When Jesus Says, "That's Not My Problem!"
Leif Holmes
When Jesus says, “That’s not my problem!” – John 2:1-11
Out of all of Jesus’ miracles that are recorded in the Bible, the first one is when he turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana (see John 2:1-11). However, the miracle seems to be rather odd if you ask me. First, it doesn’t seem very spiritual, does it? I mean, turning water into wine? There’s nothing spiritual about that! It’s one thing to heal an invalid who’s been unable to walk for 38 years (John 5), or another guy who’s been blind since birth (John 9) or to raise someone who’s been dead for 4 days (John 11). But to turn water into wine? That doesn’t seem “miracle-worthy,” does it?
The second thing that is odd about this miracle is that it almost seems like an “accident,” doesn’t it? Jesus is at a wedding, and they run out of wine, and his mother puts him on the spot by saying, “They’ve run out of wine.” If you will allow me to paraphrase Jesus’ response, he basically says, “So what? That’s not my problem!” This is such an odd exchange. Again, not the typical setting for a miracle that you’d expect! This is a very ordinary, everyday problem that has come up but it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things! It’d be like having guests over and running out of toilet paper! It would be embarrassing for sure, but not life-threatening! Running out of wine was a social faux pas but it wasn’t like someone was demon-possessed and needed deliverance, or someone was leprous and needed healing, or someone had died!
The third and final observation is that Mary totally ignores Jesus’ response! Despite Jesus’ reluctance, even refusal to get involved, Mary tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you.” Huh? Did she just blow off Jesus? It seem so, doesn’t it? And I’d assume that she said it right there in front of Jesus so he heard her too. If (to paraphrase again) Jesus’ response was, “It’s not my problem,” Mary basically responds, “I’m making it your problem!” Now at this point, if I was one of the disciples there witnessing this exchange, I’d be feeling a bit uncomfortable, wouldn’t you? Things seems to be escalating from bad (they’ve run out of wine) to worse (Jesus, you need to do something about it!)
And yet . . . what happens next? Jesus tells the servants to fill six large pots with water and by the time they bring it to the master of the banquet, it has turned to wine (and not just any wine, but the good stuff!) Wow, I am blown away! John writes, this was “the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed His glory.” There is SO MUCH to meditate on and take away from this first miracle of Jesus.
1) Jesus got involved (despite his apparent reluctance!) What does that mean for you and me? It means that we can bring ANYTHING before Him. There is NOTHING too trivial for us to bring to God because EVERYTHING is “miracle-worthy” to Him! I once asked God to help me find a lost car key (and He did)! I once asked Him to help me find my lost wedding ring (on a huge softball field that I’d lost the previous day) and guess what? He did! So if God cares about lost keys, lost rings and someone losing face at a wedding if the wine runs out, certainly He cares about whatever weighs on your heart. Think of it this way, as a parent there is nothing too trivial that my kids might ask me for. It doesn’t matter what the request is, what matters is WHO IS ASKING. And our heavenly father delights to answer the requests of His children! Proverbs 15:8 states, “The prayer of the upright is His delight!” That is what makes our prayers “miracle-worthy.”
2) Delays or apparent refusals in prayer on God’s part are anything but. Was changing water into wine on Jesus “to do” list that day? I don’t think so, because Jesus says, “It’s not my hour yet.” Yet He did it anyway! Now THAT is a powerful lesson for us all. What if Mary had left it alone when Jesus told her to leave Him alone? What if she had said to herself, “Oh well, I guess it’s not his will?” The obvious answer is that the wedding guests would have had a lot less reason to stick around. Yet because Mary brought it to Jesus’ attention, EVERYONE was blessed by her faith in Him.
3) Lastly, I want Jesus to reveal His glory to me too. If Mary hadn’t of asked, then this miracle would not have happened. This was about much more than making sure the bridegroom didn’t lose face by running out of wine. This was about Jesus’ revealing Himself to his disciples: “And his disciples believed in Him,” (v.11b). I desperately want Jesus to do the same for me. I want Him to reveal His glory to me by answering my prayers. I want to have that same God-honoring, God-glorifying faith in Jesus that Mary showed. Yes, make it so Lord Jesus!
My Prayer of Response: As I meditate on and pray over this passage in John 2:1-11, please bring to fulfillment this kind of faith in me. And may these words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14