Lent Day 5: "Do what he tells you"

So ... Jesus and his new disciples show up at a wedding. They're having a good time until they run out of wine.

We don't know how Mary, Jesus' mom, finds out about it. She goes straight to her son with the problem, with the shame this will bring on the hosts. 

And then she goes to the servants and says, "Do what he tells you."

She knows her son is special. She knows he is close to God. She thinks he might be able to help. But what can he do, really?

> Here's what happens (John 2:1-11):

On the third day there was a wedding. It took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, why are you telling me about this?” Jesus replied. “The time for me to show who I really am isn’t here yet.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do what he tells you.”

Six stone water jars stood nearby. The Jews used water from that kind of jar for special washings. They did that to make themselves pure and “clean.” Each jar could hold 20 to 30 gallons.

> Jesus knows what to do because he's in tune with his Heavenly Father. Oh, it's creative and miraculous solution.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the top.
Then he told them, “Now dip some out. Take it to the person in charge of the dinner.”

They did what he said. The person in charge tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He didn’t realize where it had come from. But the servants who had brought the water knew. 

Then the person in charge called the groom to one side. He said to him, “Everyone brings out the best wine first. They bring out the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best until now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana in Galilee was the first of his signs. Jesus showed his glory by doing this sign. And his disciples believed in him.

Is there a struggle or source of shame in your life? Has something knocked you off course or side-swiped your good life?

What is God asking you to do? Are you willing to "do what he says?"

Maybe there's a miracle waiting for your obedience during this season of Lent. Something you haven't thought of. Maybe it's something only God can do.

Popular posts from this blog

Lent Day 39: Sentenced for your crimes and mine

Image
When the Pharisees and other national leaders take Jesus to the Roman governor, they are looking for the worst punishment they can inflict, a cruel and painful death . Here are the details, from  John 18:28-19:16: Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.  So Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?’ ‘If he were not a criminal,’ they replied, ‘we would not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ they objected.  This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. > This is hardly a trial that seeks justice. Rather, it is a conspiracy to execute someone who threatens the power base and status quo. The reli...
Read more

Lent Day 31, 2024: Pruning that profits us

Image
It's painful to lose things. Sometimes we have to wave goodbye to a friendship, a job, or a home. Sometimes it seems like God is angry with us or that it's our fault. But Jesus offers a different perspective. Jesus talks about the value of the hard times, when things are pruned away.  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1-2) ." Sometimes what you leave behind is something that has outgrown its season or taken energy away from your true purpose: a fruitful life. Other times we don't know why  we are being reshaped.  It can hurt.  The writer to the Hebrews notes: " No  discipline  seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11)." Challenge: Think of som...
Read more

Day 32, Lent 2024: Disciplined because we are loved

Image
I used to get a lot of spankings. I was a wild child - and spanking was that generation's solution to put a stop to a tantrum, divert a kid's attention, or calm the storm. (Today I'd probably spend half my childhood in a naughty corner.)  As you can imagine,  I never enjoyed it. But I never doubted my parents' love for me. I knew they saw me, were doing what they thought was right, and never hit me in anger.  My fellow passengers and I endured a long flight in the USA where a 3-year-old child threw a fit when I asked for my aisle seat back. She screamed at me and her mother for 4 hours.  Her mom had no idea what to do. She  tried to cajole her daughter in her window seat. She attempted to appease her with snacks, and gave her treats. Nothing helped. That poor little girl could not settle down. Without discipline and boundaries, the youngster had no control of her emotions and demands. It was an exhausting trip for us all. I pitied her and our fellow tr...
Read more