Summary: Jesus wasn't ready to begin his public ministry when his mother pointedly pointed out at the wedding feast at Cana: "They have no wine." But there it is. It's never going to be the right moment for us to serve God, so we might as well be ready to jump in, feet first, when the Spirit - or someone like Mary - prods us. Because it's never going to be the right moment. It's always too soon, or sometimes, it may even seem like it's too late. But God is present in the Now! Oh, and remember, someone is watching, someone invisible to you because of your preconceived notions. But they see. And God sees.
Folks preparing for a wedding sometimes have unreasonable expectations about what should happen on that special day. They believe everything must be perfect. Even if the bride and groom are themselves blessed with relatively few expectations, there may still be momzillas, dadzillas and competing aunties, grannies and the assembled bridesmaids and other participants, arguing about what has to happen on the Big Day.
But there are two important facts to keep in mind. First, there is no wedding service in the Bible. We have no idea what ceremonies were performed, for instance, on that wedding day in Cana. So chill.
The other thing worthy of mention is that perfection is simply not possible. Something unexpected will happen, something unplanned, but extraordinary. It's not always going to be happy or funny. And it may even seem to border on disastrous. But often that imperfection (a child attendant dancing throughout the service, flowers that don't arrive and have to be replaced through ingenuity, the wrong entree served at the reception, etc.) may turn out to be the most memorable and cherished event of the special day.
Just saying.
And that's why it seems to me that the folks who were there in Cana should have been talking for decades afterward about just how close the feast came to running out of wine. And what a wonder happened in their midst.
But I also wonder if they ever did. Indeed, I wonder if anyone else at the time knew something special had happened except the servants who filled the 30-gallon stone jars with water before Jesus miraculously transformed it into wine.
Except Mary.
And Jesus, of course.
Obviously sooner or later word got out about this miracle - if for no other reason than because John included it in his gospel. But stick to the story. One key fact is that it was Mary, the mother of Jesus, who somehow became aware that the wedding feast was running out of wine. The maitre d' and the groom had no inkling of what was going on.
This had the potential for a real wedding disaster.
While the Bible gives us no clue how weddings were conducted in any particular biblical era, one thing is certain: the wedding feast was a big deal. It involved everyone in the village; food and wine had to be plentiful.
Fortunately, in this instance, Mary took charge.
We're not sure why a woman from Nazareth was attending an event at Cana, but a logical assumption is that she was somehow related to someone in the bride or groom's family. When conducting weddings, some pastors assign a relative of the bride or groom - an aunt or a cousin who is not in the wedding party itself - to be the liaison between the bride and the event planners, so Mary may have been the auntie who kept track of what was happening.
And how did she find out what was happening? I'm guessing that since Mary was keeping tabs on things, she was Jenny on the spot when one of the servants told her disaster was looming.
Notice that Mary didn't waste time going to the maitre d'. She went directly to Jesus and explained the problem in the fewest words imaginable. Four words in English, three words in Greek: "They have no wine."
The response of Jesus was just as curt. In Greek, literally, "What to me and you, woman?" As Jesus would elaborate, this was not his hour. This is not the time he would have chosen to enter into public ministry. He was just at the wedding because, like her, he was related to someone at the wedding.
But there it is. It's never going to be the right moment for us to serve God, so we might as well be ready to jump in, feet first, when the Spirit - or someone like Mary - prods us. Because it's never the right moment. It's always too soon, or sometimes, it may seem like it's too late. But God's time is always the right time.
Though nowadays most presidential candidates choose a running mate on the assumption that this person is going to be an active partner in an upcoming administration, that wasn't always the case. Prior to recent times, vice-presidents had to sit on the sidelines doing nothing after their inauguration.
In 1944, when Harry S. Truman, a senator from Missouri, was selected as Franklin D. Roosevelt's running mate for his fourth term, no effort was made before or after the election to fill him in on the true state of the president's health or of the existence of the atomic bomb.
So when Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Truman, regardless whether he felt he was ready, had to sink or swim. Though he might have felt totally unprepared for the weight of the tasks that fell on him, he nevertheless authorized the use of atomic weapons to end the war with Japan. He also helped create the Marshall Plan to rehabilitate the vanquished nations and helped create both the United Nations and NATO as ways to maintain peace in a troubled world. He is now considered by historians, if not one of the greatest presidents, at least one of the top tier.1
Back to the Bible. The servants obeyed Jesus. Water was turned into wine. The servants then took the miraculously created wine to the maitre d', who seemed totally unaware that there had been a danger of running out in the first place. Instead, the maitre d' chewed out the groom for withholding the best wine when people, having already indulged, could no longer tell the difference!
Maybe the maitre d' and the groom thought the servants were beneath them, forgetting they had far more experience with the actual nitty gritty of making things work. But the servants were the ones paying attention. They were the ones who Mary and Jesus worked with to help save the day!
So one lesson from this passage might be, "Pay attention to the wait staff and listen to them!" Mary listened to them, Mary acted, and they listened to Jesus and acted. Pay attention - Jesus is at work in the invisible people.
Certainly, Jesus wasn't anxious to take credit for what happened. He didn't sidle over to the couple later, lean over, tap the glass of wine, and say, "A little wedding gift for the two of you."
John refers to this story as "the first of [Jesus'] signs ..." that "revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him." In John, the miracles are called signs, as in road signs, and they all point in one direction: Jesus. Through the signs we learn to know Jesus better - who he is and why he is here. We need to spot the signs and follow them.
What does this sign point to - for us? Several things, actually.
First of all, we don't always know that God is at work. Much of this sign happened out of sight of the maitre d', the bride, the groom and most of the revelers.
Second, sometimes God is hard at work through the attentiveness, caring and actions of those we don't know about, or perhaps don't even concern ourselves with. Those in the service industries who are not only giving their best but are also taking initiative without worrying about getting credit for their actions deserve credit. The next time you imperiously declare that the size of the tip you leave for someone depends on how they perform, remember - you don't see everything. You don't know everything.
Third, despite his reluctance, after a moment of arguing with his mother, Jesus jumped into the fray and saved the day. You and I may not be ready when someone is unable at the last second to fulfill their obligations to the Vacation Bible School, or a service project or as worship leader, song leader, or as the cleanup crew after the meal event at church. But that's also an opportunity. Jump in. Sometimes circumstances, not planning, determine the moment when ministry happens.
And just as Mary jumped into the fray, taking Jesus with her, rest assured, when you get involved, you will not be alone. You may inspire others - and you are certainly going with God!
Finally, don't forget, when Jesus first got involved in the lives we lead, it was to rescue good times! People were enjoying themselves, and it was not time for the party to end. Our God who offers us pleasures eternal wants us to enjoy our lives, especially enjoying life together!