Because I Said So...

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  January 19, 2025

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Read John 2:1 – 11 (NIV)
 
There is an age-old conversation that parents often engage in with their children... it tends to happen when the parent wants the child to do something that the child really does not want to do.  It is a conversation that I am guessing many of you may have had with a child or two of your own.  It is an exchange that can go on for an unspecified length of time... but it generally boils down to two lines of dialogue. 
 
The child asks, “Why?” to which the parent or other responsible adult responds, “BECAUSE I SAID SO” which usually brings an end to the discussion. 
 
Well, in our New Testament lesson for today, we find the story of a wedding that took place at Cana in Galilee… a wedding that is the setting for Jesus’ first miracle and marks the initiation of His earthly ministry. 
 
Now, according to the Scriptures, Jesus, His mother, and His disciples had all been invited to this wedding where the unthinkable happened... they ran out of wine.  And that is when Jesus’ mother turned to her Son and made the declaration, “They have no more wine.”
 
Now when I hear that statement in my mind... I don’t really hear it as a full sentence but rather as an independent clause, “They have no more wine... (dot dot dot).”  And if I use my imagination, that sentence comes out more like, “They have no more wine... so do something.”
 
And it is at that point that the traditional parent/child discussion commenced as Jesus asked that pesky question “why” ... as in,“Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”
 
But oddly enough, rather than respond directly to Jesus, the Scriptures inform us that His mother turned to the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”
 
Now, still using my imagination and doing just a little reading between the lines of the script... I believe that conversation could conceivably have gone something like this:
 
Mother:  Jesus, they are out of wine, and you need to do something about it.
Jesus: Why do I have to do something about it?  It is not my responsibility.
Mother: BECAUSE I SAID SO... [then turning to the servants]
Mother: Do what my Son tells you to do.
 
It’s important for us to take note that although He did ask the question, “Why...”  Jesus did not hesitate to do what needed to be done... and we should also note that neither did the servants.  Mary’s implied directive, BECAUSE I SAID SO, came through loud and clear enough... that both Jesus and the servants went into high gear to make things happen.
 
We see this as the rest of the story unfolds... Jesus told the servants to fill up six large stone jars that were normally used for ceremonial washing with water.  These jars could hold between 20 – 30 gallons of water each... so the amount of water the servants needed to gather to fill them was certainly more than just a drop in the bucket.
 
Then, after the servants had filled the jars to the brim... Jesus instructed them to take some out and give it to the host of the wedding... which they did... without asking “why,” I might add.
 
And when the host of the wedding banquet tasted what had been brought to him by the servants... that plain everyday water had been turned into a sommelier’s dream... what true wine connoisseurs would describe as top shelf.    
 
In fact, the banquet host was so impressed that he called out to the bridegroom and said, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you’ve saved the best till now!” (John 2:10, MSG).  Back in those days, it was not uncommon for the person hosting a wedding feast to dilute wine with water to make it stretch further.  So, getting the good stuff at this point in the festivities was something worth noting.
 
But some might question, what was the big deal about running out of wine in the first place?  Why make such a big deal about it?
 
Well... in those days, weddings were week-long events to which practically the entire town, not to mention all of the extended family, would have been invited.  So, running out of wine during a wedding celebration was not only a cause for embarrassment... it went against the unwritten rules of hospitality.  It was seen as an indication that the bridegroom had not properly prepared for the guests... something that would have brought shame upon him.
 
Now, scholars suggest that the bridegroom was actually a relative of Mary’s... so she would have been aware of the urgency of the situation... which is why she called upon Jesus to take care of the matter... confident that He was capable of doing whatever needed to be done to spare her relative from being the object of ridicule and shame.
 
And in what we now know to be true Jesus fashion... He did not simply fix the problem... He did it in such a way as to allow the bridegroom to shine rather than suffer disgrace.
 
And that is what Jesus does for those of us who make the choice to follow Him...

He allows us to move beyond the problems of our past that have left us feeling ashamed and disgraced... and He provides us with opportunities to move forward to a place where we can shine.
 
Now, I want to shift our perspective for a moment as we think about what else that phrase BECAUSE I SAID SO... might mean.
 
When we think about that parent/child conversation, the phrase BECAUSE I SAID SO... is often an indication that the discussion is over... and that no further explanation is needed.
 
But as we think about our relationship to the Lord... that phrase BECAUSE I SAID SO... takes on a whole different meaning.
 
Jesus, how can I be certain that you gave your life as a ransom for mine? 
 
BECAUSE I SAID SO... just look at Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
Jesus, how can I be sure that you went to the cross at Calvary for someone like me? 
 
BECAUSE I SAID SO... it’s right there in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
 
Jesus, how can I be confident that there really is a place for me in Your Father’s house? 
 
BECAUSE I SAID SO... just consider what it says in John 14:3, “ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” 
 
Jesus is “the way, the TRUTH, and the life...” (John 14:6) which means we can take Him at His word... without hesitation or reservation... BECAUSE HE SAID SO!
 
But the question I want to pose for us to consider today is this... can people take us at our word?  Can other people be confident that we can be depended upon to do what we say we will do... simply BECAUSE WE SAID SO?
 
This weekend we have the opportunity to pause and reflect on the life and the legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  And I am reminded of one of his most famous quotes from his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.
 
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” (Transcript of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech : NPR)
 
When we think about the content of someone’s character, we often ask ourselves that question... can we depend on them to do the right thing and do what they have said they will do?
 
But I believe it goes even deeper than that...  In December 1964 Dr. King delivered his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, at a time when our country was faced with cruelty, injustice, and violence in our streets...
 
Dr. King said this:

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. (Martin Luther King Jr. – Acceptance Speech - NobelPrize.org)

When we stop to take a good look at the world as it is today, 60 years after Dr. King’s speech... some might say little has changed.  There are still those who cannot see past the color of one’s skin to look at the content of their character...  There is still unrest in the streets of this country as well as abroad...  There are still mortar bursts and whining bullets raining down. 
 
Yes, we are still a far cry from the world peace that most of us claim we want... and yet, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow.
 
Why?  BECAUSE GOD SAID SO...
 
All we need to do is look at what it says in God’s Word.
 
In Jeremiah 29:11, we read, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
 
While in John 16:33, we find these words of encouragement, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 
We have the assurance that in spite of the difficult days we may be facing... we have God’s promise of hope and a future... And despite reports to the contrary, we do not have to fear what that future may bring... because no matter what trouble may come our way, Jesus has already overcome it.
 
And that really is good news today... we can trust that the Lord will lead us through even the darkest valley like the Good Shepherd that He is... and we can hold firm to the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us... and that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.
 
And that means that regardless of the circumstances around us... we should not be afraid to invite the Lord to have His way in the midst of whatever we may be facing.  We find the perfect example of this when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was being handed over to be crucified.
 
In Matthew 26 (38 – 39), we read the account of Jesus taking His three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John with Him:

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Even in the face of His own impending death, Jesus was able to say to God, “Not my will but Your will be done.”  
 
It brings to mind the closing words from Dr. King’s final speech at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee on the day before he was assassinated in April 1968:

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

We will get to the promised land someday, but until then in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead... no matter what storms we may encounter... no matter what trials may come our way... let our prayers be like that of Dr. King... and more importantly, like that of Jesus... Lord, let your will be done.
 
And with that thought and prayer in mind, let us stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Have Thine Own Way, Lord! #588.

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