Have you ever back talked your mama? If you’re a sinner like me, you probably have. And if your mom was like my mom, she probably wasn’t too pleased about it.
When Jesus and his mother were attending the wedding at Cana, a confusing exchange happened between them. Seems like a perfect verse to explain on this Weird Verse Wednesday!
John 2:1-9
”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.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine,”
What’s the Context?
When Mary sees that there is no more wine, she tells Jesus about it. She was probably hoping that He would use His heavenly power to provide wine for the guests, thus declaring He was the Messiah. However, Jesus responds by asking her what that had to do with Him because His hour had not yet come. Jesus’ “hour” typically referred to His death on the cross. Performing the miracle publicly would have shown Jesus to be the Son of God, the ministry that ultimately led to His atoning death- the time for which had not arrived. Although Mary was His earthly mother, His response to her shows us that he was asserting his allegiance to His Father’s will. When Jesus answered her in this way, she understood what He was saying to her. That she understood Jesus to be stating His true source of authority is shown in her immediate response. She tells the servants to do whoever Jesus tells them. However, even though Jesus asserted His time had not yet come, He goes on to perform the miracle anyway.
What’s the Messianic Secret?
When we ask why Jesus often hid his identity as the promised Christ, we can better understand His response to Mary and his performance of the Miracle at Cana. Jesus is often recorded guarding his Messianic identity. Examples would be Mark 3:12, Mark 5:43, Luke 8:55, and many more. He often charged people not to tell anyone what He had done or that he was the Messiah. This is often referred to as the Messianic Secret. In Jesus’ day, many were awaiting for a Messiah who would be a political revolutionary. The people were mainly concerned with their political oppression from Rome and failed to grasp the entirety of the purpose of the Savior. Jesus was careful not to expose his identity to anyone who expected a revolutionary. This would have led to the Roman Government killing Jesus before His appointed time. There was a string of events that God set upon the perfect timeline, and Jesus often made sure those events didn’t happen too soon.
Why did Jesus Perform the Miracle After Telling Mary His Time has not Yet Come?
That Jesus was expressing His heavenly authority paired with His desire to keep His identity hidden until the perfect time probably explains why Jesus told Mary that his time had not yet come. When Jesus went on to turn the water into wine, He didn’t perform it in a very public manner. The servants knew (v.9) , and Jesus’ disciples knew. As we are told in verse 11, He manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him. But the wedding guests and the master of the feast remained ignorant of the miracle. A similar event is recorded in John 7 when Jesus tells His brothers that he would not go to Judea because His time had not yet come. Then, Jesus goes in secret. Perhaps Jesus refused to perform the miracle right when Mary asked Him to because it would have had to have been done in a public manner. Instead, without rushing, he performs it quietly as to only reveal Himself to a few select people. This also could explain why Jesus didn’t go to Judea exactly when His brothers asked Him to, but later went in secret. Our perfect King is not being inconsistent in these situations. Instead, in His wisdom and obedience to the Father, He is being careful so as not to bring on the events leading to His death before their time.
What does this Passage Mean for us Today?
God keeps His promises. It is possible that Jesus turning water into wine had prophetic value. Jeremiah 31:12 says “they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—the grain, the new wine . . .” Likewise, Amos 9:14 says, “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.” That He performed his first miracle at a wedding is significant because the Church is called the Bride of Christ. And how can we not take notice of the fact that Jesus saves the wedding at Cana; he provides the wine in a way only He can do, just like he saves His bride by His blood- something only He can do. When we take communion, by drinking the fruit of the vine we remember the blood of Christ that was shed for us, His bride. God chose wine as our symbol of the blood. And without the blood of Christ, we have nothing. Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow!
Dingers, this WVW was written by our friend Maddie Bailey. Maddie enjoys reading, studying theology, and writing for her blog, Maddie's Meanderings. Her prayer is to see a rise in Christian women pushing back against the lies they're being told about motherhood and marriage, and to encourage women with God's truth. You can find more of her posts at - https://pharrmaddie.wixsite.com/maddiesmeanderings