But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ~ John 2:5
Do you remember in childhood being told to do something that made no sense to you whatsoever, but once you obeyed, it worked out? Or more recently, perhaps you’ve been trained on a new job or project? When the instructions were first outlined for you, they sounded like a foreign language, but as you went through the process yourself, it started to make sense?
Yeah, that confused “whatwhyhow” is how I first looked at Jesus. His commands didn’t make sense to me. In fact, they seemed impossible. Then I started following His instructions one by one, step by step and I started doing the Word. Wonder of wonders, the Word has changed my life!
The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions. ~ John 2:1-8
Two things strike me here, (1) Jesus talked slick to His mother, but He still obeyed her; and (2) Mary didn’t skip a beat, she pointed out what was needed and continued with her instructions as if He had agreed to remedy.
Notice there was no discussion. No back and forth. There was a stated need and instructions were given on how to fulfill that need. Those who heard the instructions simply had to do what they were told.
We later learn that the servants who followed Jesus’s instructions helped to create and provide some of the best wine the wedding guests had ever tasted.
When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”
This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him. ~ John 2:9-11
Moral of the story: The way may seem impossible and the instructions may sound nonsensical, but when we just do the Word of God in our lives, His provision manifests and our belief and faith deepens.
