Mother Knows Best

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“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. (John 2:1-2 NKJV) 

It’s fitting that our examination of Christ’s miracles begins with the one we’re going to focus on for the next two days. That’s because by the end of this account, we find that this was His first miracle (John 2:11). It’s first and it’s also very unique in its message as we’ll see.

For starters, it happens at a wedding. In that cultural context, weddings didn’t just take place within a few hours, but were usually celebrated over the course of a week. We see that Jesus was there along with His disciples, as well as His mother, Mary. But in the course of the festivities, something terrible happens, “they ran out of wine” (John 2:3a). 

This was a big deal in that day because the only real alternative would have been common water. This “once in a lifetime” event deserved something more; something special to honor the moment. To fail in this would have left a shameful asterisk next to this wedding, this couple, and their families. But before this happens, Mary does something: “The mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine’” (John 2:3b NKJV).

Mary understood that despite the desperate circumstances, Jesus was there—and when Jesus is present, there’s always hope! Again, this was a “first.” It’s not like Mary knew exactly what her Son would do or how He would fix things. She just knew enough about Him to know that He was the answer to the problem. So much so, that she goes on to tell the servants at the wedding, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5 NKJV).

This sets the stage for a miracle, whose meaning we’ll carefully consider tomorrow. But there’s also a message we can’t overlook here and now—a message that Mary understood: Jesus is the answer to the problem. 

Just as her first instinct was to go to Him, we also need to bring our needs to Him in prayer. He’s the answer to any problem, and He’ll give us the wisdom, guidance, provision, peace, or whatever we need. 

Jesus is always present with us! Let’s take advantage of this by making Him our first resort as problems arise.

DIG: What did Mary understand here and how did she demonstrate this?  

DISCOVER: How does Mary’s example relate to your life?

DO: Evaluate what your first resort is when problems arise and how can you make it more Christ-based.