For the past decade, superhero movies have been a big hit in the theaters, movies such as; Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Iron Man plus many other unique characters. Almost everyone loves and wants to believe in a hero with superpowers, a hero who helps mankind and defends against evil and the bad guys. All these characters have incredible powers and different ways of demonstrating it. But they all had at one time one dilemma that they had to face: what would be the first thing they would do with their power? As it turns out they usually responded to an unexpected circumstance where someone needed help.
If you were a young adult, say about thirty years old, and had been given all the power in the world, what would be the first thing you would do with it? Wow, now that's a question to ponder. Our responses could vary greatly depending on our personal situations and personal humility (because often our first thoughts are of ourselves). Once our thoughts move past all the fame and glory, money, mansions, and trips around the world, hopefully we would start thinking about helping others.
Jesus also faced a similar dilemma, as we read in John 2 1-11. "There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'"
Wow, let's stop there for a moment! What did she know of Jesus' powers? My answer would be purely speculation (the Apocryphal books indicate Jesus did some childhood miracles), but she knew something, and she had no doubts about it. She also just put Jesus on the spot—the nerve of his mother. True, this problem or situation involving the wine at a wedding would be very embarrassing to a host, also a dishonor to the bride and groom. However, that didn't seem to bother Jesus too much. But, what His mother wanted did bother him. Many mothers, including Mary, have the tendency to be somewhat controlling or protective over their children. But in our story, Mary was a widow with a very special and gifted child. Jesus was now a man ready to embark on his mission in life, and she wanted to help just a little. And just like all mothers, maybe she wanted to save her friends (the parents of the party) from an embarrassing situation. Jesus' reference to her as "woman" seemed to show he was a little annoyed with her interference. But, she was still His mother.
This was probably not the place or the way that Jesus thought his ministry would begin. He was there with his friends, maybe visiting with a few others and having a good time; perhaps having a good time before his work began. This lesson should also be considered by all God's sons and daughters. (God's will doesn't always line up with people's expectations. Even His promises can be fulfilled differently than expected, or sometimes extend beyond a person's time on earth.) Anyway let me continue; "Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the waterpots with water.'" (Notice, Jesus didn't ask the host and the guest to gather around to see the first miracle He was about to perform.) "So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.' So they took it to him."
Remember what these pots were used for. The guests coming to the wedding usually washed their hands and feet. Nothing in the scripture text indicated they were emptied, only that they were filled to the brim. Now that's a thought to tell your host, after he takes a drink. Anyway, "The headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have saved the best until last.'" What God does is always better than what any man can do, no matter what was seen before.
So why did Jesus do the miracle? I don't think it was to help the wedding party guests have their fill of wine and get drunk. He could have had the waiters fill just one or two pots and that would have been enough. Nor was it to keep His mother Mary from embarrassment, by granting her wish. I believe it was a matter of honoring her and honoring her faith, "Whatever He says to you, do it." There is no question of her faith in her son Jesus; and God always honors that faith. Therefore, she was the first of many others to see faith honored. But she was also his mother. Even though in the Kingdom of God there are not the emotional ties we as humans have, Jesus still fulfilled all the laws and commandments of the Old Testament, and one of those was to honor your parents. He also knew that the human ties would eventually need to be broken, but this was not the day or the time. Jesus loved and honored her.
The Lord said, "This first miracle was a prophecy, a prophecy of the greatest move of God that is about to take place." The changing of the water; which represented the sinfulness of humanity into wine—God's best. We are about to see an out pouring of His Spirit over the whole earth, the beginning of a complete supernatural change and restoration from what we seen or experienced before. The Father will make all things new.
"In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh."
(Acts 2:17)
