Jesus vs. His Mom

"Jesus, they've run out of Wine!"

"Woman, what does that have to do with you or with me?

"My Hour Has Not Yet Come."

Mother Mary clearly wants something to be done about the wine supply, and she  has presented the problem to Jesus. But Jesus replies, in effect, "Mother, I'm not in the miracle business right now."

(John 2: 1-11)

A Standoff !

Can Mother Mary command the King of the Universe to make more wine?

Can Jesus disregard, therefore disrespect, a request from his mother?

Mary has the solution to the dilemma. She turns to the servants and says, 

"Do whatever he tells you to do," and apparently leaves the  room.

Well. Obviously, Mary wields some authority around here. She gives a command to the servants, even though it may be unlikely these are her own servants. So this marriage feast may well be a celebration for a family relative. 

But what is Jesus to do now? His choice is between honoring his ministry plan, which is low key for now, and honoring his mother's request. He chose the latter.

Jesus chose to obey the Fifth Commandment of Moses: 

"Honour thy father and thy mother."

And he did it in a low  key manner, so as not to create a big stir at the wedding. But the  servants  knew what had happened, and eventually the word got out. It had a strong effect on the five or six disciples he had gathered by now. And by the time Jesus got to Jerusalem for Passover, Nicodemus already had heard the news. We can guess this because Nicodemus (in Aramaic, Nakdimon) was not only one of the three richest men in Jerusalem, but also the owner of extensive farmland in Galilee. Still, it would be at least a year before Jesus began attracting huge crowds wherever  he went.

And the lesson for you and me?

Honour Your Father and Your Mother.