What Do We Expect Of Jesus? | Sonia Home
John 2:1-12
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
SUMMARY
What’s Our Expectation?
When Mary pointed out to Jesus that the wine had run out at the wedding, what was she expecting him to do? Whatever her expectations were, he must have exceeded them! Of course he met the hosts’ social and emotional needs, freeing them from their shame. But he went far beyond what was necessary to plug the gap. He provided 600 litres of what was described as ‘the best wine’.
The wine at the wedding foreshadows Jesus’ blood poured out for us. We need this sort of metaphor because we can’t really get our heads round this. We have a God who is so generous, he wants to pour himself out every day into our lives.
When Mary comes to Jesus, he says ‘My time has not yet come.’ The wedding was the first time Jesus’ glory was revealed and events would then unfold until his time did come, with his death on the Cross. Jars of water for ceremonial washing would be replaced by his blood poured out and God’s forgiveness washing every believer clean.
Looking at Mary, we realise she only points out the need; she doesn’t try to suggest a solution. This can be a lesson to us – in prayer to point to the needs we perceive, while of course being open to listening and being ready to be part of solutions that might emerge.
Do you present your needs to Jesus in prayer? If so, what are your expectations? Are you ready to be amazed by God’s generosity?
Are you surprised by Jesus’ full-on attitude to celebrating at the wedding? Maybe you had pictured him as very wise, but really quite dull and potentially getting in the way of you enjoying life to the full. This account challenges images like that.
It also challenges anyone who believes that God is only interested in critical, life-threatening stuff. This wedding takes place in a very ordinary village and as a very normal part of life. The story encourages us to see that what matters to us, matters to God. So don’t hesitate to bring him the hopes and fears that weigh on your mind. In day to day normality, Jesus wants to pour his life into our own.
The story also challenges us to invite Jesus into our marriages. The Marriage Course run by B&A can help us do this. It also reminds us that the Church is called the Bride of Christ. That can sound very strange, but just as we picture God as the perfect Father, so we can see Jesus as the perfect bridegroom: utterly faithful and cherishing, making a lifelong covenant with us. And just as a wedding is a public declaration of commitment, so are our promises when we get baptized.
One more challenge: Jesus worked a miracle at that wedding. He is alive and with us today – do you expect him to work miracles in your life? When you see a problem, do you turn to Jesus, expecting him to respond overflowingly, perhaps miraculously, and to bless society with celebration, joy, wholeness and fruitfulness? Let’s ask God to raise our level of expectations – of his goodness, grace and forgiveness, pouring out into our lives.