Lots to talk about in three chapters. Let me relay to you some of my favorite lessons…in abbreviated form. It will do me good to call them back to memory.
The wedding at Cana where Jesus first turned water into wine has been the topic of many sermons. Some take issue with the idea that Jesus created an alcoholic beverage. I’m not too concerned with that, actually. If that’s what Jesus wanted to do, fine. I focus instead on Mary.
Mary had a problem; the bridal party had run out of wine…I’m not sure why it was her problem, but for some reason she decided to own it. This tells me something about the mother of Jesus…she was compassionate, perhaps empathetic even. I wonder if Mary had a big wedding…she was already pregnant, was she showing at the time of the wedding? (that would have dampened the occasion, I think). Anyway, Mary takes her problem to Jesus, she can’t do anything about it, no matter how much she cares. Instead of pleading her case with Jesus, she simply says “they don’t have any more wine”. And then, after Jesus says “it’s not my problem” she turns to the servants and says “do whatever he says” and she leaves. I don’t see Mary being stressed out, or worrying about it. She turns the problem over to the Lord and stops worrying; whatever will be will be. Mary knows several things to be true: 1. God loves her deeply 2. Jesus is God 3. Jesus always wants what is best for her 4. Jesus can do anything. We should realize that ever single one of those things are true of us as well. When we have problems, we should follow Mary’s example and “take them to Jesus”….just remember to leave them there.
Jesus clears the temple twice, this time is early in His ministry. He didn’t do it because they were selling animals for sacrifice at inflated rates and ripping people off. He did it because they were conducting their business and ripping people off INSIDE the perimeter of the temple grounds. You will always have con artists..but if they set up shop inside the church they need to be driven out. These folks were making it harder for people to offer a sacrifice, or draw near to God…but that alone isn’t what got them in trouble. WHERE they did is what really made Jesus angry. If they had done the same thing in the marketplace, He probably would have scolded them, but not used the whip. The difference is that the church and the grounds are holy….the town is not.
When we get to John 3:16 it’s so familiar that we read right over top of it. But I heard someone say once that John 3:16 isn’t talking about the quality or the quantity of God’s love here. John isn’t saying “God loved us so much that He gave His son…” rather, he is saying “God demonstrated His love for the world by offering His Son as a sacrifice” The difference is that John is speaking of the way that God showed His love. He’s telling us how we see it, not talking about how much there is, or how pure it is. This passage is linked to the Old Testament, where Moses lifted up the bronze serpent. Jesus became sin, so that anyone who looks to Him, and accepts Him, will be forgiven.
John the Baptist never performed a single miracle.
Where John was baptizing people was just under halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, closer to Galilee. Where Jesus was planning to travel was west of the Sea of Galilee, so instead of following the Jordan river north, he veered up into the mountains on a more direct line. That path took him in Jewish “no man’s land” where the Samaritans lived. The Samaritans were the people who had settled in the area during the time of the Babylonian exile, they had some Jewish ancestry, but they worshipped differently and didn’t follow Jewish law. They became outcasts when the Jews returned from exile and rebuilt Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Sanballat (from Nehemiah) would have had many friends among the Samaritans. So, for Jesus to intentionally walk through their territory was audacious…and to speak with a woman! well…He’s really beyond protocol there…this is certainly not how we do things around here…
I realized this morning as I read that Jesus embarks on this trip because the Jewish leaders have recognized that He is attracting many followers, and is becoming a larger draw than John the Baptist. Jesus wants to stay “under the radar” for a while longer, so He leaves town. That’s an interesting way to grow a movement….when it takes off, leave town. I’m beginning to think that Jesus was less concerned with the number of people that he ministered to, and more concerned with the education of the disciples. I think He remained here for them, primarily.
It’s in the account of the Samaritan woman we hear that the Father desires worshippers who will worship in Spirit and in truth. We hear that location isn’t the important thing, but a receptive heart is. An attitude that is humble, and genuineness that seeks the knowledge of God are far more important.
Faithfully,
PR