“When Jesus is There”

Wedding of Daniel Matomela and NtombW

1 Corinthians 3

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Joshua 24

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

John 2

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

This wedding at Cana was a wedding with a difference, because Jesus was invited. (The verse in 1Cor 3:11, is chosen by today’s bridegroom – for he wants to build his marriage on this foundation, Jesus. The bride chose the verse from Joshua 24:16 – that it be far from them to “serve any other gods”. These two young people from completely different areas have the same desire.)

This is the way to start a blessed marriage. Many young people do the opposite and harm their bodies with immoral lives. Some reap the outcome quickly, while with others it can take even a lifetime before they reap the consequences of their actions.

Jesus was invited together with His disciples. One cannot separate Jesus from His disciples – those who are His true, genuine disciples. Jesus said, “He who receives you, receives Me”, and “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you”. So, if you have a love for Jesus, you will have the same love for His disciples. As the Psalmist prayed, “may I dwell in the house of the Lord forever”, so may your desire be the same – to be in the midst of those who walk with God, and to have fellowship with them. As Jesus said, “what you have done to the least of Mine, you have done unto Me.”

When they ran out of wine, Jesus’ mother said to Him that they had no wine. In the Zulu Bible the implication of Jesus’ response is: “Woman, why do you interfere in this matter, which is mine”. Sometimes people interfere with things that are none of their business. In the eyes of a mother, her son never really grows up. The Lord had His particular ways and times of doing things and we should not try to force our own way upon Him.

There are those who like to add Mary to the Trinity, making Mary divine. Now, we love Mary, and truly she is the most blessed of women, but let her keep her place, and not go beyond what she was called to be. So too, in whatsoever calling God has called you, be faithful therein, and do not enter into that which God did not call you to. Don’t move beyond God.

Now, since Jesus was invited to this wedding, He would do His work. Whenever Jesus enters a life He does His work and changes that life. A certain rich, white farmer in South Africa had one daughter, his sole heir. One day she entered a service where God spoke to her to go as a missionary to China. She went to her parents and told them. Her father refused. She obeyed her father. Two years later she became ill and died. As the coffin disappeared into the ground, her father cried, saying, “What a fool I’ve been. If I’d let her go, at least I would have had a living daughter in China”. He interfered with God’s calling for his daughter, and tried to tell God how things should go.

Let this be a warning to you, not to interfere in God’s matters, which do not concern you. Husbands, wives, and parents should not go beyond the Biblical mandate and meddle in the Lord’s working in the lives of others. God is greater than you are – don’t interfere with His directives in others.

Jesus said to Mary too, “My hour has not yet come”. I.e. It is not for you to force the issue – “I have to do My Father’s will”, said Jesus.

Jesus, God incarnate, could have made His first miracle much more sensational. He could have gone to Jerusalem and called all the leaders to witness His first miracle as proof that He is the Messiah.

However, He chose this poor, obscure community, and did this miracle without much ado or pomp. He glorified Himself through earthly vessels.