A Mother Will Be a Mother

Someone has to state the obvious sometimes! Trust a mother to do that.

Yes, there are times when you should probably put your foot in your mouth instead. But if Mary couldn't resist, surely I can be given a little slack!

I laugh out loud every time I read Jesus' response to His mother's comment at the wedding they attended together. His response began with, "Woman..." He was gently—or perhaps not so gently—reprimanding her.

John 2:4

It all started because she made a simple observation: they had run out of wine. That's all she said. "Look, there is no more wine." Just stating the obvious, in case He had somehow missed it.

But between this mother and Son, much more was happening than met the eye.

Mary had raised this man—the Son of God, our Savior, and soon-coming King. She knew Him. She had witnessed what He was capable of. I can't help but imagine moments long before this wedding, when they ran out of oil or flour at home, and Jesus simply spoke a word that filled every jar and vessel. I imagine Him seeing someone's grief or pain long before His public ministry began and quietly speaking a word that brought healing in an instant.

Mary knew.

Her heart must have overflowed with love and pride for her Son, just like the heart of every mother on earth. Yet she also knew she wasn't supposed to say anything. Perhaps she had heard before, "My time has not yet come." She understood. She waited.

Then came the wedding.

Running out of wine would have been deeply embarrassing for the hosts. Mary found herself caught between friends who had a need and a Son who held the power of the universe in His hands.

What a predicament!

She simply couldn't keep quiet any longer. It slipped out, almost as gently as possible. She merely stated the obvious.

Don't you just love it?

If you're a mother, you're probably smiling by now.

She leaned over and quietly said, "They are out of wine."

That was it. Just a mother's gentle reminder, making sure her Son saw what was unfolding right in front of Him. Maybe she had seen Him quietly intervene before. Maybe she had watched Him meet impossible needs in ways no one else knew about. Whatever the case, she was willing to take the risk.

Jesus' response is priceless:

"Woman..."

Sometimes we simply have to let mothers be mothers. God knows our hearts far better than anyone else does.

Even after His response, Mary calmly instructed the servants, "Fill the jars with water."

Then Jesus performed the miracle.

Isn't that remarkable?

There was a need.

There was Someone with the power to meet it.

Someone had to step forward and simply say something—someone who believed the impossible was possible.

And there was the compassionate heart of God in that room, already reaching toward people He had come to redeem, willing and ready to touch lives even before His appointed time.

Blessed are the mothers who state the obvious, even when it isn't always well received. They do it because they see something others don't. They notice pain. They long to bring relief. They love deeply and take courageous leaps every single day for the sake of others.

They speak with peace and confidence. They believe for others. They pray. They love. And they have seen the power of God before.

Who is willing to state the obvious?

Who is willing to intercede for others?

Who is willing to become a conduit of the power and love of God?

Take the leap. Invite God into the situation, and watch His miraculous power at work.

Stay in love.

Stay in peace.

Stay in gentleness.

Stay in humility.

And above all, stay in faith—the kind of faith that cannot remain silent, but speaks words of hope and healing, allowing the miraculous power of God to flow directly into the place of greatest need.