Whatever He Says To Do – Do It

-January 18, 2023-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’”

(John 2:5).

Jesus, His disciples, and His mother were a invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus was thirty years old and was just at the beginning of His earthly ministry. He had not yet performed any miracles. Jewish weddings were very colorful and festive occasions. This one soon turned into a disaster: they ran out of wine. Now what could the hosts do to salvage the situation? There were no stores to run to, no delivery services to bring any to them.

Mary knew the solution to the problem, turn to Jesus. She simply presented the matter to Him, John 2:3 says, “And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’” His answer was a bit strange to us. He said in the next verse, “… Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” Jesus was just an invited Guest and He was on a mission from the Father to do His will and to go to the cross to die for sins of the world. His time not yet come and in very respectful way, He was not obey Mary but God the Father. The word, “woman” really means “lady,” and is a very respectful term.

Mary knew who He was, the Messiah, and that there was nothing He could not do. She does not directing ask for a miracle, but says to the servants at the reception, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” She had the faith and confidence to leave this manner in His hands. Wine is a symbol of joy and only Jesus can give us true joy. Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water. These pots were very large, containing some 20-30 gallons of water each and there were six of them. They were used by the Jews for the manner of purification.

Quietly and without fanfare, Jesus turned the water into wine. They served it to all the guests who were amazed at how good it was. Normally the good wine was served at the beginning of the wedding celebration then a lesser quality later after everyone drank quite a bit. This was Jesus’ first miracle, and like all His miracles was born out of need.

The lesson we learn is whatever He says to us we had better do it. When we ask anything in His name, the Father will answer according to His will. When we follow His commands we show our love to Him. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The “whatever,” in Mary’s words is inclusive of everything Jesus tells us and everything in the Word of God. When Joseph the son of Jacob became prime minister of Egypt, Pharaoh said to his people who were in severe famine, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do it.” He had the solution, the grain to sustain them and all the people of the world who came to him for help. Joseph is a type of Christ in the OT. We notice that Pharaoh and Mary used very similar words.

Let us then listen to Jesus and obey. He alone can save us from our sins and give us eternal life. He has the power to meet our every need and turn our water into wine, our sorrow into joy, our problems into solutions. Have a joyful day. Stay safe and healthy.

Doing whatever He says to do,

Dean