Whatever He says to you, do it

 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 set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots 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.  And 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.

After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

- John 2:1-12

 On Saturday, we read about the fourth day described in John's Gospel as the beginning of Jesus' ministry:  Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

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.  The wedding in Cana of Galilee is the setting for the first of seven signs given in John's Gospel.  John uses the word "signs" to indicate that these miraculous actions point to the presence of the kingdom of heaven -- that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  A wedding feast is an important religious symbol in the history of Israel:  it describes the union of God and God's Bride, Israel.  My study bible points out that Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee, which had a large Gentile population.  It is a sign of the spread of the gospel, and the New Covenant, to all the world.  That this wedding takes place on the third day gives us the flavor of the Resurrection -- and shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.

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."  My study bible tells us that this is an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, it says, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  John's Gospel is striking in that it portrays for us the significance of Jesus' mother here in this first sign or miracle given, and it tells us something about her importance to the early Church, particularly surrounding the times and places of John the Evangelist himself.  My study bible adds that there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage isn't complete without the presence of Christ, and second, the old covenant wasn't able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  It should be noted that in Scripture, Woman is a sacred title.  It is an address that conveys deep respect and distinction (4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; see also Genesis 2:23).  Jesus literally asks His mother, "What is that to Me and to you?"  It's a declaration that the time of revealing Himself as Christ hasn't come yet.  My study bible says that the fulfillment of Mary's request teaches us several things:  (1) that Christ is Lord over hours and seasons and isn't subject to them,  (2) that the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine fist so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs, (3) that we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28), and (4) that the intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16). 

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  These waterpots are made of stone for purposes of ritual purification; that is, stone would not contract ritual impurity according to rabbinical teaching.  Note that there are six waterpots; that is one less than the perfect seven.  It indicates, according to my study bible, the Law (illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification) was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  This water is changed into wine, which symbolizes that the old covenant is fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine that result (in the following verses) illustrate the overflowing grace Christ grants to all.

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.  And 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.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.  The transformation of the water into wine is traditionally seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

As we've noted in these early readings in John's Gospel, John gives us a week in the beginning ministry of Jesus, from the day of His baptism by John the Baptist to today's reading.  On Saturday, events described the fourth day given in the Gospel.  Today's reading starts with the phrase, on the third day, an expression which means "two days later."  (On the third day includes the current day in the calculation.)   That tells us that this wedding feast occurs on the sixth day of His ministry.  This parallels day six of creation in Genesis, the day when man and woman were created (Genesis 1:26-31).   In the final verse in today's reading, Jesus goes down to Capernaum with His mother, His brothers (or extended family), and his disciples.  This gives us the seventh day, paralleling God's rest on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3.  We notice the culmination of the reading in the gathering of all of His people together:  mother, brothers, and disciples.  This is a further sense in which the parallels to Resurrection is enforced in the text.  We note once again also the inter-relatedness of everything in the reading.  We know from future readings in John's Gospel that not all of His brothers are with Him during His earthly ministry (see John 7:1-9), but nevertheless the text gives us an indication of Jesus' role as the One who gathers together (see Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23, in which Jesus says, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters").  The presence of Jesus' mother is of the utmost importance to our understanding of the Church and its early growth.  Not only is she an essential and towering figure in her own right, but she gives us in her person the presence of the great cloud of witnesses, the communion of the saints.  One thing we note with clarity in this text is her absolute confidence in Jesus.  She directs the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  This is an example of faith to all of us.  She's not merely speaking as a mother nor an important figure at this wedding (clearly an affair of people related by clan and region), but rather as a true person of faith in Christ.  In this example she is a teacher for all of us, instructing each of us in the confidence and trust we must place in Him.  She's teaching about a kind of obedience based in love and trust, a total confidence, even a way of living one's life.   It's an indication of why she is venerated not only as a saint, but as the greatest among the saints, among human beings, for her faith in Christ.  As the one chosen to be His mother, she exemplifies more than anyone a life lived in service and love of the One sent to us.   From the beginning, she accepted the life mission she was given not only to love her Son, but to know Him as Christ.  Everything about her life is determined by this identity, this mission, to the point of exile and danger, to the witness of His death on the Cross, to future exile with the early Church (particularly in the care of the Evangelist John).  She sets the tone for us by her faith, not simply a mother's love.  Let us learn from her.