Jesus, His Mom and the Call of the Father

The point of John's Gospel is simple. It's about one thing. Who is this Jesus? John wants to answer that question very clearly. His concern in this is not about keeping some accurate historical record, though he does that. He is very clear about why that question is important to him. This is what he writes toward the end of his Gospel: 'Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.' And here, again, we see that pattern: testimony, believing, life. John is writing what he saw and heard. This is his testimony. (Think courtroom witness.) It is his hope that those who read his Gospel will believe. Out of that will come an experience of the life of God. And the key to all of that is Jesus. Issues of life and death, in this age and the next, depend on Jesus. And that's why his book is focused on one question: Who is this Jesus?

Our text is John 2.1-12. You could divide it into three sections: the interaction between Jesus and His mother, the miracle that Jesus performs and then John's comments about the miracle. This morning we're going to take a look just at the first of those three. I plan to return to this text next week to pick up the other two. Please listen as I read.

What do we have here? There is a wedding, and a problem arises. They have run out of wine. Now, try to appreciate the significance of what's going on here. Imagine that you are the father or the mother of the bride and that, following the tradition, you are putting on the reception. Everyone has arrived. There are lots of smiles and laughter. People are enjoying a time of celebration. You watch it all, enjoying the moment. And then, the caterer comes up to you and tells you that you won't have enough food for all of your guests. I think that you will agree that this would be more than just a bit embarrassing. That's the situation in our text. So, Mary, who is, evidently, related to the family putting on the party, goes to Jesus. 'They have no wine.' That's not, 'We're going to have a problem when the wine runs out.' No, it's, 'We have a problem right now. There is no wine.' The embarrassment has already begun. So, Mary goes to her firstborn with the problem. This is probably the kind of thing that she did through the years as Jesus was growing up. And basically she says, 'Jesus, do something.'

Now, let's take a look at how Jesus responds. 'Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.' To say the least, that's an interesting reply. First, Jesus addresses Mary as 'Woman'. There's no 'Mom' or even 'Mother'. Some translations try to tone that down by rendering it something like, 'Dear Woman', but that's not what it says nor what it means. It's a bold and almost harsh, 'Woman'. What is going on here? At the very least, this feels like Jesus is putting some distance between Himself and His mother.

Jesus then adds to this bad feeling by how He finishes the sentence. '...what does this have to do with me?' Now, He's getting almost rude. Again, what is going on here? This phrase is fairly common in that day. Rendering it word for word, what Jesus said was, 'What to me and to you?' And the point of this expression is simple. 'What do we have in common here? This matter that is a concern to you is not of any concern to me.'

Jesus explains what's going on in His mind when He adds this. 'My hour has not yet come.' What is this 'hour'? Well, it's another one of those important themes in John's Gospel. Here are a couple of places where it shows up. 'So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.' 'These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.' Then there's this. 'Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.' This 'hour' is all about the Cross. When this 'hour' arrives, then He will be arrested, then He will be killed. 

So, what is Jesus' point in saying this to His mother? He is letting her know that there has been a change. Jesus has been given an agenda, a purpose, a calling by the Father. As a result, His primary concern is this calling, this 'hour', and all of His life is now to be oriented to that. He is to live the next three years with His eyes on the Cross.  So, it's as if Jesus had said, 'The problem about the wine is about social etiquette and what goes along with that. However important such things might be to you, they do not have a role to play in My calling. Such things were important to Me when I was home and called you 'Mom'. Then, I would have been eager to help you with the problem. But My life has changed. John baptized Me. I've heard the Father's call. I've begun the ministry that He has set before Me. So, I need to set aside things like this problem.'

And that's what happened. That's what Jesus' strange conversation with Mary was about. Now, before we explore more of the text, let's look at how this can be of help to you.

Let's consider this first. Like many of you with your mothers, I was quite close to my mother. My mother was quite strong-willed. So, growing up was quite interesting for me as her firstborn and had its share of tense moments and conflict. But when I finally matured into adulthood and she became a Christian, we became very close. I remember weekly long‑distance phone calls and good conversations. When I got the phone call that she had died, I wailed. It is clear that Jesus was not just close to His mother but devoted to her. Some of His last words as He was dying on the Cross were about the care of His mother. 'When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.' Here is Jesus in the midst of the kind of pain that none of us has ever experienced. And He is making sure that His mother is cared for. Can anyone doubt His devotion to His mom?

I went through all of that to emphasize this point. Jesus said, 'No', to His mother. He left her open to deep embarrassment and that in a culture where shame was a big thing. He said, 'No'.  And why? What could interfere with the devotion of a loving son for his mom? The call of God. Jesus was on a mission. For thirty years He was a good son, caring for His mother as a good son should. But that has ended. The Father calls Him to something else. So, Jesus said, 'No'.

Here's one thing to take away from this. Having a clear sense of God's calling is so critical because, among other things, it is so helpful. First, a clear sense of what God has call you to helps you to decide when to say 'Yes' and when to say 'No'. Saying 'No' for so many, especially in certain situations, is so hard. And problems result. But that becomes a little easier when you can pose the question, 'Does doing this fit with what God has called me to do?' Being able to see things in this way can be very helpful when the request is actually a distraction from your calling. So, remember how Jesus said 'No' to His mother.

The second way this helps is that having a clear sense of what God has called you to can be so encouraging. John records these words of Jesus. 'Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”' What's this? Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the last time. The Cross looms, and Jesus is troubled by that. (Wouldn't you be?) And yet, He understands that the Father has called Him to that Cross, and so He is resolute. ‘Father, glorify your name.’ And the Father responds. 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.' The intended goal of the Cross is the glory of God. That is what Jesus is pushing for and the Father assures Him that He will succeed. Jesus follows the call of the Father and the Father responds with words of encouragement. He promises His Son success. His name will be glorified. Having a clear sense of the call of God will be an encouragement to you as you pursue that calling. The Father will have words of encouragement for you, especially when you need it most. He will promise success.

So, here's a good question for you to consider this week. What has the Father called you to? Let me address this first to you kids. I'm guessing that from time to time people have asked you what you want to be when you grow up or what kind of job you are interested in or things like that. Let me tell you what the right answer to that question is: 'Whatever God calls me to do.' So, you need to be praying, 'Father, what do you want me to do? What is your calling for the different areas of my life?' Ask Him and then listen for His reply. Having that clear sense that the Father has called you to something specific will be a great blessing to you, and it will enable you to serve Jesus well.

Now, sometimes that question, 'What has the Father called me to do?', can be answered quite easily. Just look at your situation. If you are a mother of children who are still at home, it's obvious what the Father has called you to. You're to mother those children. If that weren't the Father's call, you wouldn't have any children. But in His providence, there they are. And understanding your situation in terms of God's calling can be so helpful. You can know that whatever resources you need, the Father will provide. He will make sure that you will reach the goal that He intends for you as a mother. And beyond that, having this sense of calling gives you a framework from which you can respond wisely to requests with a 'Yes' or a 'No'. Be careful. Your children are not the center of your life. Jesus is. And the Father has not called you to enable your children's inborn self-centeredness. We are all born thinking that the world revolves around us. Don't encourage that, but do mother them.

Now, for you men who are married with children at home, guess what you are called to. You are called to be a husband and then a father and then a worker, and in that order. So, to pick just one of those, how are you doing at being a husband? Is your wife flourishing because of your care? Does she know for sure that you love her? Does she feel cherished by you? And it seems right to include here something from Paul. 'A husband should give to his wife her sexual rights, and likewise a wife to her husband.' So, is the sexual aspect of your marriage doing as well as it should be? God has called you to be a husband, and He will give you the resources you need to succeed in achieving the goal of caring for your wife and seeing her flourish.

Jesus is an example to us. He had a clear sense of His calling. As a result, He was able to do the Father's will. He knew when to say 'No' and when to say 'Yes'. And that’s why He reached the goal set before Him.  As you work at imitating Him, you will stumble. That stumbling is reminder that imitating Jesus is impossible apart from His grace, apart from the ability that only He can give. As you grow in your understanding of that very basic fact, you will also grow in your prayers, asking the Father for what you need, something that He will gladly give.

Now, back to the text. What happens next? This is what John writes. 'His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”' How interesting. Mary is not put off by Jesus' sharp comment. She continues to depend on her son just as she has done so many times from His youth.  And each time He came through. It was nothing supernatural; just loving obedience mixed with a growing wisdom. So, it is no surprise that Mary responds as she does here. And what did Jesus do? He makes sure that there is enough wine. And exactly how does this fit with His comment, 'Woman, what does this have to do with Me?' Something intriguing happened here, intriguing and helpful. Mary didn't expect a miracle. John tells us that this was Jesus' first miracle. So, what was Mary expecting? My guess is that she didn't even know what to expect. She had come to depend on her son, so she depends on Him here. I don't know if you want to call that faith. But Jesus responds, and as a result there was wine. This is more encouragement.

Many of us have been taught that we are pretty much on our own to get it right, and that not being able to do that is a sign of weakness and maybe failure. Asking for help is hard, at least when it comes to the important things. We’re supposed to be able to do it on our own. And that way of thinking bleeds over into our understanding of Jesus. But He is not at all like that. His invitation to you as you deal with the messiness of life is always the same. 'Come to Me. And come as you are: weak, weary, doubting, almost despairing at times, even without any expectation that I will make any difference. It's all right. Just come to Me.' Jesus is full of grace for people like us, people who are so caught up with and tripped up by things that actually of secondary importance; people like Mary whose concern is about what people will think. Jesus welcomes all. So, don't clean yourself up first. Just come to Jesus, and tell Him what you need. Tell Him what's going on. That's what Mary did and see what happened? A miracle.

Jesus responded to Mary and her concern. Why? In doing this, He didn't change His mind about what was His first concern. He didn't ignore His Father's call and give in to His Mom's anxiety. Rather, He took up her situation, her request, her anxiety about shame, as faulty as it was, and He incorporated it into His faithful pursuit of His calling. He used the problem to advance the agenda that the Father had given Him. What was the result of the miracle? What did John write? He didn't write, 'And everyone had a good time, and Mary was able to save face.' What did he write? 'This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.' We'll look at what this glory is about next week. But the point that you need to see is that Jesus used Mary's request to fulfill His calling. He manifested His glory. And that is so encouraging. How often are our prayers motivated by things just like Mary's request. We scurry about, anxious about some matter that may not be completely unimportant but certainly is not of critical moment. And we get all twisted up about it. How often our prayers are not about the kingdom nor pointing to Jesus so that He might become known and people rescued. Rather, they are about things as earth-shattering as being embarrassed in the eyes of some folk. What is that but having our pride dinged? Silly prayers, foolish prayers. And yet, Jesus still hears, and He still responds, and He does this in a way so that what we get stressed about is incorporated into His calling of saving the world. So, again, bring everything to Jesus. He is interested in it all. And He will somehow use even what really isn't so important to achieve His goal, the redemption of the world.

This morning we have seen how John is creating a picture of Jesus. He is answering that important question, 'Who is this Jesus?' And he has done this so that you might know Him and more of the life He offers.