Father, it has been a full day, but I know You are with me before I woke this morning and are with me yet. Fill my mind with words from Your heart that someone may be moved this day. Amen.
John 2:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
For me at least, it has taken some maturity to realize the importance of every relationship I have. I’m not sure I had this mindset in my younger years but now especially I understand that each interaction I have, impacts.
Much like throwing a stone into a body of water, every action we take with others has a ripple effect on them. If you think about it, there is no way it cannot. There are so many possible examples that it is difficult for me to narrow it down to just one or two.
Here is one example. I learned at Kohl’s to be careful how I responded to situations with management. Often things would be set into motion by our store’s management team that…well, honestly were a waste of time – at least from an associate’s perspective. Maybe they were things that went against what we felt we were supposed to be accomplishing in our departments. But as time went on, what did it accomplish for me to fuss and fume and badmouth my superiors? Nothing… Eventually, I came to the point where I felt, they knew what needed to be done, they knew that I wouldn’t be able to do what was required of me in my area. But my superiors were calling the shots…not me. I had a job and got paid to do what I was told. I was out nothing, except maybe some pride and a bit of frustration.
There was no reason to cause ripples. I learned to just do what I was told to do. In doing that, I showed respect for leadership. I built them up and worked hard to not tear them down (and honestly, there were times when it was hard to pull off!)
In these first few verses of John 2, Jesus is pulled into a situation for which He did not volunteer. He was a guest at a local wedding when they ran out of wine – a major faux pas of the day. Doing so would bring great shame to the groom! Of all things, Jesus’ mother (Mary) made Him aware of the problem. “They have no more wine.”
He didn’t immediately jump on it but instead replied,
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem…My time has not yet come.”
But as many great mothers will often do, she looked at the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”
My study Bible* states,
Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle, she was simply hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some wine. Tradition says that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead, so she probably was used to asking for her son’s help in certain situations.
Jesus was all about relationships. In this encounter, we see his relationship with His mother, as well as, the servants, His disciples, the groom, and the other guests at the celebration.
By His actions, the ripples He made in response to this situation He had a positive impact on all parties involved. He exuded love, respect, and compassion for all parties involved.
Jesus came to earth with the sole goal of bringing salvation to humanity. What did a wine shortage at a wedding have to do with that? …everything! This was an opening interaction that showed who He was, and it showed who we should strive to be.
I’ve shared this quote before but it’s very applicable here. (It’s often attributed to John Wesley but does not show up in his writings.)
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
What better way to serve our Savior?
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 21st, 2021, Sun, 8:52 pm
