Whatever He Say—Do It – (John 2:5)
Mothers can be great advisers; they can give great advice. The Bible calls Jesus a Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), but I tell you moms have a way of giving good counsel themselves. I remember some of the motherly advice I received: If you open it, close it; if you turn it on, turn it off; if you take it out, put it back; if you empty it, fill it. If you fill it, empty it. The bottom line is this when momma asks you if you want a piece of advice, that question was just a formality. It did not matter if you answer yes or no because you were going to get her advice anyway. Well in the case of John chapter 2, the servants at a Galilean wedding got some advice from a mother. They did not ask her for it, but they got it anyway. And I am so glad they did. Because it really is some great advice. This advice was given by none other than Jesus’ mother.
This verse in the King James translation contains only 7 words, ”Whatever He says unto you, do it.” But to get the full value of her advice we need to take these 7 words completely apart, take them almost one at a time, and see the best advice any mother ever gave. There is no one in the world that could ever give you better advice on any subject than that: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Let’s look at these 7-words and see what perspectives we can pull from them.
1. The Range of A Mother’s Advice (whatever).
Whatever—is an all-inclusive word. This word is actually the same word used in John 4:14 where Jesus told the woman at the well, ”Whoever drinks of the water I shall give him shall never thirst again.” Translated here as ”whatever” this word is as vast and broad as the ”whoever” of the gospel itself. John 3:16 says that WHOEVER believes shall not perish. That means ANYONE and EVERYONE. But here, the word is WHATEVER—that means ANYTHING and EVERYTHING He tells you to do…do it. No limits…no boundaries… no exceptions! Do anything and everything Jesus commands you to do. And that command has not changed, even here and now in the 21st century.
No matter how crazy it seems. Just do it! Keep in mind, this was the first miracle Jesus ever performed. Think about it, they had nothing to base their decision on. And notice that Jesus did not say (in v.7), ”Do this and I’ll make some wine.” Even if He had, it would have still been crazy. This is Jesus’ first miracle: There has been no blind man healed—yet; there has been no lame man by the pool of Bethesda—yet; there has been no resurrection of Jairus’ daughter—yet; there has been no multiplication of fish and bread—yet; no lepers have been cleansed—yet; and no deaf have been healed—yet.
There is nothing but simple obedience that motivates the actions of these servants. But if you think about it, this is not the first time God has given an unusual instruction: Moses, put the blood of a Lamb over your doorway; Naaman, dip 7 times in the Jordan; Israel, look to this bronze serpent on a pole; Priests, take up the ark and step into the Jordan at flood stage; Joshua, march around these walls and shout; nor had Rahab, hang a scarlet rope out of your window. Crazy stuff!
None of those things would have made sense to the carnal mind. But the things of the Spirit have never been discerned by the natural mind. And it is the same way today. When you have lost your job, it makes no sense to be at peace. When the report says it is cancer, it makes no sense to trust. When you have buried a loved one it makes no sense to have joy. It makes no sense to the carnal man that the only way your sins can be forgiven is to look by faith to a nail-scarred Carpenter from Nazareth…but…when you do, you know the joy of sins forgiven! Past removed! Future settled! Heaven bound—life eternal.
So, we walk by faith and not by sight. And we obey whatever Jesus tells us, regardless of how crazy it seems. But also note that we should obey: No matter how costly it seems. One-hundred-Eighty (180) gallons of water (that is 36 five-gallon buckets) and they did this without any indication of what would happen. They didn’t know that Jesus was about to turn water into wine. Read the rest of the story.
2. The Specifics of A Mother’s Advice (He says)
What about this advice from Mother Mary? It involves the Savior (He). You should always obey the police. You should always obey your parents in the Lord. You should always obey your schoolteacher. But the truth is, sometimes they can be wrong. But this advice is about following a Man who was NEVER wrong in word, in thought, or in action. When I tell you something to do, you can take it or not. And sometimes my best answer is ”I don’t know.” But this is God in the flesh…whatever He says to you, do it! TALK ABOUT GREAT ADVICE FROM MARY? Listen to the God-man who has ALL knowledge…ALL wisdom…ALL intellect…ALL insight…ALL love. It involves the Savior (He); It also involves the Scripture (says). As I put pen to paper, I was reminded of the classic hymn ”Trust and Obey…” That song says, trust and obey, for there is no other way.
3. The Simplicity of This Mother’s Advice (to you, do it)
Take that water. Put it in those pots (v.7). Draw some out. Take it to that man (v.8). You don’t need a Ph.D. to understand those instructions. It’s really simple. Listen to what He says (to you). This whole conversation began with Mary coming to tell Jesus to do something about the wine shortage. This comment leads many to believe Mary is perhaps the wedding director or at least a close family member. The implication is: Jesus, do something! Jesus replied by asking, ”Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour is not yet come” (v.4). Jesus was not being rude to His mother. Such would be sin. Here, the word ”woman” is one of respect. It is the same title Jesus would use in speaking to His mother from the cross in John 19.
And Jesus was not indicating He wouldn’t do something about the wine shortage. That becomes obvious. But ”My hour has not yet come” (v.4) is an interesting phrase. It, in essence, references His crucifixion, resurrection, and glorification. Jesus is clear that His purpose was not to perform miracles. His purpose was to go to a Cross, pay for our sin, and be raised from the dead. Even though He did not come primarily to perform miracles, but rather to die, in His kindness and mercy He performs this miracle along the way. But if we are to KNOW Him, it won’t be as a miracle worker. We must know Him as a crucified and risen Lord.
Mary approaches Jesus as His mother and does not get what she requested. She responds as a believer and her faith is honored. So, Mary comes saying ”Do something” and nothing happens (v.4). Then she basically says, ”Jesus, tell us what to do” and the glory of God is revealed. Do you want Him to speak to you? Or are you just interested in speaking to Him? Do you plan to do what He says? Or are you just interested in getting Him to do what you say? Mary did NOT say, ”Whatever He says to you, believe it.” As important as believing is. She did NOT say, ”Whatever He says to you, hear it.” As important as listening is. She said, ”DO IT”
If she had been around when James wrote that ”faith without works is dead,” Mary would’ve whispered an ”amen.” If she had been around when John wrote his first epistle and said, ”The one who says I’ve come to know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him,” Mary would have nodded her head in agreement. This mother’s advice, at times, maybe hard to DO. But it’s easy to understand. Whatever He says to you, do it.
NIKE has done it for nearly 50 years. The ”swoosh” is one of the most recognizable corporate logos in the world. NIKE made its initial debut at the 1972 Olympic Games and sales skyrocketed within the first year to $2 million. NIKE soared to superstardom when they got Michael Jordan to endorse his own shoe, the Air Jordan in 1985. By the late 1980’s, NIKE slipped from it #1 position. Sales were down and corporate execs were grasping at any idea that might push them back to #1. In 1988, they found the secret in 3 simple words: JUST DO IT! And do it they did. This thought promoted the idea that there were no excuses in life. JUST DO IT. Nike’s iconic slogan “Just Do It” has stood the test of time for nearly 40 years. But the truth is, those NIKE advertisers could be accused of plagiarism. You see their slogan it not original. It did not originate in 1988; in fact, it originated in John 2 when Mary the mother of Jesus gave the best advice any mother ever gave, ”Whatever He says to you, do it.” I say to you this morning seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto you. Family whatever He says, do it!