John 2:1-12 - Momma Always Knows Best

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

John 2:3-5

The first recorded miracle of Jesus is when he turned water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, but what has always interested me in this passage is the conversation between Jesus and his mother, Mary.

Jesus and his new friends, the men he has called to be his disciples, are just getting to know each other and they are enjoying some fellowship and partying at this local wedding. No one knows really, who they are other than the friends of one of the guests sons. They are not yet the men who founded the Christian church or witnessed nearly all of Jesus's miracles. They are simple fishermen - not yet those men imbued with the Holy Spirit.

In the middle of Jesus trying to connect and build relationships with his new followers, his mother comes to him and tells him to fix a problem; the wedding had run out of wine.

Jesus's response to his mother sounds much like what many of us would say to our own moms if we didn't want to do something. He basically tells here - "Not now, Mom. I'm not ready." or "Can't you see I have other stuff to do first?"

But Mary's response to Jesus is to ignore his plea for a little more time, a little more anonymity, is to ignore him and do what she thinks is best. Mothers always do.

Telling the servants to listen to Jesus forces him to acquiesce to his mother's request. He quietly goes about the miracle of turning simple water into heavenly wine.

Although the miracle seems simple, or even trite compared to healing the sick, what this miracle, and its timing did was revealed Jesus's true nature to his new disciples. He may have protested against breaking up his "getting to know you" time, but the timely miracle confirmed the disciples faith and solidified Jesus as the Messiah in their minds.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:11

The miracle did more to validate their belief in Jesus than any amount of social bonding ever could have. 

Momma always does know best.

Scripture

John 2:1-12

 Quote of the Day

"Wherever Jesus went and whenever he came into lives it was like turning water into wine."

Unknown

Question of the Day

When have you reluctantly listened to your parents and seen a positive outcome to what they wanted you to do?

John 1:35-50 - Follow Me

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 1:43

When Jesus was calling his disciples the scriptures tell us that he basically looked at these guys said, "Follow me" and they dropped everything they were doing and followed Jesus.

Can you imagine?

I've always admired these men and the faith they had in Jesus. At this point Jesus hadn't performed any miracles. He was a carpentar from Nazareth - which didn't have the best reputation. He was of a "questionable"birth. And yet, they dropped everything they were doing to follow him.

They knew in their hearts that Jesus was the Son of God; the MESSIAH. Since they were small, these men had heard the prophesies of the coming Messiah - the one who would rescue Israel. And I imagine that the could sense the God in Jesus even before they ever saw a single drop of water turned to wine or a fish multiplied.

They just knew that Jesus was who they needed; not just who they wanted.

They knew that leaving the life they had behind wasn't even a question or a regret because what they were moving toward was so much greater than what they had.

The knew:

“We have found the Messiah” ...We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law...

John 1:41, 44

They knew. They knew in an instant.

What a testament to their faith...

When Jesus asks us to "Come, Follow me.", what will be our answer?

Scripture

John 1:35-50

Quote of the Day

“Christ is not valued at all, unless He is valued above all.” 

Augustine

Question of the Day

What would your answer be to Come Follow Me?

John 1: 29-34: The SOMEONE

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29

Okay, I would like you to put on your thinking caps for a second. Imagine with me that you are at....let's say the mall...Let's say an outside mall like Easton. And at this mall you are standing in the middle of a group of friends, talking about things - some are important and some are just things - when across the mall you see the SOMEONE. The athlete or actor or politician - the SOMEONE you have always wanted to meet. The SOMEONE you have heard about , dreamt about, wished for, and anticipated meeting your whole life.

Can you picture that moment?  Are you with me?

What do you feel like? What does the someone look like? Was the moment everything you had ever anticipated?

What would you say?

I am guessing you wouldn't remain quietly with your friends waiting for the SOMEONE to pass you by without a glance...

Perhaps you would run screaming towards the SOMEONE.

Or maybe you would shout out that the SOMEONE had finally arrived.

Or maybe, just maybe, you might break out in tears of joy over the arrival of this moment.

This is the position that John the Baptist was in when he saw Jesus coming toward him. Here was the ONE - The One True Son of God  - that John had been placed on this earth to proceed. John the Baptist was ecstatic and he wanted EVERYONE to know that THE ONE was here. The Kingdom of God wasn't coming anymore - The Kingdom of God had arrived.

John the Baptist's SOMEONE had arrived and he wanted everyone to know.

Scripture

John 1:29-34

Quote of the Day

As Daddy said, life is 95 percent anticipation.
Gloria Swanson

Question

How do you anticipate the arrival of Jesus?

John 1:19-28 - Being John the Baptist - Following God's Path

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

John 1:23

When John the Baptist came on the scene, many people thought he had to be the Messiah they had been praying for. He was a learned man – preaching in a new a different way and speaking of the grace God offered. Everything John said – even the tough stuff – sounded good to the spiritually hungry people of Israel.

Even though John could have easily usurped (fancy word for taken) the role of Messiah - crowds were following him everywhere and he had his own posse of disciples - he knew who he was and what God called him to do. John understood that stepping outside of God's plan for his life would lead to trouble. John had the equally easy and difficult task of staying on the path God provided for him.

To John, he saw his journey as clearly as the runway lights on an air field lighting the way home for an airplane. He knew exactly what God’s will was for his life and the sacrifices he needed to make to fulfill his calling. But, as with any calling, the blessings often require sacrifice. John sacrificed a comfortable home, plentiful food and eventually his life, all for the great blessing of being the “one who goes before” – the “voice in the wilderness”.

Often, we do not have the gift of a clear vision of our individual missions in life like John did. Even with thoughtful prayer and focused attention on God and His will, we can be confused or unsure of what the next step is in the journey God has in store for us. This sense of ambiguity can leave us afraid – nearly paralyzed in indecision over what next step to take in life.

But this confusion – this uncertainty – does not mean that God’s call on your life or on my life is any less important or meaningful than God’s call to John. Each of us, in our own uniqueness, has an important and integral part to play in God’s design for this world.

However, the only way we will know what God’s desire for us to do, is to be in constant contact with Him, just like John the Baptist. Through prayer, the study of His Word, and seeking guidance from spiritually mature Christians, we will begin to see God’s plan for our lives unfold before us.

Trust God. He knows what He is doing.

Scripture

John 1:19-28

Quote of the Day

“We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

C.S. Lewis

Question of the Day

What can you do today to better understand what God is calling you to do?

John 1:6-18: You are a child of God....

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:9-12

When I think about the fact that Jesus has always been – that he was/is the Word that God used to speak creation into existence, I am overwhelmed by the generous nature of the grace he offers each of us. Jesus was wholly and fully connected to God until God the Father sent him to earth to reconcile humanity with Him. By stepping out of the Father and into the world, Jesus gave up his “umbilical cord” to the Father.

Just like when a child is born and the umbilical cord is cut, severing the nourishment of the mother to the child, Jesus’ umbilical cord to the Father was cut when he was born as a human baby. Jesus’ spirit was fully divine – his person was fully divine – but his body was altogether human and subject to all that human beings must be subjected to – including a physical separation from the Father.

I know how difficult it is to be away from my parents for long stretches of time, but I can’t even fathom what Jesus felt not being able to be physically with God – One with whom he had been apart since before time began.

 Jesus made this huge sacrifice so that each of us – you and me – could one day experience the great gift of being called, ‘children of God’. Can you imagine? This is the very definition of grace – that Jesus loved us so much – that God loves us so much – that He would do ANYTHING and has done EVERYTHING so that we can be with Him.

The words John uses might be flowery and a bit poetic – but they draw for us a visual picture of exactly the sacrifice Jesus made so that we can be the children of God. Jesus came into the world – which he created – and was rejected by his own creation. Imagine being rejected, dismissed, hated and rebuked by the ones you love most; that is what Jesus endured. He came hoping for love and received hate.

As we venture deeper into John’s Gospel, let us never forget the beginning of the story and the love that is the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice for each of us.

Scripture

 John 1:6-18

Quote of the Day

“You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure about you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.”

Nelson Rockefeller

Question of the Day

How would you feel if you were asked to give up your Mom and Dad?

John 1:4-5 - The Light of the World

 

 

In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:4-5

Light.

 

Light is at the core of nearly every activity we have.

 

When you walk into a room, what is one of the first things you do?

Turn on a light.

When someone is driving a night, what do he do?

Turns on the lights

When the electricity in your house goes out because of a storm, what do you do?

Light a candle.

 

The list could go on forever, but the one consistent thing is that light drives out the darkness. The light of a single candle can illuminate an entire room. And a candle can light another candle without reducing its brightness. The same goes for the light of Christ which lives in you.

 

When Jesus comes into your heart, when he transforms your soul, he gives you his light to shine.

 

Before Jesus came into the world to walk with mankind, the world was plagued with darkness; a darkness which impacted even the closest of God's followers...

Moses killed a man.

David gave into his lust and caused a man's death.

Aaron allowed the Israelites to worship a golden calf.

Samson gave into Delilah.

Jacob lied to gain his inheritance.

And so on as humanity decayed.

 

Humanity needed the light of Christ to shine and reveal the darkness. And within the light of Christ we found that we can have life.

 

Light equals life, growth, peace, joy and love.

 

Darkness equals death, decay, mistrust, hate and pain.

 

We will all have dark valleys to walk through in our lives, but with the light of Christ shining within us, we will always have a light to show the way out of the darkness.

 

Scripture

John 1:4-5 (Message)

Psalm 119:105

 

Quote of the Day

 

The dying Jesus is the evidence of God's anger toward sin; but the living Jesus is the proof of God's love and forgiveness.
Lorenz Eifert

 

Question of the Day

 

When do you most appreciate having light?

 

 

 



John 1:1-4: Jesus is the Word

Okay GUMY's here we go on our journey through John....

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

John 1:1-3 (NIV)

When the world was created, Jesus was there:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.God saw that the light was good...

(Link to the "God Said" versus)

There are seven "God said" verses in Genesis describing the creation of the world. Although it can be a hard concept to grasp, Jesus was the Word that God spoke into creation.

John utilizes this imagery at the beginning of his Gospel to help us see from the outset that Jesus was always God. There is no doubt; no excuse; no second guessing - Jesus is God.

Knowing this at the outset of the story John is about to tell, helps us as Jesus' disciples to understand the sacrifice Jesus made by becoming human.

Never before in his existence had Jesus been separated from the Father. And yet, when the time came for Jesus to come to earth, to walk among us, and to save the creation he helped to bring to life, he came willingly.

Jesus gave up Heaven to walk dusty roads, face ridicule, and a criminal's death. He became "flesh" so that one day you would be able to hold his hand and walk with the Father.

Without Jesus, The Word, becoming flesh - becoming human - we would not have the opportunity to be fully reconciled with God. Without Jesus coming down from Heaven we wouldn't be able to turn to walk with the Lord.

Jesus' sacrifice gave us the opportunity of salvation.

John opens his Gospel allowing us to have at the forefront of our mind the sacrifice our Savior made for each of us.

Scripture

John 1:1-4

 Quote of the Day

Christ does not save us by acting a parable of divine love; he acts the parable of divine love by saving us. That is the Christian faith. 

 Austin Farrer

Question of the Day

When you think about Jesus in Heaven - before he came to earth - what image do you have of him?