Friday, June 27, 2008

Bible Study:
Discombobulated Dialogue

We discussed John 2:1-11 today. The flow of conversation between Jesus and his mother ensuing the running out of wine at the wedding banquet we had found rather puzzling.

Mary: They have no more wine.

Jesus: Woman, what to me and to you? My time has not yet come.

Mary (to the servants): Whatever He says to you, do it.

What do you make out of it?

I suggest this:
Having no wine during a wedding banquet in the ancient Jewish world was a serious offence, culpable to legal proceedings. Mary was worried and came to seek Jesus' help. She kind of knew that he is special and will be able to do something spectacular to save the day.

But Jesus asked her what would it mean to her and what would it mean to him if he were do to something.

Mary's focus is on the immediate, Jesus focus is on the eternal and his time has not yet come for his glorification on the cross and his resurrection.

But since his mother had asked him and the matter at hand is a serious one, he chose to perform the miracle. He even set it to be the first of all his miracles, the one that inaugurates his kingdom.

Any objections?

pearlie

3 comments:

  1. Tim Keller, in one of his sermons, provided the following speculative interpretation:

    Mary's request to provide the wine for the marriage feast reminded him about what it would take for him to provide wine to his own feast, in the new Heaven and Earth.

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  2. i think you got it spot on!

    ReplyDelete