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Have you ever believed God was telling you to do something that makes absolutely no sense? Did you ever find yourself asking Him, “God, you want me to do what?!?” If so, there is a lesson for us to learn that comes out of an otherwise very inconsequential place.
It was an obscure corner of Galilee. Very few people knew where it was, let alone traveled to it. As a matter of fact, the village of Cana is never mentioned in the Old Testament, and it is only referred to three times in the New Testament. Most people only passed through Cana on their way to somewhere else. It wasn’t a center of activity like Jerusalem or even Capernaum. But Cana became significant one day, not because of what it was, but because of what took place there. It became significant because Jesus came there. It became significant because of how a group of people responded to Him.
Jesus came to the village to celebrate a wedding at the request of His mother. She was the guest; He was “also invited.” You know the routine – “O, and Mary, bring Jesus along with you.” He was not the guest of honor. Up to that point He had lived a fairly obscure life. He wasn’t yet well-known for His teaching, and He had not yet performed any miracles. He was primarily known as Jesus the carpenter, and Jesus the son of Joseph and Mary. By this time, Joseph had died, and Jesus was the male head of the family. So, it was only appropriate that the hosts would encourage Mary to bring Jesus along as her plus one.
The bride or bridegroom (or both) were apparently somehow related to Mary; her instructions in the household seemed to carry weight and have influence. And no one seemed to care that Jesus had brought along a group of His friends. The apostle John was one of those friends and he’s the one who records this account.(1)
But then something happened. In the scope of eternity, it would seem it was pretty minor; but in reality, it wasn’t. And to the family of the bride and groom, it was a big deal! The attendance at the wedding was larger than expected. Apparently other people had also brought uninvited friends whom the hosts had graciously received. The guests were reveling in the hospitality and the celebration of the moment, when all of a sudden someone realized that the supply of wine had run out.
Running out of refreshments for your guests is always a concern for hosts, but for Middle Easterners in the first century this would have tarnished their image and standing in the community for years to come. This was not only a social “pho-pa”; this would impact their ongoing influence, their livelihood and their respect among the people of their village, their synagogue and the entire region.
Somehow the matter was brought to Mary’s attention – either she was told, or she observed it. Understanding the implications, she turned to Jesus. She understood that the implications were huge. And she knew, no matter how big or small the problem was, she could bring it to Jesus.
Remember, to that point, Jesus’s time had “not yet come.” His public ministry had not yet begun. He’d been baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist and spent forty days fasting in the desert, but only a handful of men were following Him.
It is highly probable Jesus had attended wedding feasts with His mother prior to this one. But we never hear about those. We are told about this one, because the Father chose it to be the moment Jesus began His earthly ministry. i find it interesting that it is the apostle John who also tells us that when Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom here on earth, it will begin with another wedding feast. It will be the wedding feast of the Lamb – when He unites with His bride – the church.(2) And on that day, He will not be a “tag-along” guest, He will be both the Host and the Guest of honor – the Bridegroom. But on that day two thousand years ago in Cana, He arrived at that feast as an “escort” – or so everyone thought.
When Mary discovered the problem, she came to Jesus and said, “They have no more wine.”(3) Jesus replied, “What has this concern of yours to do with Me”?(4) He was not disrespecting His mother, rather He was making it clear that He was absolutely bound to the Father’s will in heaven and not to anyone on earth – not even His mother. He would later say, “The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.”(5) He was not at His mother’s beck and call – nor anyone else’s – except that of His Heavenly Father. That’s an important reminder for us: as we pray, we are not to ask God to join us in our plans; rather, we are to seek to join Him in His.
Also, in the midst of His Father’s plans, Jesus desired for His mother to communicate to Him exactly what she was asking Him to do. Repeatedly we see Jesus asking those who have come to Him, “What would you have Me do?” He was teaching them, as He is teaching us, that they (and we) must ask – and must ask according to God’s will. On that day, Jesus responded to the faith of His mother as it aligned with the will of the Father – and that faith was communicated to Him by her asking. The same is true for each of us.
As a result, He then invited the servants to be a part of the miracle He was about to perform. The invitation came through a word of instruction from Mary to the servants. She said, “Do whatever He tells you.”(6) The servants needed a miracle – not only would the hosts pay the price for this oversight, so would they. It would appear as if someone had failed to properly plan. The servants would be blamed. Incidentally, that’s always true of miracles – you won’t experience one until you truly need one. That was true that day in Cana – people who lived in a little-known place needed a miracle and, as they obediently responded to what Jesus told them to do, Jesus did what only He is able to do.
Now we come to the main point of this blog post. Jesus told the servants to use the six earthen vessels that were standing there – the ones that were used for the washing of hands and feet. There wasn’t anything special about those water pots. As a matter of fact, they had been crafted by a potter to be used for the mundane and the routine. But in the hands of the Master Potter they would be used for God’s glory. That which had up to that point only been used for the natural would now be used by the Master for the supernatural. The issue wasn’t the pot – it never is; it was the Potter. The pots had no ability to transform water into wine, only the Potter did. And in His hands, “any old pot” will do.
And Jesus told them to fill the pots to the brim … with water. I have a lot of admiration for the faith of those servants. Their jobs were on the line – maybe their very lives. And this Man, who they didn’t know, told them to fill the ceremonial washing pots with water – when what they needed was wine! Wouldn’t it have made more sense for Him to give them a few shekels and send them by a back way to the local merchant to pick up a few gallons of wine? But no, He told them to fill the washing pots with water – to the brim. He didn’t tell them to do anything halfway. His instruction was to go all of the way - just like His instruction is to us. Understand that these pots held twenty to thirty gallons of water each, and there were six of them. This required quite a few trips to the well. And as each moment went by, the servants were rapidly approaching the humiliation of their master and themselves.
Now, here came the real faith-tester. Jesus told the servants to withdraw some of the water back out of the pot and take it to the master of ceremonies to taste. Imagine what was going on in their minds! It’s one thing to fill the pots with water, it’s quite another to reach in and draw it back out. And yet they never questioned Him! i often wonder when the water was actually transformed – when they filled the pots or when they drew it out? I believe the bigger step of faith was in drawing it out. To their credit, the servants never hesitated! And because it aligned with the will of the Father, and because of the faith of Mary, and the faith of those servants, Jesus transformed the water into wine. Not just any wine – but the best wine anyone had ever tasted! Whatever Jesus does will ALWAYS be the best!
i often wonder what i would have done. Jesus asked them to do something that was outlandish. They had no reason to expect the outcome that occurred. But that’s why Jesus rewarded their faith. Every guest at the feast benefited from the miracle; but Mary and the servants experienced the miracle. Through their faith and obedience they became instruments that God used to bring glory to His Name. It had nothing to do with their ability. But they were faithful and obedient. And as a result, their eyes were opened to see Jesus for Who He is.
So the next time God tells you to do something, do whatever He tells you no matter how outlandish it might seem. And watch Him take the place you are standing – even if it isn’t very special – and use it as a platform for a miracle that brings Him glory!
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This post is adapted from Walking With The Master, chapter 8, entitled “What’s So Special About Cana?” This fourth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print and for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.
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(1) John 2:1-11
(2) Revelation 19:6-9
(3) John 2:3
(4) John 2:4
(5) John 5:19
(6) John 2:5
Copyright © 2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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