On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Now there were six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons of water apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. He said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
The beginning of Jesus' ministry. He had gathered all his elected followers, those twelve men who were part of His inner circle. His mother was a follower as well.
I don't think Jesus' mother was exactly meddling when she spoke these words to Him. She must have known what He could do. And, what I have heard, it was not a good thing to run out of wine at a wedding in those days. It would be an embarrassment to the family. Despite the gentle rebuke, she must have still been certain He would do something because she alerted the servants. Jesus didn't do anything without His Father's command. He was always about His Father's business.
We must all keep in mind we can't force God to do something for us or someone else for that matter. Everything is in God's perfect timing. And Jesus let His mother know this. His hour had not yet come. He didn't pat her on the shoulder or give her a hug and say thanks for letting me know, Mom; I'll handle it. No, He told her gently it was none of her concern. And so it should be with us. We cannot always help God out. We can offer up our prayers for things but it is ultimately in God's hands. It's best to thank Him for the wait! Best to ask what we can learn during the wait. But we must wait upon Him and stay out of His way in the natural so He can do what He needs in the supernatural. Then it is done according to His will.
It seems odd to me though that after this encounter, Jesus seemingly promptly turns the water into wine. Might Mary have sensed He was about to do something? Was Jesus planning on doing something anyway? Maybe this was added to the Bible for just this lesson on not interfering with that which He has control over. We may never have an answer to this. I guess we just have to come away with His words, "My hour has not yet come."
There are many times in our lives when His hour has not come. There are many unanswered prayers or questions about why some things happen. We go through difficult trials and don't know how God could be working this into His plan for our lives. We can wonder all we want or get angry or frustrated. Until the trial is over we may not have the answer. But know that He is still at work. When you look back you might see how it all fell into place.
You didn't get the job you thought would be perfect; a better one shows up later. You lost something (or someone) but God provided just what He knew you would need later. The trials are used for strengthening...and even to find out how much trust and faith in God you have. Do you rely on Him more or give up? You just haven't a clue what He's up to!
His timing is perfect. Continue to trust Him for the outcome. Even the most dreadful trial can produce something great. And sometimes that trial will bring you closer to Him. That might be the case for many people.
Psalm 27:13-14 - I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
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