Mother Knows Best!

"His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.'"

(John 2:5)

Most everyone loves a wedding... and the party that follows! They overflow with joy, fun, food, wine & celebration. The wedding in John chapter 2 was no exception. Jesus (and his mom) had been invited to this wedding in the town of Cana.

Weddings in biblical times would last for days. The host, therefore, needed a lot of food and drink. Unfortunately, this host didn't plan well enough, and the wine ran out. Mary mentioned this to Jesus, who seemingly brushed her off ("Woman, what concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come."). Was Jesus simply saying, 'That's not my problem!' or could he have been thinking his first-ever miracle would be for a more 'significant' moment? I don't know. But he doesn't seem inclined to want to change the situation, does he?

But Mary says something that only a mother probably could. Undoubtedly with Jesus listening, she tells the servants of the host, 'Do whatever he tells you.' This, of course, implies that Jesus is about to DO SOMETHING. And that's what happens!

Why did Mary override Jesus' objection? Maybe the host was a close friend, and Mary wanted to save him (and his wife) the embarrassment of having run out of wine. Maybe she knew that Jesus was a special instrument of God, and believed it was time for him to get to work. Whatever the reason, she gave the servants an instruction that we all need to remember: "DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU."

Indeed, that's great advice for us today. Do whatever he tells you. Of course, the "$64K Question" is how do we know/hear what Jesus/God tells us to do? (Are YOU hearing voices in your head?!?) Here's the top 3 ways I hear God's voice:

1. By reading the Bible... I'd venture more than 95% of what God needs to say to me is already present in the Bible... I've just got to seek it out!
2. By quietly listening... to the thoughts/ideas that come into my head when I'm seeking God's direction. Some of the thoughts, of course, are simply my thoughts... but others, I soon discover, have the fingerprints of the divine on them!
3. Through the words of others... through conversations, by reading books, listening to music, etc.

Thanks, Mary... that's great advice. Do whatever he tells us!
AMEN.