(John 2:4)
�Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.�
Our text verse today approached the crux of the matter of the narrative. Mary begins to ask Jesus to rectify the situation.
On the face of the conversation this is not a request. It seems that Mary is simply informing Jesus of the problem. But, later when we see Mary instructing the servants to follow the instructions of Jesus, we see that this was presenting information with the hope and expectation of finding a solution in Jesus.
I would expect that Jesus already knew of the situation even before Mary came to speak with Him. Still, Mary came to Him with the problem and spoke to Him about it.
Jesus also knows all about our own trouble, trials and temptation. Still, He values that time of fellowship when we approach the Throne of Grace with our petitions. Speaking with Him is our vast privilege. Petitioning Him with our needs and wants is our right as Blood bought saints of the Cross. Seeking redress is our hearts faith, shrouded in our vocalized words, expecting the fulfilling of our soul�s aspirations.
We are blessed by the audience with the Savior.
Part of the fact of this vocalized prayer is the realization that we have an obligation to Him, as well.
I was watching my grandson a few minutes ago as he played with his toy cars. Each of those cars was stationary until Elijah�s hand came into contact with the toy. The, with much �vroom� on his part, the little plastic and steel vehicles moved into motion. These little toy cars had no power on their own; they are inanimate objects. But, when the power of the little boy�s arm and imagination came upon them they began to move across the floor taking part in whatever game his little mind had conceived.
The toy cars moved.
In somewhat the same manner, we must move as the Hand of God lays upon our minds. It is our duty to move as His great will and mind deem what and when our actions ought to be. The fact that God has given us a free will does not release us from the obligation to be instruments of His will in the world of humanity.
Our free will does give us the ability to disobey. Our free will gives us the ability to shun His great love. Our free will also, this is pure joy, will give to us the ability to respond to His Own love and join with Him in the work of eternity. Our free will allows us to love Him Who first loved us!
How we react to, and with, Him is a picture of our true faith and devotion toward Him.
Notice in our text the preaching of Jesus. �Jesus saith unto her��
This is a personal response. Jesus did not respond to the entire room full of guests; He responded to the one who had spoken with Him.
This is the way it is in the salvation experience. God does not fish form humanity with a great net. God angles for individual sinners with a fish hook.
Out upon the ocean there are great fishing trawlers. These will lay out lines and snag whatever fish happen to fall into their nets. The fish are then brought on board the ship and sent to a holding bin until they are loaded off and sent to factories where those fish are processed and put into packaging for distribution and sale. The actual fishermen have very little interest in the fish, themselves. Those fishermen are interested in the volume of fish.
Sadly, many of our church ministries are like this. We become so enamored of having �notches� on the handle of our Bibles, and numbers on our Sunday School boards, that we fail to consider last weeks �catch.� We are so intent on the hunt that we fail to consider that which we have hunted.
Although I am speaking somewhat critical of these �assembly line churches and ministries,� I must acknowledge that they are seeking the lost. That is a good thing in light of the Great Commission.
�Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.� (Matthew 28:19 - 20)
But, at the same time I must observe that many of these �mega church� groups are falling woefully short on the second part of the Great Commission. They are offering little in the way of teaching on the great Bible truths and doctrinal specifics. They are raising up a generation of baby Christians who will have no doctrinal stability and will be ripe targets for cultist to snatch away.
It is difficult to really believe in something that you have not been taught.
Other ministries are using the hook rather than the net. Have you ever been to someone�s home and seen a mounted fish? This is a fish that some one person has caught. This person was very proud of this fish. He wants the entire world to see this fish.
Now, I know that the analogy fails because this fish is not released to go and find more fish, as would be the need of the born again Christian. But, I�d like to just notice that while the fisherman with the hook may catch many fish, each fish remains special. It is individually taken from the hook. It is individually processed.
God calls us like this. He calls each of us individually. There may be many saved in a group at a great rally, or only one saved at a time in a home or park bench. But, each is the special prize of the Lord. God expects His ministers, and we are all ministers as Christians, to care for, teach and send forth those who respond to His call. Each and every person called and saved is called and saved for a purpose.
This is also, the personal response, the way it is in the succoring experience of the Christian.
�Succor� is word which means to help, or to give assistance. This Jesus is always ready to do for us. I would imagine that most of you have read the poem Footprints. This is a poem where a person dreams that He and Jesus are walking on a sandy beach. He sees two sets of footprints most of the time. Once in a while, however, he sees only one set of footprints. The dreamer asks Jesus why this is so. Jesus replies that these times, when there is only one set of footprints, is when the going is hard and Jesus has to carry that person.
We have the right to go to Jesus with our problems and needs. He is always just a prayer away. More than that, He is always by our side waiting for those prayers. When my granddaughter was younger I once bought her a bag of candy. I held it out in front of her to see her reaction. After waiting a few minutes she finally said, �Give me some candy.�
I gave her the entire bag. All I was waiting for, I�d already decided that this was for her, was for her to ask.
Might not God be doing the same with your unasked petitions?
To Mary Jesus gave not only a person response; He gave a personal reply.
A response could be only the acknowledgment that a thing has been noticed.
Several years ago Linda and I were driving through a large city. A car started to pull out in front of us - actually right next to us! Linda swerved a little and honked her horn to avoid the accident waiting to happen. The other car quickly pulled back into its own lane.
The passenger in the other car gave us a hand signal, well, it wasn�t really a �hand� signal it was more of a �finger� signal, to announce her displeasure at Linda for having honked at them and helping them to avoid an accident.
I remember the incident because I was in our passenger seat while Linda was taking her turn at driving so I was the one to whom the gesture was presented. My response was just to gaze back with utter disbelief and surprise that this �lady� would be so upset. I was just surprised and we continued on our way.
That was a response. No conversation. I just responded to the incident.
But, Jesus gave a reply. He spoke and interacted with Mary.
Jesus will never ignore you. He might answer with a �no,� or a �wait;� but He will never not answer. Jesus cares too much for you, as evidenced both by the sacrifice He endured to offer you salvation and the conviction which He placed upon your heart when He called you into that salvation, to ever just respond. His desire for fellowship with us is one guarantee that He will always reply.
Jesus also gave a profound recognition to Mary. Some, not considering the culture of the time, might consider that His verbal reply was somewhat curt, must consider that He took the time to explain the situation and then acted upon her request.
Consider the fact that Jesus said it was not time for this sort of display and then the fact that He answered her petition. Jesus is always ready to do more for us than we can even imagine if we ask in His will. Our motives need to be pure, not those of self promotion. Our motives need to be based in the known will of God as revealed in His inspired and preserved Word. Our motives need to be asked in the Spirit of God.
Jesus will give the desires of our hearts when our hearts are grounded upon the things of God.
As Mary had spoken to Jesus, note also the penetrating question of the Savior. ��Woman, what have I to do with thee?�
This was an answer not expected. I don�t really know what kind of an answer Mary might have been expecting. She could have been waiting for, �I�ll go and do something about it.� She could have been waiting for, �This is the problem of the bride and groom.� She could have been waiting for, �I feel bad about the situation, too!�
But, the answer of Jesus did not even dwell on the problem at hand. The answer of Jesus dwelt on Mary, the one who had asked the question.
This happens in our prayer lives as well.
I recall the story about two teenage boys who were late for school. Both were Christians. Tom had been a Christian for some time. Jerry was a new Christian.
Jerry said, �We are going to be late for school. Let�s kneel down and pray that we�ll get there in time.�
Tom said, �No. I think it would be better if we prayed while we were running toward the school!�
Tom was, of course, right. Effective prayer does not rely upon the position of our bodies. Effective prayer relies upon the position of our hearts.
When we pray we need to examine the depths of our own hearts. God knows what is there anyway. We�re not going to �con� Him! If our hearts are filled with lust and hate, our prayers will reflect a concern about other people rather than their soul�s need. Neither will this prayer be centered upon God�s will or glory.
If our prayers are filled with pride we will pray for our own aggrandizement. The most often found obstacle to an effective prayer life is idolatry. When our own pride puts us between the will of God and the prayer we speak, we are making and idol of our own selves. When our prayers have an agenda of making ourselves seem better in the eyes of the world, or our ministry growth is the object of our prayers, our prayers are but tinkling cymbals; they are not music to the ears of God.
Charles Simpson is a noted Charismatic Bible teacher. My wife used to love to hear his teaching tapes. So did I. Often I would disagree with some of his teaching. But, on this point he was dead on correct. He spoke of having prayed for revival in the town where he was preaching. He said that he�d told God all the reasons why revival was good and in the will of God. �Then,� he said (and I am paraphrasing), �It seemed that God said, �You are right Charles. This town does need revival for all the reasons you�ve listed. Would you mind if I sent it through the church down the street rather than your church?��
The meaning was crystal clear. There are times when we do good and religious things simply so others will see how good and religious we are. Don�t live so as to gain an unseemly pride in your own humility!
The answer of Jesus to His earthly mother was also not an answer which was experienced. It was centered upon Jesus rather than upon the Mary who made the request.
Preacher, how much time do you spend trying to protect God from those humanistic liberals? That�s not our calling!
We are called to preach the Gospel message that Jesus Christ died in time so that others might live in eternity. We are called to preach doctrine to those who have experienced this truth in their own lives and have accepted Jesus as their own personal Savior. We are called to preach the message of the Scripture. Our message is to be all about Him rather than about ourselves.
I have a real problems with those preachers who attempt to change society one person at a time. Brethren, our calling is to change souls one person at a time. Actually, that�s not entirely true. We are called to present Jesus to people and allow Him to change those souls.
I think that it is somewhat obvious from the text that Jesus had not yet performed any miracles during His earthly life. Those stories from the Gnostic (false) Gospel of Thomas can be dismissed out of hand. I don�t know what Mary was expecting. I do know that she was wise in saying that the voice of Jesus be followed.
The truth, again, is that this answer of Jesus was an answer that was empowering.
Jesus worked a miracle which suspended the physical laws of the universe. As the Author and Sustainer of this universe, He had every right to do so. Jesus, the God of Eternity, stands outside those physical laws which we understand and is capable of substituting His authority over theirs any time He pleases.
I spoke earlier of my grandson playing with his toy cars. His entire game if predicted on whatever his imagination may find to do. The cars are simply tools of his pleasure to use as he pleases. Sometimes he makes the cars fly. Sometimes he makes the cars talk. He can do this because they are his toys.
Jesus has the same right of flexibility over physical laws because those laws are His to begin with.
You can trust Him with your needs whatever they may be. He is bound only by His Own boundless love!
Finally, may we consider the prophecy of the Savior at this point. ��mine hour is not yet come.�
The time of the preaching and ministry of Jesus had not yet come.
When we see the mighty miracles of Jesus in the New Testament we always see that they are for a purpose. In the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus is led to Herod�s swimming pool. Herod sings this ditty to Jesus: �Show to me that you�re no fool / walk across my swimming pool.� That may not be a completely correct quotation; I�m trying to recite from memory.
Blasphemy! But, the concept is correct.
Jesus is not displayed as a court jester, or a stage magician, in the New Testament accounts. Jesus did not perform miracle to simply exhibit His power. His purpose was to restore that which sin had taken away.
Sin had blinded eyes. Jesus healed blind eyes. Sin had caused paralysis. Jesus healed lame limbs. Sin had separated humanity. Jesus healed the leper so that they could rejoin society. Sin had caused hunger in the world. Jesus fed the multitudes. Sin had caused death. Jesus raised the dead to life. Sin had caused man to be separated from God. Jesus went to the cross, died and rose again as the atonement for the sin of the world.
The time of Jesus had not yet come because His time of ministry had not yet come. John the Baptist had come to be the forerunner of the Messiah. The time of John was not yet fulfilled.
God does things decently and in order according to His eternal plan.
The time of Jesus had not yet come in regard to the prophecy of His sacrifice.
The entire ministry of Jesus had a goal. It was headed toward a conclusion.
God does not do things without a purpose. When God inspired His message to mankind it was so that mankind could read that message, gain a view of the holiness of God, gain a view of the person of God, gain a view of the sinfulness of sin, and gain a view of how to regain that relationship with God which would cure the sin nature that had come about by the fall of Adam.
Yet, we have theologians and critics in this day who claim that God�s eternal and inspired Word was consigned to the dust heap of history until sinful mankind was able to piece it back together, mostly back together, in the late 1800�s.
Blasphemy!
The prophecy of the Bible was for a purpose. There may be those who argue that the Bible is flawed from human contamination. But, they need to explain how the great power of God would allow that to happen. The message is secure and eternal because God is secure and eternal.
God gave us the Biblical record because He loved us. Unless that love has failed, he has preserved His Word!
This statement that the time of Jesus was not yet come is also a pronouncement of His love. He came for a purpose and would not leave until He had accomplished that purpose. That purpose was to die in time so that others might live in eternity.
You are one of those for whom Jesus died. Have you accepted Him as your Savior? Do it today!