Lessons from the Wedding in Cana: "Do whatever He tells you."
“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.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”
(John 2:1-11)
The above story can teach us so many things.
As you can read from the above passage, people were in a celebratory mood during a wedding. Unfortunately, at a certain point there was no more wine. The absence of wine during a wedding ceremony could come across as a problem, a challenge and even as an embarrassment for the groom and the bride.
This observation leads me to the first lesson: “Even during celebratory moments, problems and challenges can occur. Simply because you are a Christian, it does not mean that there will never be a problem or a challenge in your life.”
Notice as well, that while the wine ran out, Jesus was present at the party. This leads me to the second lesson: “The presence of God in your life does not necessarily imply a total absence of problems. Many Christians tend to live in ‘la-la land’ and they assume that Christianity is a full exemption from challenges. As a matter of fact, Jesus warns us that we will have abundant blessings and persecutions or challenges( Mark 10:29-30, John 16:33). It is better for every Christian to be aware of that reality so that nobody loses faith when faced with a challenge.”
When the wine was finished, the Bible does not mention what the guests were doing but It mentions what Mary decided to do. She reported the issue to Jesus because she knew what He was capable of. She had a relationship with Jesus and she had faith in Him. This leads me to the third lesson: “There is a big difference between navigating challenges without a relationship with God and navigating challenges while having a relationship with God.” Notice as well that Mary did not panic when the wine was finished because she knew there was hope.
I don’t know about you, but when I face problems, it is very difficult for me to somber into deep fear and total despair because I know who God is and what He is capable of. Instead of panicking or gossiping or complaining, Mary turns to Jesus for a solution.
Right after she reports the issue to Jesus, she turns to the servants and says to them: “ “Do whatever he tells you.”
Indeed, new wine was generated through the instructions that Jesus gave to the servants. This leads me to the last lesson of today’s message: “ Though prayer is extremely important, there are many problems and challenges that will not go away just by praying or through mere talk. Many problems will go away once you obey an instruction received from God.”
Prayer should be a conversation between you and God. Prayer is not supposed to be your own monologue. When you pray, you should expect God to talk back to you. Not all responses from God will be instructions. However, when God gives instructions, you should follow and obey them. Life and solutions are contained in those instructions.
Many people are stuck in stubborn challenges because they ignore or don’t like the instructions sent by God. Those people are often the first ones to debate and refute the Scriptures…
There are certain problems that will go away with prayers, worship, words of authority (over demons) and Scripture confession. And there are certain problems that will be solved only when you will obey the instruction from the Lord.
You will need the discernment to classify those problems with their types of solutions.
That was it for today’s meditation and God bless you.