A Meditation on Cana

[Wm777]

It often happens that scripture moves in leaps and bounds. At Cana, Mary’s dialog with Jesus is a good example of this. The dialogue goes something like the following:

Mary says to Jesus, “They have no more wine.”

He replies something like, “How is that our problem? It’s not my time, yet…” (Translations vary)

She then tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you…”

Problem solved.

Okay, so here comes my question…

The reasoning behind Jesus’ answer to Mary’s “suggestion” was “it’s not my time” - which I take to mean something wasn’t yet complete or fulfilled that would require Him to respond according to God (his Father’s) wishes.

But, interestingly, Mary doesn’t really say anything else to Jesus at that point. What she does do is to turn to the servants and tells them to “do whatever he tells you”.

That then gets the job done.

My question is why?

It seems like somehow - whatever “completed” Jesus’ “time” - brought the petition to fulfillment.

But I cant tell if I am right, and/or why Mary had to command the servants.

 

[Annie]

I had an insight about this this part of Scripture: the last we knew about Jesus is that “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.”

Whether Jesus went home with them because they told Him to or because they had been upset is not clarified in the recounting, but He was subject to them–He obeyed them.

Then at Cana, Mary points out that they have run out of wine. He asks, how that is their business? And then says “My time is not yet come.” He says it is not their business because His time is not yet come: His situation is still the same.

And Mary tells the servants to do whatever He tells them, in effect freeing Him from that situation.

She is setting Him to start His ministry, which will lead eventually to the Cross.

ETA: remember this is just something that came to me, it may be that the Church teaches something different about it.

 

[John_Martin]

Jesus’s reply today Mary is just a colloquial way of saying, “Why are you here (with me) already, it is ahead of the appointment / schedule.”
To Mary:
What to me and to you woman? My hour not yet come.
The demons use the same colloquialism:
What to us and to you Son of God; have you come to torment before the appointment time?

However, it also means, without being spoken as we do in English, “But, since you are here early, let’s get down to business and get started.”
Mary knew that meaning and got down to the business of directing the servants; Jesus and the demons knew it and got down to the business of the torment and exorcism.

John Martin

 

[De_Maria]

Well, let’s go over the text.

Jn 2:1-11​

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.

Mary attended a wedding in Cana along with her Son.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”

During the celebration, they ran out of wine. And Mary mentioned this to Jesus.

And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

Many take Jesus’ response as one of hesitance to obey His mother. But I read it as feigned surprise. Jesus is chiding His mother. As though to say, “Don’t you want to wait a couple more years?” That’s why His next words are:

My hour has not yet come.”

In other words, “I thought you were going to wait until I was crucified to give me permission to begin my ministry?”

Jesus has been anxious to begin His ministry since the time He slipped off to the Temple as a child. He can’t believe His ears that His mother is giving Him permission to perform His first public miracle.

His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

I envision Mary, with an understanding smile waving at the servers and giving them the direction to do whatever Jesus wants.

This is also a veiled direction to us, to do the will of her Son, to whom she always points.

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told the them,
“Fill the jars with water.”

In those days, Jewish homes kept several big jars for ceremonial washings. Apparently, the feet of guests were frequently washed with this water. Jesus told the servers to fill them with water.

So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

Jesus then instructed them to take some of the water out of the jars and take it to the Wedding Planner, the person in charge of the ceremonies.

So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”

When the Wedding Planner tasted the wine, he assumed that the bridegroom had saved the best wine for last. Not realizing that Jesus had made wine from the foot washing water.

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.

And this was the first of Christ’s miracles to begin His ministry.

So, that’s my take.

 

[Nita]

It’s interesting to do a word search on “hour” in the John’s Gospel. When Jesus speaks about His hour it is always in reference to His passion, death & resurrection.

When His hour comes, Jesus will miraculously provide living wine (Eucharistic wine) for the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7-10) with His Church.