Jesus Speaks to Women: Valentine's Day Edition

3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” John 2: 3

What is it about women and wine?  I mean...it only takes one quick scroll down the paths of social media and one will see women posting pictures or funny memes about their fascination with the cherished beverage.  Wine is some kind of elixir of life, capable of restoring the downtrodden, comforting the distressed and reviving the perishing.  Wine seems to be some women's best friend.  The one they go to when life is rotten, when they want to celebrate or even when they just one to unwind...pun intended :)  Therefore, when wine is scarce or gone...tragedy is upon thee!

I'm not a wine person.  I'm more of a beer girl...wait...why am I talking about this?  I don't know...I think it's because I find it curious that it is Jesus' Mother the one who brings up the fact that "they have no more wine"!  It seems kind of funny, when you think about it, doesn't it?  I'm trying not to be irreverent here, but, the 21st century brain, which is plagued with  visual messages, emojis, bitmojis, giphy images and the like, can't help but think of a "wine is gone" memes.  Or, perhaps, it is just my perverse mind at vile work in here again...sigh...

OK... (this is my pitiful attempt at gracefully dancing away from this mess I've just created for myself)... The truth is that, today being Valentine's Day and all, (a holiday I am NOT fond of) I think of the many lovely women who will drown in wine their loneliness and disappointed hopes with a society that manufactures holidays and markets them as if love were stocks to be frantically traded in a crumbling economy, and my heart fills with sorrow...

Then, I see Mary, pointing out that they have ran out of wine at this wedding they are at, and I can't bear it!  Why does she care?  Why is this so important?  Why did she find it so compelling that she had to go bother Jesus with this triviality, when He wasn't even ready for public ministry yet?  I mean, the guy just wanted to hang out with His friends!  Why did she have to go nag Him about THIS?!

I'm exhausted...I need help!

So I went to my Jon Courson's Application Commentary and what I read was intriguing.  He said first, that the fact that Mary is concern about the diminishing supply of wine means that she might have been a hostess at this wedding. So of course she needed to be on top of things to ensure the success of this event, and wine was one of those things that would guarantee that.  Then, Courson commented on something really interesting:  maybe Mary might have also seen this as an opportunity to restore her reputation.  It was thirty years after the miraculous conception of Jesus, but, Mary's reputation might still not be where it needed to be, so she saw this as a chance to vindicate herself and have the truth of her testimony finally and publicly acknowledged and recognized.   

I don't know...Courson does make an interesting argument for this being a reason.  Then, I think about the biblical symbolism of wine...for us, as Christians, wine represents the Blood of Christ!  And here we have, Christ Himself, replenishing jars upon jars with the most perfect wine, when it wasn't even His time to demonstrate His Father's glory yet...hmmm...could this be foreshadowing the joy of the salvation that comes to us all through His Blood?

I don't think Mary fully knew the implications of her actions that night.  I bet it never occurred to her that an insane blogger would be typing her musings about such an event a couple thousand years later, and making irreverent remarks about wine and Valentine's Day around those events...but what is certain is that Jesus knew.  That's why He went ahead and performed the miracle: so today, those of us who are feeling lonely, left out, disappointed, sad and unloved would realize that we do have a Valentine's who is above all else, the One who never abandons us and whose presence is permanent even when we are so caught up in the world that we miss Him.  Our Lord...the One who heard His Mother's indirect request and went ahead to satisfy it for the benefit of His Father's Glory, is the same who today lifts up the hearts and souls of the downtrodden, comforts the distressed and revives the perishing. Praised be His Holy Name!

May we recognize Jesus' presence with us in our lows and in our highs...for, there is no high, like the Most High! (to borrow Beth Moore's line)  Happy Valentine's Day!