“Godly Advice from a Godly Mother”
John 2:1-11
So it probably dates me a bit but these were the kinds of TV shows I grew up with:
• Brady Bunch
• Father knows best
• Andy Griffith show
• Leave it to Beaver
And I will admit they helped shape my idea of what a family should look like ……. and to me they all seemed perfect. But as I grew older I began realizing things they share in common that were so perfect after all.
• In the Brady Bunch both of the parents were widows, each had three kids and they came together to be a family. Nothing wrong with that-but not a perfect situation.
• Andy Griffith show-a single father raises his son with the help of his aunt Bea-nothing wrong with that … just not perfect.
• Another-young boy constantly got into trouble; made bad decisions on a regular basis somehow his parents always have the right answers. As a parent of four children I wish that were always true-that we always had the right answers but it’s just not that way.
Let me state a fact this morning -- one you may already know but if you don’t, you really need to hear it... There are no perfect families. Non. Nada. Zilch. They simply do not exist. Now while all of us may set out on an adventure of trying to create a perfect family- it is a goal we will never achieve because they simply do not exist. Most moms, I believe, can really identify with what I am describing here. USA Today wrote recently that “while 84% of moms today believe the stereotype of the “perfect mom” is outdated, 90% of moms still feel pressured to be perfect”
Let me say it again there are no perfect families. There are no perfect moms. Actually that should give you some relief.
I want us to step into the story of Mary and Jesus in John chapter 2. We would be hard-pressed to think of any Mother who was more honored than Mary. Chosen by God-to be the mother of our Savior. We would probably all agree that she is the single most impressive woman in Scripture-a tremendous woman of faith-in some denominations she is even referred to as being perfect. Some even choose to say that she never sinned but the truth is she did. Mary would probably be the first to tell you she wasn’t perfect, that she was in over her head raising Jesus but she would also quickly remind us that while not perfect, she was chosen. And if you’re a mom today you were chosen as well for a very special task.
John chapter 2 describes a wedding party. Jewish weddings were much more elaborate than ours are today. They started with a huge meal-a feast was laid out for all to enjoy. Then late in the day, the father of the bride would take his daughter on his arm and parade her through the streets and everyone would congratulate her. Then the wedding party would arrive at the home of the groom and the wedding would actually take place at the front door of the groom’s house.
After that, the wedding party would light torches and parade the bride and groom through the streets and they always took the longest route possible so everyone can see them. Then the party actually got started. The entire next week, the newlyweds held an open house-they were treated like royalty-fancy clothes-some even wore crowns. And the groom’s family provided refreshments for the entire week.
Now that is the setting for this wedding in John chapter 2-and everything is going well-but then a big problem emerges----they ran out of wine. Now a good host never ran out of food or drink so now there was a crisis. Some Bible scholars believe this may have been the wedding of one of Joseph and Mary’s daughters. Or another relative. Or perhaps a close friend. We don’t really know but what we do know is that whoever this was, this was a personal issue for Mary-one she needed to resolve and Mary knew there was only one man to fix this problem and that was Jesus.
He may have been 30 years old but he was still her boy. That’s just how parents think. Verse three. Simple enough. It wasn’t so much her words as I think it is how she said it. Perhaps there is an inflection in her voice --- my parents knew how to get my attention. If they used my middle name I knew something was up. Or maybe it was just the look in their eyes. That’s all it took for some of us to straighten up. Right?
Now Jesus knows exactly what Mary was saying he knows how she said it and it may have even annoyed him just a bit because his response is kind of harsh. What does that have to do with you and me woman? Kids don’t usually say things like that … it’s disrespectful. Then he says “my hour has not yet come.” In other words, the time isn’t right.
One version of the Bible records Jesus as saying “don’t push me.” Cause that’s what she was doing. She was pushing Jesus. See Mary is a nice woman; no doubt a great mom-chosen because she was a great woman-chosen because she would do the job right-but at the same time she was a lot like a lot of parents can be -a little pushy. He’s 30, but she still mama. Still wants to run his life. After all, that’s her boy. Personally, I think Mary knew by this time He was the Messiah-that had completely sunk in -she may have been weary by this time of Jesus saying it’s not my time yet. She may have been ready for him to step it up. Start doing some Messiah kind of things. After all they are at a family gathering. Maybe it’s time to start impressing people a bit. My point here is this …. Mary is not a sinless saint here. This is a mother who at times felt the need as you do at times-we say I’ve just got to fix things. Things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to and I need someone to fix them!
Mary was human. She had all the same weaknesses we all have. And certainly there were times when she made a wrong decision. Any of you moms ever made a wrong decision? Ever done something you regret it-something you didn’t want anyone else to know about? If so, you’re in good company with Mary. And for me that’s what makes this story so powerful-the fact that she was just like us. Chosen, but not perfect.
So she spoke and then expected it to be done. Don’t you ever get tired of people asking you why? You ask them to do something and all you get is why? Why do I have to do that? Why, why, why? Whatever happened to yes-ma’m? Mary just spoke and expected it to be done. Notice she never told him how to fix the problem. She just said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. Now moms let me remind you-you will make mistakes. You will get angry when you are tired. You might yell when you shouldn’t. You may fail more times than you want to admit but you will never go wrong if you tell your kids this— do whatever Jesus says.
Listen. Even though you may be a person of great faith, there will still be times when you will be wrong.
• David, known as a man after God’s own heart broke at least five of the 10 Commandments.
• Moses led the people to the Promised Land but because of his anger didn’t get to go in himself. He also committed murder by the way.
• Peter the leader of the 12 denied Jesus three times.
You can be a great Mom. But you do not have to be perfect. Mary was chosen. You have been chosen as well. Mary was important. You are important. In fact, what job is more important than that of being a great mother to the children God has placed in your life?
Think about this. Jesus was actually bound by a very important law to do what his mother told him to do. Know what it was? To honor your father and your mother. Mary wanted a miracle. He would give her a miracle. He literally made water into wine in front of everybody. And because he did, the Scripture tells us that his disciples put their faith in him. Verse 11. Not only does he give her this miracle, he gives her more than they would possibly need. The stone jars held about 20 to 30 gallons each. Roughly 150 Gallons of wine here. That is a lot of wine.
And she doesn’t just get wine-she gets the best wine. Because nothing is too good for his mother. She got more than she could imagine because she ask in faith. It takes faith to say these words to your children but every parent needs to be able to save them-don’t try to tell Jesus how to fix your problems. Just do whatever he tells you... and you will be fine. Whatever you do-drive that one truth home with your children. Mary was a woman who knew Jesus was the virgin born son of God. If anybody knew, she knew. Mary was a woman who Jesus came to die for sins, even the sins of Mary herself. So that is why we give an invitation today. We give an invitation because the Bible tells us that all of us are sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We give an invitation because the Bible tells us that the wages of sin are death but the gift of God is eternal life. We give an invitation because Jesus said, behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in. He keeps his promises …. Every single one. If you will ask Him into your heart today, Jesus will respond.
