When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And … His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” John 2:3 & 5 ESV1
Read John 2:1-12
It had been a busy few days for Jesus. He had just started His ministry. It had begun with His baptism, where He had been met by both God and man each declaring His identity and purpose. As the days passed, He had met several people. Some had decided to join Him in His ministry. Others weren’t so sure. He had traveled back and forth over the rugged landscape of Decapolis and Galilee. (See John 1:29-2:1). Now, He was ready to relax with His family and His friends, old and new, at the wedding of someone very close to Him.
Almost everyone Jesus knew was at the wedding–everyone from His mother to His newest friends, Andrew, Phillip, and Nathanael. (See John 2:2). Many He didn’t know were also there. Weddings were festive, community activities. The whole town of Cana was likely there, as well as, many from Jesus’ nearby hometown, Nazareth. Some from the other neighboring towns may have also been there. He sat there enjoying the people and festivities. But the relaxing didn’t last long.
His mother, Mary, had some level of responsibility and leadership in this wedding. My guess is that this was a family wedding, perhaps the wedding of one of Jesus’ siblings. Everything was going well until “the wine ran out” (John 2:3a). Then Mary turned to Jesus for help. (Joseph must have been gone by then, otherwise, Mary would have certainly gone to him first). Jesus was the man of the house now. She was used to Him coming through when there was a problem.
“The mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine’” (John 2:3b). This gross miscalculation could have become the talk of the town and would have been a great humiliation for the bride, groom, and their families.
At first, Jesus didn’t seem to grasp the enormity of the situation. He responded to His mother in a seemingly harsh manner. “‘Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come’” (John 2:4). But we can be sure that Jesus was not being rude. “Honor your father and mother” was one of the Ten Commandments. (See Exodus 20:12). A sinless Savior would never be breaking any of the Law. It was just that Jesus was no longer Mary’s Little Boy. He no longer needed to be taking orders from His earthly mother. His job was to listen to His Heavenly Father.
But Mary knew Jesus’ heart. Jesus had been Someone on whom she could always count to do the right thing. He had helped a thousand times before. She had full confidence that He would do something to remedy this situation. “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’” (John 2:5). Even though it was now time for Jesus to be concerned about how to fulfill the spiritual purpose for which He had come, He didn’t ignore this physical need.
“Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So, they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now’” (John 2:6-10).
When Jesus helped out, He went way above anything Mary had expected. He instantly made about 150 gallons of wine! That is a lot of wine. I don’t know how many people were at the wedding, and I don’t know how much good wine cost in those days, but this miracle was an amazing gift. Truly, “He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine” (Ephesians 3:20)!
But Jesus was up to much more than saving this wedding celebration from being a serious social flop. When Jesus answers prayer, He usually has a bigger purpose in mind than we realize. Look at verses 9 and 11 of John 2. “When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew) … This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:9 & 11). When Mary asked for help with a physical need, she was confident that Jesus would help remedy a physical problem. She had no idea how God would use what she asked to bring others closer to Himself.
Even in that society, running out of wine wasn’t the end of the world. Yet, Jesus interceded with a miracle to solve the problem. Where are you in need of a minor (or major) miracle? Go to Jesus for help. He is not too busy to be concerned about every area of your life, big or little. Jesus is, after all, a Great Teacher. Great teachers help children with little things like tying shoes, as well as, big things like Calculus. “’If then, you who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him’” (Matthew 7:11)!
He will use all things to show Himself and help you fall more in love with Him. He may even use your situation to bring others closer to Him, as well. His solution may not look like you think it should or be in your expected timing. But, in the end, it will probably be even better than you expected, because He is the best and knows best.
1Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.