lines!) but it tells me so much about Mary and about Jesus's relationship with her. I can meditate on this scripture for days at a time and I always will find something new to think about.
First, the scene: I imagine that it's after dark, because the party has run out of wine, and that tells me the party has been in progress for a while. I imagine that there are many guests at the party for the same reason: they are without wine and the party is still going strong. I imagine that the people throwing the party have some money because they have a wine steward and a number of servants who are there to take care of the guests. So, in my imagination, I’m a bystander in a place lighted with torches, with lots of people milling around, with lots of background music and conversation, with the smell of roasted lamb and other delicacies, and with a number of people (all men, I imagine) who are drunk. This isn’t a polite afternoon tea! It’s a PARTY!
Second, the problem is noticed: I imagine that the host and the bridegroom have been made aware of the crisis, but there’s no indication that word has spread throughout the crowd. Mary, though, knows about it and this makes me think she is a close friend of someone in the wedding party. It also leads me to imagine that this friend confides in Mary because Mary is known as a kind and helpful person, who cares about her friends.
Third, Mary’s plan of action: I imagine Mary rounds up some of the servants and takes them to Jesus. Her one and only approach to this problem is to take it to Jesus and have Him solve it,. She goes to Jesus and simply says, “They have no wine.” Full stop! She doesn’t tell him what to do, she doesn’t even ask for His help. She merely tells Him that these people have a problem. Her approach to Jesus tells me several things: She knows that Jesus is open to helping people—she’s seen Him do it before. Even more interesting to me is that she knows what Jesus is capable of. Jesus must have worked a miracle or two in the past to help solve a problem for Mary or one of her friends. She and Jesus, then, are conversing in private shorthand, a language that only the two of them understand. Theirs is a close and intimate relationship.
Fourth, Jesus’s initial reaction. After Mary tells Jesus about the problem, Jesus says, “Mom!!! Why are you bringing this to me? I haven’t started preaching publicly and my disciples don’t know yet who I am or what I can do. If I do something here, it will cause me all kinds of problems. I’m just not ready yet to do anything to help these poor people. Please, Mom, go find someone else to help!”
Fifth, Mary’s reaction to Jesus’s reluctance: I see Mary here as 100% mother. I also imagine her having more to say to Jesus than John records here. Like any mother, I imagine Mary saying to Jesus, “You don’t have to do anything spectacular, just get them enough wine to get them through this party, Your father and I have known this family for years and I want you to do something to help them. You can deal with your friends later.” Without any agreement from Jesus, Mary simply turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever He tells you.” Not only is she confident of Jesus’s respect for her, she’s also confident of His ability to do things that are beyond human nature. Mary shows herself to be a typical, loving mother and also a woman of great faith. How could any son resist her, let alone Jesus?
“Do whatever He tells you” are Mary’s last recorded words in the New Testament. I believe these are Mary’s words to all of us who love and follow Jesus. “Listen to Him. Think about what He says, And then obey Him.”
This is one of my favorite scriptures. It contains one of Mary's few speeches (only two lines!) but it tells me so much about Mary and about Jesus's relationship with her. I can meditate on this scripture for days at a time and I always will find something new to think about.
First, the scene: I imagine that it's after dark, because the party has run out of wine, and that tells me the party has been in progress for a while. I imagine that there are many guests at the party for the same reason: they are without wine and the party is still going strong. I imagine that the people throwing the party have some money because they have a wine steward and a number of servants who are there to take care of the guests. So, in my imagination, I’m a bystander in a place lighted with torches, with lots of people milling around, with lots of background music and conversation, with the smell of roasted lamb and other delicacies, and with a number of people (all men, I imagine) who are drunk. This isn’t a polite afternoon tea! It’s a PARTY!
Second, the problem is noticed: I imagine that the host and the bridegroom have been made aware of the crisis, but there’s no indication that word has spread throughout the crowd. Mary, though, knows about it and this makes me think she is a close friend of someone in the wedding party. It also leads me to imagine that this friend confides in Mary because Mary is known as a kind and helpful person, who cares about her friends.
Third, Mary’s plan of action: I imagine Mary rounds up some of the servants and takes them to Jesus. Her one and only approach to this problem is to take it to Jesus and have Him solve it,. She goes to Jesus and simply says, “They have no wine.” Full stop! She doesn’t tell him what to do, she doesn’t even ask for His help. She merely tells Him that these people have a problem. Her approach to Jesus tells me several things: She knows that Jesus is open to helping people—she’s seen Him do it before. Even more interesting to me is that she knows what Jesus is capable of. Jesus must have worked a miracle or two in the past to help solve a problem for Mary or one of her friends. She and Jesus, then, are conversing in private shorthand, a language that only the two of them understand. Theirs is a close and intimate relationship.
Fourth, Jesus’s initial reaction. After Mary tells Jesus about the problem, Jesus says, “Mom!!! Why are you bringing this to me? I haven’t started preaching publicly and my disciples don’t know yet who I am or what I can do. If I do something here, it will cause me all kinds of problems. I’m just not ready yet to do anything to help these poor people. Please, Mom, go find someone else to help!”
Fifth, Mary’s reaction to Jesus’s reluctance: I see Mary here as 100% mother. I also imagine her having more to say to Jesus than John records here. Like any mother, I imagine Mary saying to Jesus, “You don’t have to do anything spectacular, just get them enough wine to get them through this party, Your father and I have known this family for years and I want you to do something to help them. You can deal with your friends later.” Without any agreement from Jesus, Mary simply turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever He tells you.” Not only is she confident of Jesus’s respect for her, she’s also confident of His ability to do things that are beyond human nature. Mary shows herself to be a typical, loving mother and also a woman of great faith. How could any son resist her, let alone Jesus?
“Do whatever He tells you” are Mary’s last recorded words in the New Testament. I believe these are Mary’s words to all of us who love and follow Jesus. “Listen to Him. Think about what He says, And then obey Him.”
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