The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 2:4,
"'Woman, why do you involve me?' Jesus replied. 'My hour has not yet come.'"
At the time that Jesus' public ministry began to launch, there was a wedding in Cana. Mary, Jesus and his disciples were all there. Jesus and his disciples had been invited and some have speculated that Mary may have catered the event. We don't know for sure but this is suggested because during the course of the wedding, the wine served at the wedding had run out and Mary seems to take responsibility for finding a solution.
When the wine ran out, Mary approached Jesus to report it. In Jesus' response to Mary, as is pointed out by many commentaries, the language Jesus used to address his mother as "woman" in no way implies any disrespect. Our cultural norms and use of language today may lead us to think so, but in the language and culture of that day there was no disrespect expressed and it was entirely appropriate for him to address his mother in this way. This points to the need we all have to study and become more familiar with the customs and use of language that form the background of what we read in the Scriptures.
I find Jesus' response to Mary interesting. Mary brought a problem to Jesus: the wedding party had run out of wine. It seems we can safely assume that Mary was asking Jesus to provide a solution. I also assume Mary clearly thought Jesus could rectify the problem through performing some form of miracle. Otherwise approaching Jesus with the problem makes little sense. "Why do you involve me" expresses that Mary was looking to Jesus for a solution, which makes it reasonable to assume that Mary knew Jesus could perform one and resolve the issue.
Jesus responded to Mary, "My hour has not yet come" would cause us to think Jesus was going to refuse his mother. However, after he told her his hour had not yet come, he went ahead and performed a miracle by turning water into wine, and thus providing a solution to the problem.
It feels to me that Jesus was communicating he was not going to do anything about it - and yet then he did. There is another case of something similar when Jesus' brothers asked if he was going up to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles. We read in John 7:8-10, "'You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.' After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret."
Interesting, isn't it? Twice, after saying his hour, or time, had not yet come, he seems to reverse himself, or at least do what he suggested he wouldn't. No, this doesn't mean the Son of God is deceptive or dishonest in any way. Most of the comments you read follow a common theme as seen in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible on the John 7 passage, "The apparent contradiction is superficial: because the Father's appointments regulate his life, Jesus is not at that time going to the festival in line with when and how his brothers want him to go. He will go when and how the Father sanctions the trip." For the wedding passage in John 2, the same volume says, "... his [Jesus] mission and its timing must follow the Father's schedule, not human ones."
"'Woman, why do you involve me?' Jesus replied. 'My hour has not yet come.'"
At the time that Jesus' public ministry began to launch, there was a wedding in Cana. Mary, Jesus and his disciples were all there. Jesus and his disciples had been invited and some have speculated that Mary may have catered the event. We don't know for sure but this is suggested because during the course of the wedding, the wine served at the wedding had run out and Mary seems to take responsibility for finding a solution.
When the wine ran out, Mary approached Jesus to report it. In Jesus' response to Mary, as is pointed out by many commentaries, the language Jesus used to address his mother as "woman" in no way implies any disrespect. Our cultural norms and use of language today may lead us to think so, but in the language and culture of that day there was no disrespect expressed and it was entirely appropriate for him to address his mother in this way. This points to the need we all have to study and become more familiar with the customs and use of language that form the background of what we read in the Scriptures.
I find Jesus' response to Mary interesting. Mary brought a problem to Jesus: the wedding party had run out of wine. It seems we can safely assume that Mary was asking Jesus to provide a solution. I also assume Mary clearly thought Jesus could rectify the problem through performing some form of miracle. Otherwise approaching Jesus with the problem makes little sense. "Why do you involve me" expresses that Mary was looking to Jesus for a solution, which makes it reasonable to assume that Mary knew Jesus could perform one and resolve the issue.
Jesus responded to Mary, "My hour has not yet come" would cause us to think Jesus was going to refuse his mother. However, after he told her his hour had not yet come, he went ahead and performed a miracle by turning water into wine, and thus providing a solution to the problem.
It feels to me that Jesus was communicating he was not going to do anything about it - and yet then he did. There is another case of something similar when Jesus' brothers asked if he was going up to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles. We read in John 7:8-10, "'You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.' After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret."
Interesting, isn't it? Twice, after saying his hour, or time, had not yet come, he seems to reverse himself, or at least do what he suggested he wouldn't. No, this doesn't mean the Son of God is deceptive or dishonest in any way. Most of the comments you read follow a common theme as seen in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible on the John 7 passage, "The apparent contradiction is superficial: because the Father's appointments regulate his life, Jesus is not at that time going to the festival in line with when and how his brothers want him to go. He will go when and how the Father sanctions the trip." For the wedding passage in John 2, the same volume says, "... his [Jesus] mission and its timing must follow the Father's schedule, not human ones."
What do you think about these two passages?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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