Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Empty Vessels
This week's lectionary passage (John 2: 1-11) includes this:
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.”
Of course, Jesus goes on to turn water to wine, save the family from dishonor, perform a sign and foreshadowing of the of the kingdom ("you will not taste this wine again until..."), and all only known to the servants of the household, itself a sign of the inclusivity and upturned power structure of the Kingdom.
All that is really neat, of course. But I've still always been confused by something. Why this back and forth with Mary? If it "wasn't his time," then why did he listen to her? God in the flesh doesn't decide his own fate, dictate his own actions? And, now that I think of it, what prompted her to put this event into motion in the first place?
I don't know all the detailed answers to these questions, but I never would have figured the basic answer out without a prompting in prayer just now.
Christ's obedience to his Mother - and, presumably, indirectly, obedience to the Holy Spirit (however Mary's involvement shakes out there) - is a depiction and icon at the same time both of what God is like and of the inextricably interwoven nature of the two sides of the veil of Reality (I mean, heaven and Earth). This relating to Mary is a revealing of God's character and how He relates to us and His creation. This is deep.
God in the flesh is NOT "in control." He does NOT "decide his own fate" or "dictate" his actions - nor even dictate history or reality. God is not a self-autonomous individual. He doesn't have or assert his "rights."
God is a God of humility and takes the form and posture of vulnerability, and He does this in RELATIONSHIP to those to whom he is in faithful relationship. A loving faithfulness to the point of death. So much so and to the degree that the events leading to His own death are put into motion by a representative of the ones He is sent on mission to serve. In a sense, a created one here speaks and initiates the path taken by the Uncreated. The Master is the Servant "from the beginning" (of the story).
Like I said, this is deep. We're talking about God in the flesh here - operating not as a Master of his own destiny but as a vulnerable, humble servant (masters have the power of life and death over servants). Not only are the servants the audience of this miracle, but the Servant is the central actor and character!
"I came among you not as one served but as one who serves." "...the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing..."
What does this say about our own posture? What does this say about our own path, and also about how it opens up to us?
We are all empty vessels.
"Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim." - John 2:7
*Mind blown*
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.”
Of course, Jesus goes on to turn water to wine, save the family from dishonor, perform a sign and foreshadowing of the of the kingdom ("you will not taste this wine again until..."), and all only known to the servants of the household, itself a sign of the inclusivity and upturned power structure of the Kingdom.
All that is really neat, of course. But I've still always been confused by something. Why this back and forth with Mary? If it "wasn't his time," then why did he listen to her? God in the flesh doesn't decide his own fate, dictate his own actions? And, now that I think of it, what prompted her to put this event into motion in the first place?
Christ's obedience to his Mother - and, presumably, indirectly, obedience to the Holy Spirit (however Mary's involvement shakes out there) - is a depiction and icon at the same time both of what God is like and of the inextricably interwoven nature of the two sides of the veil of Reality (I mean, heaven and Earth). This relating to Mary is a revealing of God's character and how He relates to us and His creation. This is deep.
God in the flesh is NOT "in control." He does NOT "decide his own fate" or "dictate" his actions - nor even dictate history or reality. God is not a self-autonomous individual. He doesn't have or assert his "rights."
God is a God of humility and takes the form and posture of vulnerability, and He does this in RELATIONSHIP to those to whom he is in faithful relationship. A loving faithfulness to the point of death. So much so and to the degree that the events leading to His own death are put into motion by a representative of the ones He is sent on mission to serve. In a sense, a created one here speaks and initiates the path taken by the Uncreated. The Master is the Servant "from the beginning" (of the story).
Like I said, this is deep. We're talking about God in the flesh here - operating not as a Master of his own destiny but as a vulnerable, humble servant (masters have the power of life and death over servants). Not only are the servants the audience of this miracle, but the Servant is the central actor and character!
"I came among you not as one served but as one who serves." "...the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing..."
What does this say about our own posture? What does this say about our own path, and also about how it opens up to us?
We are all empty vessels.
"Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim." - John 2:7
*Mind blown*
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