John 2:1–8

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

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

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.

This is hilarious. It’s the only time in all of scripture that Jesus gets owned. Mary doesn’t even ask Jesus to do anything; she just points out a problem. Jesus brushes her off with the words, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

This sounds blunt, but His addressing her as “woman” only sounds impersonal in English; it’s normal in the original tongue. Jesus is only wondering what this has to do with Him. I would be similarly puzzled if I was at a wedding and someone pointed out the host’s problem to me as if I was expected to fix it.

But Mary responds brilliantly. Again, she doesn’t tell Jesus to do anything; her command is to the servants­­--“Whatever He says to you, do it.” Jesus immediately acts—no further discussion at all.

Mom is always one step ahead, no?

This story seems at first glance to be an unimportant aside, but it’s a critical lesson in how people grow spiritually. Even the Lord had a normal, sometimes amusing, relationship with His mother. He was a fully human, though incredibly precocious, son. Scripture consistently presents Him as a normal kid.

And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. — Luke 2:42-46

Jesus’s humanity is emphasized in scripture to preclude many heresies. It’s why the resurrected Lord made sure that everyone saw Him eat like a normal person (and made sure it got recorded in scripture.)

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. — Luke 24:40–43

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.