“Some wise delegation’

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, August 9, 2024

John 2: 1-12 (Forward, p. 11) CEV p. 1101

I have often wondered, and speculated, about the dynamics, the interplay, of personalities at this wedding banquet in Cana of Galilee. It would seem as if Mary was the primary invitee, and Jesus and His disciples the ‘extras’. (The text says that they ‘had also been invited’). In my reading of the account, she sounds very much like the storied aunt of many families, the aunt who has been delegated to take charge and organize the festivities on behalf of the rest of the family. It certainly sounds that way to me, on a couple of levels.

Firstly, she seems to be aware of the shortage of wine before anyone else, which might indicate that she was aware of the inner workings of the feast. And secondly, she seems to have ‘some clout’ with the staff, some authority, for she can go to the servants and tell them what to do. And furthermore, at her bidding—because she said so—those servants do exactly what Jesus orders.

At that same time—this is a notable feature for someone in charge—she knows when to delegate, when to entrust certain arrangements to someone else. And, of course, in this case, the ‘someone else’ is her son Jesus. Now, this is rather interesting, for at this early stage of Jesus’ ministry, there is little or no indication of His miracle-working power. Even so, she trusts Jesus to do what is best, what is required in this situation. And He performs admirably—beyond any expectation, probably including hers.

And so it is with us and Jesus, if only we will go to Him with our prayers and our needs. But, sadly, we often fail to do this.

Forward notes: “When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come’” (verses 3-4).

“We catch a glimpse of the relationship between Jesus and his mother in this passage of the wedding at Cana. Mary knows Jesus is God incarnate, but it has not yet been revealed to the world. I wonder what small miracles he may have performed at home. Mary does not ask or even suggest that Jesus do anything. Instead, she instructs the servants to ‘do whatever he tells you.’ This might be a good approach to prayer.

“I question how well I listen to my adult children, realizing they are capable of much more than I give them credit for. They have grown up despite me. If I leave them to their own devices and set aside my hoped-for outcomes (though this is not my nature), they often exceed my expectations. Mary has no apparent expectations of Jesus when she says, ‘They have no wine.’ If we open ourselves to the possibilities, we can receive more than we could ever ask or imagine.”

Moving Forward: “How can you set aside your desired outcomes in prayer and trust that God will supply all your needs?”