Whenever there is a human problem God solves that problem with a person. If you doubt the dignity and value of human beings, then just look at history. There are a lot of deliverers, heroes, and saints. And if you look at the Bible, you will see that God promised Eve that the problem she caused would one day be solved— by the offspring of Woman. And there were other miraculous women who had miraculous births before Elizabeth and Mary: Sarah, Rebekah, the mother of Samson, and Hannah. And we cannot forget the courageous mother of Moses. And in each case, God met a need for deliverance through a child. And often, children suffer when an important child with an important job comes on the scene. I think about the babies Pharaoh had thrown to the crocodiles in the Nile. I think of the boys Herod had killed in Bethlehem. And I often wonder, who is it on the scene today that is triggering the global onslaught of abortion and infanticide? Maybe it is this Army of Artists who are called to raise up a throne for Jesus in the earth and make a way for the coming of the Lord. Mary, is unique among the women in scripture who have unusual births. In many ways she reversed the curse that Eve unleashed by taking the risk, and being fully Woman. The Gospel of John is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is a literary masterpiece, written in simple Greek, but containing complex themes, subplots, and storylines. John the Beloved begins his book with an echo of the beginning of Genesis: In the beginning was the Word. He is telling us the creation story of the New Creation. On the first day we meet John the Baptist baptizing in the wilderness. And John foretells the coming of the Messiah. On the next day Jesus is Baptized, and given the title Lamb of God. And the Holy Spirit hovers over Jesus, just like at creation. On the next day, Jesus calls his first disciples. And John’s Gospel says on the third day, there was a wedding at Cana. If you do not understand symbols in the Bible, you will miss a lot that is happening in John’s story. The third day is very important, and is a sign and a symbol. On the third day in Hosea, it is promised, God will raise us up. John introduces the theme of resurrection right at the beginning of his gospel. John tells his story differently than the others. There is no Christmas story. We do not know where Jesus came from, so to speak. And there is no temptation story. Instead, there is a wedding. In the Red Book of this series, I say that when you come upon eating and drinking in the Bible, you have come upon the main theme of scripture: We are called to eat and drink forever with the Father as sons and daughters. And we have discovered an equally important motif: The Father is looking for a bride for his Son. After food, marriage is the most common metaphor in the Bible. And it’s no surprise that these two themes come together at the end with the Bride and the Lamb having a dinner party at their wedding. Food, marriage, and relationship are what the Bible is all about. So on the third day, the mother of Jesus went to a wedding, and it says Jesus and his disciples also came. And there was a problem. The wine ran out. Remember what I said about problems? Whenever there is a problem, God supplies a person. Mary has been waiting a long time for Jesus to start solving the problem. John’s gospel is many layered. At first glance, this is about an embarrassing situation. But John is saying a lot more. He is showing, not telling us, who Jesus is. Jesus is a king, in the line of David. Something unique about the Davidic line is the role of the Queen Mother. Beginning with Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, the mother of the King has an exalted place in the kingdom. The Queen Mother can intercede and have influence in ways that no one else can. The first time this is mentioned is I Kings 2:20 when Bathsheba is invited to share the throne with Solomon. So at this wedding, we see Mary suddenly take on this role that is described in the books of Kings. Mary approached the heir of David. And Mary speaks— “They have no wine.” And Jesus replies: “Woman.” This is not disrespect. We are on the third day of this new creation, and rather than being tempted by Satan Jesus is being tempted by a daughter of Eve to begin his ministry. Rather than tempt him to sin, or to make stones into bread, or to jump from the temple, Mary tempts Jesus to make wine and save the wedding from embarrassment. In one word Jesus connects Mary to all those women who gave birth to problem solvers and deliverers in Israel’s history. And he connects Mary to the mother of all living— the Woman. Eve. Jesus didn’t start his ministry with a battle with Rome. He didn’t begin with a big miracle crusade, or a public relations blast. Jesus began his ministry because his mother asked him for a favor at a wedding. And quietly Jesus honored his mother. And she called in the beginning before it was time. She had influence with her Son, and knew it was the third day. Honor thy Father and thy Mother that it will go well with thee in the Land. And then she gives the stewards the best advice: “Do whatever he tells you.” Listen to the Lord, and do what He tells you. And they filled twelve jars— the symbol of God’s government— with water. And when it was drawn out, it was wine. No details. No prayer. Water into wine. And the ministry was born. John would say in his first letter, in the fifth chapter, Jesus came by water and blood. At the time of Jesus wine was called the blood of the grape. There are two births mentioned in the Gospel of John. Both times water and blood flowed. The first time is here. Those twelve jars were what Mark says Jesus did after his temptation. He came preaching the Kingdom. And Jesus begins proclaiming his government with wine, and celebration, and a wedding, and some very happy (and possibly tipsy) disciples. And it was this first sign that revealed his glory, and because of this his disciples believed in him. And in the corner, there was a Woman. A very proud, and possibly relieved, mother. God had answered her prayer, and used her son, to solve the problem. Do whatever He tells you.
This is a chapter from my book Mary: Honor and Value. If my work encourages you, consider becoming a paid subscriber or buy me a coffee. Thanks.