By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sermon Text: John 2:1-11
Sermon Theme
The account in John of Jesus’ first miracle is full of rich details. Through this miracle, Jesus reveals his glory and his disciples believe in him. Yet the story begins with what seems a strange encounter between Jesus and his mother. Mary approaches Jesus with an implied request. The wedding hosts have run out of wine. Jesus seems to rebuke her. Why is this? Mary is apparently coming with her own agenda which is not Jesus’s. We can often come to Christ with our own wants, wishes and even demands. These can mask our own pride, our desire to tell Jesus what to do. Mary has to step back and let Jesus act on his own. When he does so, he responds to her implied request far more than she could ever have imagined.
Sermon Outline
- Assertion. Mary comes to Jesus with what seems to be a simple statement of fact. She knows who her Son is, but he has not yet performed any miracles. She implies that Jesus should do something about the fact that the host has run out of wine. She is basically telling Jesus what to do. She is, after all, his mother. Jesus apparently hears this statement not just as a request, but as a command. Mary is symbolic of all of us. We want to be in charge, even in charge of Jesus.
- Argument. Jesus appears to rebuke Mary. He basically is asking, “Why are you saying this to me? Why should I care?” He then adds, “My hour has not yet come.” The term “hour” in John means the appropriate time or moment. Jesus is, in fact, about to perform his first miracle. Why, then, does he speak the way he does to Mary? The answer is that Mary is not asking the right way. She is seeking to control the situation. We, like Mary, often try to be in charge. Without saying so directly, we try and tell Jesus what to do.
- Acceptance. Mary doesn’t argue with Jesus. She accepts her correction. She must do Jesus’ will. She cannot ask him to do her will. Certainly, in prayer we are encouraged to ask the Lord for whatever we need or desire. There is, however, a fine line between asking and telling. The difference has to do with our pride. Mary here is learning humility. If she has to learn it, how much more do we need to learn this lesson? When Mary lets go, Jesus takes over. There are many examples in Scripture of people asking Jesus for things to satisfy their own pride. When we let go of our pride, then Jesus takes over our lives and our situation. What he does is always more than we could think or imagine. The theme here is not our pride but Jesus’ glory. Jesus doesn’t just make good wine. He makes the best wine. We need to stand back and let Jesus take over.
Questions for Us
- Why do you think Jesus seems to speak so sharply to his mother? Are there subtle ways that we seek to manipulate the Lord?
- Do we often assume that we already know the answer to a problem and we simply have to inform the Lord of the situation? Are we prepared to hear the Lord say, "This is not the right time" ("My hour has not yet come.")?
- Jesus often rebukes the disciples and others for asking the wrong question or stating the wrong idea. In all these situations, the issue of pride appears ("Which one of us is the greatest?"). Why do you think pride is such a difficult sin for us to overcome? What can we learn from Mary's response in this passage?
