WATCHWORD:
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:1-5
Meditation:
Do Whatever He Tells You
Shocking! Running out of wine at a wedding? Mary, the mother of Jesus our Lord and Savior, tells US, “Do whatever he tells you.” This occurred early in the first year of Jesus’ active ministry among us. He has been baptized, spent time in the wilderness, and is now residing in Capernaum where his house has become a draw for people wanting to meet and listen to Jesus. Then Jesus and some friends travel to Nazareth where Mary will accompany them to Cana.
True, the scripture does not imply that Mary’s instruction was anything other than telling the stewards what to do. Still, it is kind of interesting to think of it MY way, you know, Blessed Mary, Mother of Jesus, telling us what to do!
We like to think of that act of turning water into wine, and try to imagine what it would have been like to witness this miracle. I used the water to wine as an analogy of the transformed life in Christ and it also appears in the form of an epiphany in the pages of my, as yet, unpublished novel, The Inn on Jericho Road.
Theologians have speculated that this moment at the wedding in Cana was the first revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. Far be it for me to argue with that point, but I believe that honor belongs to John the Baptist, who witnessed (heard) God speak, “This is my Beloved Son.” John must have suspected something. A Messiah? Oh, well. I bow to the learned ones.
But now it rests on us. We pray, “Thy will be done…” Do we live it? Do we believe He is the Way? Has that been our experience since we burned our old life bridges and accepted Christ as our Way of life? Let me answer for us – Yes. It has made ALL the difference. Lord, we don’t know what we would do if we did not follow You. It’s as simple as that. We live in Love, Divine Love, the Love of God, and without it… Unimaginable!
Our lives with Christ are as rich, sweet wine. Not “watered down”, but wine from the finest of Heavens grapes, crushed with nail-scarred hands of our Lord, and offered to us with endless refills. No extra cost! And we hear in our heart: “Do whatever He tells you.” Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, the sacrifice of your son is a precious gift. I don’t deserve it, and I could never have earned it. Thank you for your grace and mercy and love to give it to me anyway. You gave up everything for me, even though you were pure and righteous, and I am full of sin. Thank you for breaking the chains that kept me in bondage to sin. Thank you for the freedom I now have in you. I want to follow your example as your disciple. Help me to also give up everything and take up my cross. I don’t want to live in slavery to my flesh, I want to embrace the freedom that you paid for with your blood. I want to pursue my relationship with you fervently, with no attachment to the things of this world, not material things, family, jobs, money, or even my life. Help me to take up my cross daily. Amen.
