Tag: cana

15.j.“Go; your son will live.”

John 4:46  So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Signs and wonders can lead a person towards belief in God, and can validate a heavenly messenger – but they can also have no effect on a person.  Signs and wonders from God are obviously good things, but they should not form the foundation of our faith. We should not depend on them to prove God to us. In themselves, signs and wonders cannot change the heart; Israel saw incredible signs at Mount Sinai and even heard the very voice of God, yet a short time later they worshipped a gold calf.  We can see true faith in this official.  He did not seek a sign to believe.  He believed in Jesus’s word.  “Go, your son will live”.  The father begged at mercy’s door for the life of his son and believed what Jesus told him.  The man said, “Come and save my son”.  It is as if the father believed Jesus could heal his son if his son was in the presence of Jesus’s touch. Jesus pointed out to this man that there was a serious issue with his faith.  I am sure the father did not expect to hear a rebuke, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”  But, after this, the father believed his son was healed at the moment Jesus said, “Go, your son lives”.  He had faith to trust in the healing.  This belief in healing at the word of Jesus grew.  It grew from, “my son will be healed because Jesus said so”, to “Jesus is the Messiah, Christ, Son of God.”  When our belief in Jesus Christ awakens our hearts, minds, and souls, we are transformed deep within.  If only we would continue to grow in faith then we might say like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, “our God can save us, but even if He doesn’t, we will not bow down and worship your idol.”  When our faith grows we come to a place where we have faith to believe but allow the purpose and plans of God to dictate the outcome without hindering our faith.

14.u. “Do whatever he tells you.”

John 2:1   On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 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.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

Shortly after Jesus told Nathanael that he would see greater things they are at a wedding in the small town Cana.  Cana was the home town of Nathanael.  This first sign of Jesus was in an insignificant place.  He did not go to a big flashy wedding but to a small village.  We should note Jesus comes to the lowly not arrogant.  His birth was proclaimed too lowly shepherds.  His disciples were from lowly occupations.  His mother was a virgin engaged to be married to Joseph a carpenter. Jesus was rejected by the teachers, rabbis, and rollers but was worshipped by the lowly.

It is hard to imagine what Mary was thinking when she told Him “They have no wine”.  Did she expect Jesus and His disciples to go buy some from somewhere?  Did she think He would do a miracle?  Even after Jesus says “Woman, what does this have to do with me?  My hour has not yet come.”, Mary tells the servants to do whatever He says.  Whatever Mary was thinking one thing is for sure, she trusted Jesus and did not lay any expectation out on what Jesus should do other than leaving it into His hands to accomplish.  There must have been some worry in Mary for the family of the bride and groom.  I have read where running out of wine at the wedding feast would have been demeaning to the family.  Mary could have been helping the bride’s family at this wedding and this could have been the reason for Jesus and His disciples being invited.  This is nothing more than speculation and adds nothing to Mary’s trust and faith and Jesus’s power over creation.  I am not sure why John laid out in detail the volume of the jars or to the fact they were filled to the brim with water.  Possibly to point out there was no way to add anything to the jars.  Mary’s trust and faith should be an example to us.  When we have a problem give it to Jesus without trying to tell Jesus how to handle it.  This reminds me of; “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  They trusted in God without laying out the expectations of what God should do.  They had faith God could save them if He chose to and they were content if He chose not to.

We do well to grow our faith and trust in Jesus to the level of being willing to allow what He deems best in our lives.  He alone is able to do more than we think and much more than we can imagine.  Why do we presume we know what is best and for that matter, how to do it?