Do What He Tells You to Do

In today's Bible story, Jesus went to a wedding in the small town of Cana. This wasn't just any wedding - it was a HUGE celebration that could last for days! Almost everyone in town was invited, including Jesus, his brand-new disciples, and Mary, his mother. After the wedding ceremony, there was an enormous feast with lots of food and drinks. But then something absolutely terrible happened - something that would have completely ruined the celebration and brought shame to the families involved. Do you know what it was? They ran out of wine!

Now, you might think, "So what? Just go buy more!" But in those days, running out of food or drink at a wedding was considered a huge disgrace. The bride's family was responsible for providing everything, and if they failed, people would talk about it for years. The father was probably panicking, thinking that everyone would remember this as "the wedding where they ran out of wine." In their culture, this kind of embarrassment could affect the family's reputation in the community for a very long time.

Mary, Jesus' mother, heard about the crisis and didn't want her friends to face this humiliation. She immediately went looking for Jesus. When she found him, she simply said, "They don't have any more wine." She didn't tell him what to do - she just presented the problem, trusting that her son would know how to handle it.

Jesus' response might seem a little strange to us: "Dear woman, why have you come to me? My time has not yet come." What did Jesus mean by "my time"? He was talking about the time when he would reveal himself fully as the Messiah through his death and resurrection. This miracle would be the beginning of showing people who he really was - the Son of God with power over everything in creation.

But Mary wasn't discouraged by Jesus' words. She had faith that he would help, so she turned to the servants and gave them some very important advice: "Do whatever he tells you to do." Think about that for a moment - Mary was telling them to obey Jesus completely, even if his instructions seemed strange or didn't make sense.

Near where they were standing, there were six enormous stone water jars. These weren't little containers - each one could hold between twenty and thirty gallons of water! They were used for Jewish purification ceremonies, where people would wash their hands and feet before eating. That's a lot of water - we're talking about 120 to 180 gallons total!

"Fill the jars with water," Jesus told the servants. Imagine what they must have been thinking! Here's this crisis with no wine, and Jesus wants them to fill jars with water? But remember what Mary told them - "Do whatever he tells you to do." So they filled every single jar right to the very top with plain, ordinary water.

Then Jesus gave them an even stranger instruction: "Now take some out and give it to the master of the feast." The master of the feast was like the wedding coordinator - he was in charge of making sure everything ran smoothly and that the food and drinks were good quality. Can you imagine how nervous those servants must have been, carrying what they thought was just water to this important person?

But when the master tasted it, something incredible had happened - the water had been transformed into wine! Not just any wine, but the best wine anyone had ever tasted! The master was so impressed that he called the bridegroom over and said, "Most people serve their best wine first, when everyone can really appreciate it. Then later, after people have been drinking and can't tell the difference, they bring out the cheaper stuff. But you've done something amazing - you've saved the absolute best wine for last!"

This miracle in Cana was Jesus' very first public miracle, and it revealed something important about who he was. John tells us that "there he showed his glory, and his followers believed in him." What does it mean that Jesus showed his glory? It means he revealed his divine power - his ability to create and transform things in ways that only God can do.

But there's an important lesson here about obedience and trust. Notice that the miracle happened because the servants "did whatever Jesus told them to do," even when his instructions seemed to make no sense. They could have argued, "Jesus, we need wine, not more water!" But instead, they trusted and obeyed completely.

Jesus wants to do amazing things in our lives too, but often it requires us to trust him and obey his teachings, even when we don't understand why or when it seems difficult. When Jesus tells us in the Bible to forgive people who hurt us, to be kind to those who are mean to us, or to put others' needs before our own, it might not always make sense to us. But just like those servants discovered, when we do what Jesus tells us to do, incredible things can happen.

Think about this: What are some ways Jesus asks us to obey him that might seem hard or confusing? How can we show the same kind of trust that Mary and the servants showed? What "impossible" situations in your life might Jesus want to transform, just like he turned that ordinary water into the best wine anyone had ever tasted?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus to show us your power and love. Help us to trust and obey Jesus completely, even when we don't understand his ways. Give us faith like Mary had, and help us to do whatever Jesus tells us to do through your Holy Word. Transform our hearts and our lives just like Jesus transformed that water into wine. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.