Tuesday, February 17, 2009
John 2:1-4 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and 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 do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
CONCERN FOR ALL
Above all, Jesus was dedicated to carrying out His Father's plan to bring sinners forgiveness and to save them from an eternity of sorrow. Ever conscious of this primary purpose in His life, Jesus knew that right now was not the time or the place to reveal His identity in an outward show of His astounding power.
In His voice we hear a gentle rebuke, but a rebuke all the same. "Dear woman, why do you involve me? . . . My time has not yet come."
Yet even though she had overstepped her bounds a bit, Jesus did not dismiss His mother's concern altogether. Here to tend to the greatest problem facing mankind, Jesus was also amazingly sensitive to the small problem that this wedding couple had unknowingly bumped into.
With grace and eloquence, Jesus found a way to do it all. He satisfied His mother's request, He provided a lasting gift for the wedding couple, and He did it all in an unpretentious way. Jesus' first miraculous sign showing Himself to be the Son of God was the quiet, hidden miracle of turning 120 gallons of water into wine.
If only we could imitate our Savior in this. If we could have the wisdom and grace to listen kindly -- even to words spoken out of turn, diligently discovering the value in them, then actually pondering what our Heavenly Father would have us do, and finally doing His will regardless of what others are saying and doing. May God give us the wisdom and grace to imitate Christ in this way. To listen, to evaluate, to find the Father's will and to do it.
