Day 3:
John was telling the story of when Jesus’ mother, Mary, asked him to help their friends, whose wedding they
were attending… He was using this recollection to show us Jesus’ compassion, what he was/is willing to risk for us. He was not supposed to be performing miracles at this time, but He love (s/d) His mother, His family, so much that he pulled out all the stoppers’ for them; this time, on the wine! If we sin, if WE do something before it is time, then it is/will be wrong for us… Let God and His Son make the decisions about when/what/where/if it is OK to bend the rules… They have wisdom and great compassion in equal parts. Jesus is our Saviour. He is His Father, our Guide. He is a focal point, and much more. He is our advocate, our elder brother, to whom we must defer, and trust, if we want to come through the day OK. He baby-sits us for God, the Father whom we share, with each other, and with Him… We must look to Him for the say-so and get-go, know that if He finds a way, it is the right and blessed way… We know Jesus when we strive to follow Him. When a believer isn’t obedient to Christ, that person gets lost, but Jesus is the ultimate, the King of Good Shepherds… If we
repent, if we call to Him, He will retrieve us, and the evil within us will subside, because it knows it is fighting a lost cause to take us astray… It will always live to try again soon, and we will probably always let it, because we are only human – We are designed for that kind of manipulation, that’s why we are manipulated… BUT that is also why we were
given free will, so that we can lift our heads, and see Jesus’ face… We can save ourselves by that very action, thereby letting Him Save us… John expects Christians to have faith, and to repent… These two things are inextricably linked… Jesus is our reason for and to do both. He is our Saviour. Our life-line. Our ally. Our family… When we fail, or sin, we distance ourselves from Him, and our vow, our promise, to Him. He is our brother, as well as our (Trinity-speaking) Father. He is family… Do we really think so little of our family, that we would not feel guilt at doing wrong by them..? Obedience is such an important thing in Christian life because it is what we and He depend on to see us through, and it is our Loyalty to Him, our pledge… It is our word, and we have freely given it to God. He did not demand it of us. We gave it, because we knew He would appreciate it, and when we go back on it, we go back on our kindness to Him. We go back on a promise that gave Him hope, that showed Him love. We swipe those things from under his feet… That is not a nice thing to do!