Whatever He says to you, do it

 

Deesis mosaic ("Prayer") with Mary the Theotokos and St. John the Baptist in prayer before Christ on His right and left; Hagia Sophia cathedral, 13th century, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire

 

 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 u 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 

 

Yesterday our readings brought us the fourth day given in this beginning of Christ's public ministry.  After gathering His first disciples from St. John the Baptist, 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.  The third day indicates that this is the sixth day of Christ's public ministry given in St. John's Gospel.  In yesterday's reading, we were given the fourth day.  "The third day" counts the skipped middle day (the fifth) in the calculation, and so this is the sixth.  My study Bible notes that Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population; this is a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  The setting here is significant, as in the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God and God's Bride, Israel. "The third day" also gives a resurrectional tone to this event, showing that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.    My study Bible adds that by His presence at this wedding, Jesus further declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  Today's passage is read at Orthodox weddings, and the images given to us by St. John are incorporated into many prayers in the wedding service. 

 

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."  My study Bible says that this is an example given to us of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, Mary the Theotokos ("God-bearer") continually speaks to her Son on our behalf, and she is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  This is declared in an Orthodox prayer:  "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This we see in today's reading, as Jesus grants her request.  Additionally, my study Bible teaches, in this passage wine is symbolic of life, and so there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage is incomplete without the presence of Christ; and second, the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  In terms of Jesus' seeming protest to His mother, my study Bible notes that, contrary to certain modern usages, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture; it's an address which conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Jesus statement, "What does your concern have to do with Me?" is more closely rendered, "What is that to me and to you?"  However, in the Greek of the Gospel this phrase Christ utters is identical to the widow Zarephath's question to Elijah after she has lost her son following her help to the prophet in the Septuagint version of 1 Kings 17:18 (in Greek, τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί) .  Jesus' answer, therefore, is not a refusal of Mary's intercession, but a warning to her and a reminder they must both be ready for what will follow once His signs begin.

 

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 u 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!"  My study Bible tells us that waterpots were made of stone because, in accordance with rabbinical teaching, stone would not contract ritual impurity.  That there are six (one less than the perfect seven), it says, is an indication that the Law, illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  This water changed into wine therefore symbolizes the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine are an image of the overflowing grace Christ grants to all.  In patristic commentary, this transformation of water to wine is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. 

 

 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.  Christ's glory is the expression of His divine power and His compassion for human beings.  Thus the signs He performs point to His identity and manifest His glory.  On this seventh day given in St. John's Gospel, Jesus rests, together with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples, in a parallel to the seventh day given in Genesis 2:1-3.

 

 In today's reading, we get a glimpse of what we know as intercession, and in particular the intercessory capacity of the mother of Jesus, Mary the Theotokos.  For the Orthodox and others, such as Roman Catholics, Mary is the supreme saint who may intercede and pray for us.  We ask her to pray for us, just as we might ask one another to pray for ourselves or others for whom we have concern.  St. Paul speaks about the communion of saints when he references the "great cloud of witnesses" with which we're surrounded (Hebrews 12:1).  That is, all those who are alive in Christ, the living body of the faithful, which extends beyond time and beyond this world as we know it, including the angels, with whom we pray and worship at each liturgy.  This is the faith and understanding of ancient tradition and the earliest Church.  But Mary, the mother of Jesus, plays a stronger role for us than simply "intercessor" in today's reading.  For perhaps it is rare that we get a glimpse of her in terms of this role that so mirrors the experience of millions, if not billions, of faithful who pray with her and seek her prayers for them in return.  (See the image above, the mosaic titled Deesis, in which she prays for all.  Magnify to see her tender expression.)  In today's reading, we are given her compassion, her concern for others, because at this wedding they have run out of wine.  Let us consider the stakes of what is to come:  she has been warned from Christ's infancy that pain will come to her in her life in her very special role as the mother of Jesus.  This was given to her in a form of prophecy when Jesus was forty days old, and they came to the temple for her purification and Christ's presentation in accordance with the Law (see Luke 2:25-35, especially the prophecy given to Mary by Simeon in verse 35).  And it is in this context only that Christ's words to her make sense, as they come directly from the Old Testament:  τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, spoken by the widow Zarephath at the death of her son (1 Kings 17:17-24; verse 18 in particular).  These glimpses of Mary given in St. John's Gospel are interesting in particular because we know that from the Cross, Jesus gave the care of His mother over to St. John, the beloved disciple (John 13:23; 19:25-27).  So the expression of Mary's character, her intercession and her compassion, tell us a lot about her own identity and role in the salvation plan of the Church, including for you and I, for whom she still serves as a great intercessor and remains "most blessed among women" (Luke 1:28, 42).  Let us not forget she is the one chosen to give her humanity to the Christ, and that her character and that of St. Joseph no doubt played a role in the shaping of His human understanding.  She made every sacrifice for her Son, and here He is asking her if she is really ready to initiate what is to come through her prayer to Him for the needed wine at this wedding, even the words of a widow lamenting her son.  Her answer is clear when she tells the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  So we should take these words of his mother, Mary, and apply them to ourselves also, for we need to follow if we are to be good servants in turn.  Like so many have discovered, she always leads the way to her Son, as can be seen in every icon of the Theotokos.