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The next day there was a wedding celebration
in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his
disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so
Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear
woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” But his mother
told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John
2:1-5)
Want to see a
father's face go pale white? Then just position yourself nearby as he discovers
these three words on the box of a just-purchased toy: "Some assembly
required." What he wanted was a gift for his child; what he got was a
project. So, he goes about retrieving the minimal tools required: a
screwdriver, a hammer and a utility truck. What follows are several late-night
hours of squeezing “A” into “B,” bolting “D” into “F,” sliding “R” over “Z,”
and hoping no one notices if steps four, five and six were skipped altogether.
I'm convinced the devil’s in the details of toy assembly, and that somewhere in
perdition is a warehouse of stolen toy parts. "Some assembly
required." Not the most welcome sentence, but an honest one.
Marriage
licenses should include the words, "Some assembly required" – in large
print. Job contracts should state in bold letters, "Some assembly
required." Babies should exit the womb with a tag: "Some assembly
required." Life is a gift, albeit unassembled. It comes in pieces, and
sometimes it falls to pieces. Part “A” doesn't always fit with part “B.” Inevitably,
something seems to be missing. The pieces of life don't fit. And when they
don't, take your problem to Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, did.
“The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana
in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also
invited to the celebration.” (John
2:1-2) A common wedding. The bride wasn't the daughter of a king. The groom
wasn't a prince. Were it not for one detail, the event would've been lost in
time. The guest list. It read something like this: Benjamin of Capernaum, Simon
the craftsman, Saul, rabbi of Cana. And farther down the list: Jesus of
Nazareth. The family invited Jesus to a wedding. And since he always goes where
he’s invited, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Cana for their first
excursion. And while they were there, "the wine supply
ran out." (v. 3)
Someone apparently
underestimated the size of the crowd, or the appetite of the guests, or the
depth of the wine vats, or the number of friends Jesus would bring. Regardless
of the reason, however, the bride and groom ran out of wine. And in your world?
Maybe it’s the department ran out of cash, the team ran out of solutions, or
you ran out of gas. Life leaks. Enter, stage right, Mary, the mother of Jesus.
In my opinion, she
appears too seldom in Scripture. After all, who knew Jesus better than his
mother? She carried him for nine months. Breast-fed him for more. She heard his
first words and witnessed his first steps. She was the ultimate authority on
Jesus. So on the rare occasion when she speaks, we tend to pay attention.
"Jesus’ mother told him, ‘They have no more wine.’”
(v. 3) Mary wasn't bossy. She didn't say, "Jesus, those cute newlyweds are
out of wine, so here’s what I need you to do, son. Go down to the vineyard at
the corner of Grape and Juice streets, stimulate the growth of those Bordeaux vines,
and then turn the grapes into wine." She didn't try to fix the problem
herself.
She wasn't
critical, either. "If only they had planned better, Jesus. People just
don't think ahead, do they? What’s this society coming to anyway? The world is
going over the cliff! Help, Jesus, baby, help!" She didn't blame the host.
And she didn't blame Jesus, either. "What kind of Messiah are you? If you
were really in control, this would have never happened!" Nor did she blame
herself. "It's all my fault, Jesus. Punish me. I failed as a friend. Now
the wedding is ruined. The marriage will collapse. I’m solely to blame."
None of that. Mary didn't whine about the wine. She just stated the problem –
“they have no more wine.” “’Dear woman, that’s not our problem,’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’ But his mother told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” (John 2: 4-5)
Originally,
Jesus had no intention of saving the wedding banquet. This wasn't the manner or
place he had planned to reveal his power. But then Mary entered the story –
Mary, someone he loved – with a genuine need. And in my imagination I see Mary
turn and walk away after she makes her request. Her face is serene. Her eyes
reflect calm. She’s untroubled. She’s done everything she was supposed to do.
She identified the problem, brought it to Jesus, and left it with him. She
trusted him completely and told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
I can just see Jesus
smiling and letting out a little chuckle. His mother had just plopped the
problem in his lap, told the servants to do what he said and then walked away
like nothing had happened. At that, “Jesus said to [the servants], ‘Fill the water
pots with water.’ And they filled them to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Draw
some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.’" (vv. 7-8) The
master of the feast tasted the wine, licked his lips and said, "Wow, now that’s
great stuff!" Then he lifted his glass in a toast to the bridegroom and
complimented him for saving the best wine for last.
And while the
master of the feast noted the quality of the wine, John wanted us to observe
the quantity. Six stone jars capable of holding thirty gallons apiece. The
servants filled them to the brim. (v. 7) At Jesus' command H2O became abundant
merlot. A quick calculation reveals the amount: 908 bottles of wine. With that
kind of inventory, the couple could have started a wine boutique in Napa.
Problem presented. Prayer answered. Crisis avoided. All because Mary entrusted
the problem to Jesus.
There’s another
version of this story, however. In it, Mary never involved Jesus. She took the
master of the feast to task for his poor planning. He then took exception to
her accusations and Mary stormed out of the party. The groom overheard the
argument and lost his temper, so the bride told her groom to forget the marriage
– if he couldn't manage his anger, he couldn't manage their home. And by the
end of the day, the guests left sad, the marriage ended before it began, and
Jesus just shook his head and said, "I could've helped if only I'd been
asked." That version of the story isn't in the Bible, of course, but the
principle applies: How many disasters could be averted if we'd go first, in
faith, to Jesus?
Take your
problems to Jesus. Don't take your problems to the bar – Jim Beam can’t solve
them. Don't take your problems out on others - temper tantrums never advance
the cause. The moment you sense a problem, however large or small, take it to
Christ. “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God
your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you
will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can
understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest
as you trust in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)
An unprayed-for
problem is an embedded thorn. It festers and infects – first the finger, then
the hand, then the entire arm. Best to go straight to the person who has the
tweezers. And how does that look on you? Imagine this. It’s breakfast time, and
the family is in chaos. The daughters are complaining about their brother who
took too much time in the bathroom. As a result, their hair isn't brushed and their
makeup hasn’t been applied. Mom is doing her best to manage the conflict, but
she woke up with a headache and a long list of things to do. Dad stops at the
kitchen entryway and surveys the pandemonium. He weighs his options: (1) command
everyone to shape up and behave; (2) berate his son for dominating the
bathroom, his daughters for their poor planning, and his wife for not taking
control; or (3) sneak out before anyone notices. Or, perhaps, he could turn to prayer.
Father, you are good. I need help. Reduce
the frenzy in my house, please. Will that prayer change everything? It may.
But at least the problem will be in the hands of the One who can solve it.
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter
5:7)
Helen Roseveare
was a missionary doctor who spent twenty years in the Congo at a clinic and
orphanage. When Helen had been there almost four years, a mother died in labor
leaving behind a premature baby and a two-year-old girl. The facility had no
incubator or electricity. Dr. Roseveare's first task was to keep the newborn
warm. She sent a midwife to fetch a hot water bottle. The nurse returned with
bad news: the bottle had burst when she filled it. Even worse, that was the
last bottle. So, Dr. Roseveare instructed the midwife to sleep near the newborn.
They would seek a solution the next day. A solution was not easily found. The
clinic was in the heart of the jungle, and help was many miles away.
The following
noon the doctor mentioned her concern to the children. She told them of the
frail baby and the sad sister. A ten-year-old girl named Ruth decided to take
the problem to Jesus. "Please, God, send us a hot water bottle. It'll be
no good tomorrow, God, as the baby'll be dead; so please send it this afternoon.
And, while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl,
so she'll know You really love her?" The doctor was stunned. That prayer
could only be answered by the arrival of a parcel from home. After nearly four
years at the clinic, she'd never received a single package. Even if one came,
who would send a hot water bottle to the equator? Someone did.
Later that
afternoon a twenty-two-pound package was delivered to Helen's door. As she
called the children, she felt tears in her eyes. Could it be? They pulled off
the string and unwrapped the paper. In the box they found bandages, jerseys,
raisins, sultanas, and a brand-new hot water bottle. And at the bottom of the
box, a dolly for the little girl. The box had been shipped five months earlier.
The Lord had heard Ruth’s prayer before it was even offered.
Pieces don't
fit. Wine runs out. Water bottles burst. These are facts of life. But Jesus
responds with this invitation: "Bring your problems to me." State
them simply. Present them faithfully, and trust him reverently. Odds are you’ll
be raising a glass and proposing a toast before you know it.
Grace,
Randy
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