11. What makes Jesus Marvel? (Part one of two)

John 2:1-11 read

John 2:4 ‘Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”

Mary was at the wedding. Jesus was called for too. He brought his disciples also. Things were going well until Mary overheard the servants talking about the wine running out. Mary took it upon herself to go to Jesus with the problem of no wine. She knew in her heart that Jesus could do something in this situation, or else she would not have asked. She has treasured things up in her heart about this son of hers since before he was born. She has had great miracles happen when there was a threat of Jesus getting killed when he was an infant. Joseph heard from God in dreams. This Jesus was no ordinary person. And now he is 30 years old. It must be time for him to start doing something for others She goes out on a limb and asks him to do something to help this family at this momentous occasion for their daughter and son-in-law. She knows he would do something if he could. He is so kind and loving. In verse 3, she says, “They have no wine.” Her statement was not a question, nor a demand. Just a statement. Leaving Jesus to know the situation, and now it is up to him to do something. She is relieved of her part.

“Woman, what have I to do with thee?” this seems kind of an unusual question to our ears. Sounds a bit disrespectful. I remember stumbling upon this several years ago and thinking that is against the fifth commandment! Why is Jesus being so rude to his mom?

I asked the Lord for clarification. This is Jesus after all, and, this is His mom. He would not give us an example of being disrespectful to her, would he? No. So what is going on here?

Then I remembered in Matthew 15:21-28 the Canaanite woman that came to Jesus and was begging him to have mercy on her daughter who was “grievously vexed with a devil.” Jesus did not answer a word. Then he said, verse 24, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She continued to beg him. Then He said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs.”

This is a hard saying! Jesus did not seem to be loving his neighbor! It all hinged on her response to him after this bold, and somewhat cruel treatment. She answered verse 27, “Truth Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Jesus, in verse 28, had a miraculous change of heart toward this woman who was not an Israelite. He answered, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” And the daughter was made whole at that moment!

What was the basis of this exchange? It looked like the catalyst here was faith! The woman who, in the disciples eyes, had no right to His power or mercy. But she had enough faith to turn Jesus into Love. Mercy was poured out because she came all the way to Jesus to asked Him to heal her daughter. And you know, she went back home a changed person because of her encounter with Jesus! Her daughter was whole again, and she could tell people that only Jesus had done it!

Her boldness in believing that Jesus had what she needed the whole time. Many people had come from far and wide to see Jesus heal their family members. But Jesus made this lady squirm in her faith because he knew she had the faith in Him that was necessary for her to see this miracle. (Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works) He provoked her to love and to have deeper faith that He could do this.

Also, His disciples learned that He was not sent to the just the lost sheep of Israel. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. And some people move Him in His compassion by their faith in Him.

To find out how this scripture passage ties in with the wedding at Cana, read the next post!

Thursday will bundle this all together. See you then!

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