June 15, 2010
What Ever He Says, Do It
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you,'" (John 2:5 NIV).
Friend To Friend
It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Mary only hoped it would hold out for the seven days of celebration that would follow. She was glad for the break in the mundane activities of running a household, and looked forward to spending extended time with her son.
"Hope you don't mind if I bring along a few friends," Jesus asked as he walked in from his work in the carpentry shop.
"Absolutely not," she replied. "As long as they will behave and not embarrass the family," she teased.
Jesus turned to Mary with a look that pierced her soul. "These men have been chosen as well."
Chosen. There was that word again. And the feeling of normalcy began to slip through her fingers like grains of sand.
Jesus had grown strong and tall over the past thirty years. While Mary had seen glimpses of his divine nature, she continued to hold her breath for the day the angel prophesied would come to fruition. The words Savior of the world, Son of the Most High, a kingdom that would reign forever, were never far from her memory. She recalled the story of Jesus' baptism. "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Everyone heard God speak those words as Jesus emerged from the baptismal waters in the Jordan. Mary clung to the days of normalcy as long as she could, but felt they were drawing to a close.
The bride was radiant and the groom proud as a freshly preened peacock. The wedding party and guests alike enjoyed a bountiful buffet, delightful dancing and ambrosial wine. Gaiety and merriment filled the rooms with laughter and joyous chatter. There was nothing like a wedding party to wash away the doldrums of everyday life.
Day three of the festivities was in full swing when Mary noticed the wine was running low. For a groom to run out of wine was a disgrace. Leave it to a woman to notice the party details. Leave it to a woman to know where to go for help.
Mary tugged on Jesus' sleeve and with a mischievous twinkle in her eye whispered, "They have no more wine."
With a chuckle, Jesus replied, "Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not come."
As soon as the words escaped Jesus' lips, he felt the nudge from his Heavenly Father; the prompting that he had been waiting for his entire life. In a split second, God allowed Mary to flip the switch, to topple the first domino, to ignite the fuse. It was time.
Mary turned to the attendants standing nervously by the stone water jars used for ceremonial cleansing. With quiet authority, she nodded toward her son, "Do whatever he tells you."
Jesus pointed to six water jars with the capacity to hold from twenty to thirty gallons of water. "Fill the jars up with water," he instructed.
Quickly, the servants drug the heavy stone cisterns to the well behind the house and filled them to the brim.
After bringing them back to Jesus, he continued. "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
Continuing to follow Jesus' instructions, one of the servants dipped his ladle into the jar and poured rich aromatic red wine into a silver goblet. He couldn't keep his eyes off the miracle he held in his hands. Reverently the servant passed the cup to the master of ceremonies.
"Samuel," the master called out across the court. "You sly dog. Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
The servants were dumbstruck.
Jesus' friends were confused.
Jesus was readied.
Mary was numbed with the reality of what had just taken place. Her time of quiet normalcy was over. She knew that now. What would come next, only God knew.
And that was the beginning of Jesus' ministry of the miraculous. After thirty years of waiting, God used Mary, a woman, to flip the breaker and give Jesus the signal that the time for miracles had begun. Right in the middle of a pack of men-Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael and the wine stewards- God tapped Mary on the shoulder and chose her to ignite the fuse.
"His mother said to the servants, "'Do whatever he tells you.'"
These words have become my life verse. I hope they can be woven into the fabric of your own life as well. See, that was Mary's mantra. "Be it done to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38), became "Do whatever he tells you." Mary wasn't just speaking to the servants here. She is speaking to us as well. Do you want to be a woman freed from an ordinary life and freed to an extraordinary purpose? Then the path is clear, "Do whatever he tells you." Obedience to God is the key to unlocking the doors to the most exciting life imaginable.
Let's Pray
Dear LORD, I want to do whatever You tell me to do. Help me be a woman who listens to God: who senses Your gentle nudges throughout the day leading and guiding me. I know that obedience is the key to an extraordinary life filled with extraordinary purpose. LORD, I'm Your girl. Speak LORD, I'm listening.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
The wine stewards had no idea what Jesus was up to, but they obeyed him anyway. When is the last time you obeyed a nudge from God, even though it did not make sense?
What was the outcome?
Is there something God has asked you to do that you have not done yet? It could be that He has a whole string of mighty feats for you to accomplish, but He is waiting for you to obey step one before He reveals step two!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's devotion. Let's chat. Visit www.sharonjaynes.com/blog or www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes. And if you're not a regular on my Facebook page, please sign up! It is a wonderful place to communicate with your other Girlfriends in God all around the world.
More From The Girlfriends
Today's devotion was taken from Sharon's new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes. But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus' ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours. To order this life-changing book, visit www.sharonjaynes.com. You'll fall in love with Jesus all over again.
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Originally published Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
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