Colossians 1:15
Last month I shared a story of my unexpected gift of a cast iron bread pot. It made me think of how we were created in God's image and despite our imperfections may still demonstrate God-like qualities such as love.
And then we started thinking about this verse, 'Who is the image of the invisible God' (Colossians 1:15) - the 'who' being Jesus, the perfect visible manifestation of the invisible God.
We asked if you ever wonder what God is really like?
As Jesus is now in heaven we said that we would look at one event in His life on earth to learn more of what God is really like.
We will see listening, compassion, answered prayer and Jehovah Jireh - the God who sees and provides. The God who is lovingkindness.
(Perhaps I should have explained last time that my Cast Iron Bread Pot gift was particularly appreciated because I had recently started cooking long-fermented sourdough bread. Having developed food intolerances in 2002 I usually eat gluten-free bread.
I forget how I stumbled across a recipe which claims to almost reduce the gluten content of bread by fermenting it for 72 hours, but I have been giving it a go. The taste is absolutely delicious, and it's sustenance very satisfying but I was rather disappointed by my flat results. My oven wouldn't heat quite hot enough and I didn't have a suitable 'Dutch Oven' or cast iron cooking pot to help the process. I couldn't justify purchasing one, but here was the loving kindness of those who had seen my sad looking little pancake loaf and purchased a beautiful Cast Iron bread Pot to help my endeavours!).
- The scene is a wedding in Cana of Galilee.
Jesus has been invited and is there with His disciples and His mother, Mary.
But there is a problem. They have just run out of wine.
Mary comes and tells Jesus, who responds, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come".
Undeterred by what may seem to us a strange response, Mary goes and tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them.
Jesus then proceeds to tell them to fill up 6 nearby waterpots with water, which they do - right up to the brim.
He then instructs them to draw some out and give it to the master of ceremonies, who after tasting it proclaims to the bridegroom that he has kept the best wine until last.
What can we learn here about what God is really like?
1. Jesus was a ready and compassionate listener who could solve problems and do the impossible
We can ask, why was Mary telling Jesus about the problem of running out of wine?
My study Bible suggests Mary could have been in charge of the catering and so it was her big problem. But whether it was or whether she had noticed and was concerned for the hosting family, why did she come to Jesus with the problem?
It may have been because He was her son and therefore somebody she would share such information with.
But I cannot help thinking it was because Mary knew Jesus was the Son of God and she knew He would listen, she knew He was compassionate and she knew He would help her.
Mary had experienced her miraculous conception of Jesus and seen the events at His birth of those who came to worship Him. She had heard the prophetic words about Him, and she had watched Him grow up. She had treasured up all these things in her heart and had pondered over them.
She had likely come to Him before with her concerns and knew He was a compassionate listener who would help - otherwise why would she have confidently said to the servants to do whatever Jesus said? She expected He would do something.
And Jesus did do something! He solved the problem - by a miracle.
Here we see Jesus being that visible manifestation of God's ability to solve problems and to do the impossible.
We have often quoted this verse of encouragement in the Old Testament where God says, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:17).
Does this encourage you today, dear reader? Perhaps you have a problem in your life which is too hard for you to deal with . But, it isn't too hard for God. He knows how to deal with it.
You can bring your problems to God in prayer as Mary brought her problem to Jesus. She knew He would listen, and we know that He did, because of the outcome.
Likewise, we read in the Psalms:
'Call upon me (God) in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me' (Psalm 50:15).
And again in Psalm 145:18:
'The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth'
Later in the book of the prophet, Jeremiah, God tells us:
'Call upon me...pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart' (Jeremiah 29:12,13).
God is nearby and ready to help those who genuinely pray to Him from the bottom of their heart. Even people who don't really love Him can tell of instances when they have had answered prayer.
2. Jehovah-jireh
In the Old Testament book of Genesis we read of God being called 'Jehovah-jireh' meaning 'The LORD will Provide or See'.
This was after a time when God had seen Abraham's need and provided a sacrifice (Genesis 22:14).
Here at the wedding we see how Jesus, Son of God, listened to Mary, He saw a specific need, and He lovingly provided what was needed.
Indeed, His whole life on earth was being Jehovah-jireh - He had seen the need for humans to have a perfect sacrifice to appease God's wrath against their sins and was living out a perfect life with no wrong doings and approaching that time when He would offer His life to provide the perfect sacrifice.
Can we emulate such lovingkindness - like the gift of my bread pot? Do we see others in need and do what we can to provide for and help them?
3. His Kindness
- Firstly, "Woman"
We commented earlier on this rather strange way that Jesus addressed his mother, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come".
'Woman' sounds rude and dismissive, but we know it wasn't because Mary quickly goes off to the servants and tells them to do whatever He says.
Jesus also addressed Mary as 'woman' when He was in agony hanging on the cross and yet still showing His love and care for others. He told John to take care of her, "Woman, behold thy son!" (John 19:26)
My study Bible enlightens us that 'Woman' was actually a term of respect.
Jesus was addressing Mary kindly.
He was manifesting the God who loves and delights in His people. The God who knows His people as individuals and by name. He called to Abraham by name out of heaven, He spoke to Mary by name when He told her she would conceive, He called others, Samuel, Paul, Daniel, Elijah.
Have you ever heard Him call your name? Or have you ever heard Him speak to you?
- Secondly, "what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come".
But then, what about the remainder of Jesus' response, "...what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come".
We can understand this sentence better if we look at other times when this phrase, or very similar is used:
1. Jesus says to his brothers, "My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready" (John 7:6).
This was when Jesus' brothers were goading Him to prove Himself by going to a national feast and telling everyone He was the Son of God. They didn't believe He was the Christ at this point.
2. John writes in John 7:30 and 8:20, that 'no man laid hands on him (Jesus); for his hour was not yet come'.
This was referring to those who wanted to capture and kill Jesus, but they were not able to until it was God's time.
3. At the time of the passover just before Jesus is captured and crucified, we read 'Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father...'.
A short while later after his disciple Judas had gone to betray Him, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him..."
So Jesus' 'hour' or 'time' is referring to the time of His death and the time when He would be glorified.
4. Lastly as Jesus prays with in His final hours before His capture He says, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him..."
Jesus is stating that His time of capture and death has now come. He has finished the work God gave Him to do and now He will be glorified, and His Father in heaven will be glorified, because although He will die, death will not be able to keep Him in the grave.
So when Jesus says to Mary, "...what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come", it seems that He is saying, 'why or how does this concern me? My time of death, my time of showing to all these people that I am the Messiah - my time of glorification - is not yet come.'
And yet, He shows the kindness and mercy of God, in performing the miracle, despite it not being the time when people should see who He really was.
As we read of God in Micah 7:18, 'he delighteth in mercy' (or lovingkindness).
And after the miracle we see how this was all according to God's plan, because it was used to start showing His power and glory to His disciples that they might believe who He was.
How this encourages us to pray to God for help! When we ask from a right place of humility and trust - not from a place of unbelief goading Him to prove Himself - He delights to answer and help us and use it for His further glory.
In summary then, in this event in Jesus' life we have seen what God is really like. We have seen the God who listens, the God who is compassionate, the God who helps, the God who sees and provides, the God who answers prayer. The God who is merciful and lovingkindness. Praise Him!
May He help us to reflect and trace out in our own lives how He has given us glimpses of what He is really like, and may we glorify Him in speaking of it and giving Him the praise.
*****
Perhaps next month, God Willing, we will look at one more event in Jesus' life and trace out how He shows us what our invisible God is really like.
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