Matthew 6:25-34 ESV
John 2:1-11 ESV
Romans 8:28 (Turn bad to good)
From the Jar
I laugh when I read Matthew 6:25-34.
Why do I laugh?
It’s because clearly, not a lot has really changed in two thousand years.
Fashion and food were a hot topic in Jesus’ time and they are still a hot topic today.
Basically Jesus was telling his followers they didn’t need to be fashionistas.
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus gives advise about how to think about what to wear and what to eat.
““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Jesus also told them they didn’t need to worry about what they would eat.
When I thought about it, I started wondering about how much the advertising industry spends on trying to attract people to buy a certain food or wear a certain kind of clothes. Maybe we need to think about what Jesus said in the 1st Century!
Jesus was reminding His followers they are more important to Him than what kind of clothing they wore and what kind of food they ate.
Before we go any further, though we need to put who Jesus really was into perspective in the 1st Century.
It didn’t take long for Jesus to start attracting crowds. After His first miracle where he turned water into wine at a wedding feast, word would have spread pretty quickly about what Jesus did. Jewish weddings in Jesus’ day were a big deal. Mother Mary knew that.
So, when the master of the feast for the wedding in Cana ran out of wine, it would have brought shame to that house.
We read in John 2:1-11, “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
It’s notable that Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding in Cana. That means that even before Jesus started performing miracles, people knew (the host of the wedding knew) that Jesus had followers. That would have made Him a person of interest as we say today.
Notice that when Jesus’ mother told her Son the host ran out of wine, Jesus wasn’t very concerned about what people would think of the host.
Mary knew better. We can surmise that Mary knew what her Son was capable of doing. While we don’t know it from scripture we get the idea that Jesus had performed miracles in His home. Somehow Mary knew what He was capable of doing.
It’s also worth noting that Mary knew even in the 1st Century the wedding host would have looked really bad if he ran out of wine.
It’s very interesting that after she told Jesus there was no wine, Jesus told her it wasn’t time for Him to perform miracles yet.
Mary ignored his rebuff. Mary was a woman on a mission. She was determined to save face for the host, She ordered the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do.
It was a ‘moment’ for Mary and her Son. One glance must have been worth a thousand words.
Mary WAS His Mother. Mary knew running out of wine was important enough to ask Jesus again. She pressed the point.
When Mary pressed on, Jesus didn’t argue. He told the servants to fill the large jars with water and take some to the master of the ceremony of the feast. When the master of the feast tasted the wine he was shocked and he declared to all that the bridegroom was the man of the hour. The master of the feast noted that while most people serve the best wine first, this bridegroom saved the best for last. The master of the feast chose to make the bridegroom their hero.
The issue with Mary and Jesus tells us something important about our God.
God really listens to our requests.
As I grew in faith and knowledge of who God is and how God interacts with me, I’ve learned that God is kind. God listens. God cares about me on a very deep level.
I’m saying God and I are in a relationship. It’s a relationship that will last through all eternity. God cares about me. God cares about my requests.
So, back to Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus was saying don’t worry about what you’re going to wear or eat. Verse 33 tells us, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Seek God first. Work on the relationship. Spend time getting to know God. Sit with God in silence and connect to the heart of God. Then, God will work with you to take care of the details. See, I don’t think Mary was going rogue on Jesus. She had spent time with Him. She knew He was special…sent by God for a special purpose.
That day in Cana, Mary turned to Jesus (remember she knew He was the Son of God…she was there when the holy seed was planted). She knew Jesus could do a very good thing for the host that day. Because she had a relationship with Jesus she knew He could turn this disaster into a blessing.
That’s right up God’s alley. God can take the bad and turn it to good (Romans 8:28). That’s what Mary was asking her boy to do that day.
She leaned in and Jesus said yes.
Today I do not hesitate to lean in to God. Really lean in. Seek the relationship. Love God and let God love you. When you do you’ll find that God WILL take care of all of the details of your life. Even the details that others may not think are very important.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Lean IN
Spend time just sitting in God’s lap.
In God, Deborah
you’ll find it is a acrazyjourney.com
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