Calling on Him as Savior and Lord: 10-1-23

Overview

Calling on Him as Savior and Lord

In the world of first-century Judaism, women were treated as possessions. They were not addressed publicly, not taught by the rabbis, and not even permitted to testify in court because they were considered unreliable witnesses. Against that backdrop, the way Jesus engaged with women was nothing short of revolutionary. He spoke with them publicly, healed them, allowed a band of women to travel with His disciples, and entrusted Mary Magdalene—a woman whose word would not have stood up in a courtroom—as the first witness of His resurrection. He elevated the dignity, status, and equality of women in ways His culture would have found startling.

That makes the exchange in John 2:1-5 all the more striking. At the wedding in Cana—where running out of wine could expose the groom to public shame and even legal trouble—Mary brings the problem to Jesus. He responds, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." To our ears this can sound harsh, but the term translated "woman" was actually one of respect, closer to "lady" or "ma'am." What Jesus is doing is signaling a shift. Mary was addressing her son; Jesus was addressing her as her Messiah. His phrase "my hour has not yet come" is messianic language pointing forward to the cross, as we see again in John 7:6, John 7:30, John 13:1, and John 17:1. Mary understood. Her response was simply, "Do whatever he tells you." She submitted to His lordship.

Scripture records only three conversations between Jesus and Mary: in the temple when He was twelve, at the wedding in Cana, and from the cross itself. In John 19:26, Jesus again addresses His mother as "woman"—because even there, even then, He was acting as her Messiah, redeeming the world's sin, including hers, and providing for her in love. The Son who honored His mother was also the Savior who would die for her.

This raises a searching question for each of us: how do we address the Lord Jesus? If we come asking Him only to bend His will to ours, we treat Him as a servant. If our prayers are nothing but petition with scarcely a word of praise, we are not addressing Him as One worthy of His throne. If we approach Him as a child to be guided or a pal to be casual with, we have not reckoned with who He truly is. Philippians 2:7-11 tells us that the One who emptied Himself and became obedient to death on a cross has been given the name above every name, so that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Like Mary, may we bend our knees, submit our wills, and say of Him: "Whatever He tells you, do it."

Transcript

Would you open your Bible's please with me to the gospel of John the second chapter for 3s

our study this morning? 8s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 80 in 10s

the New Testament. 15s

John the second chapter, page 80 in the New Testament. 16s

They were really treated as possessions. 23s

It wouldn't be addressed in public when men would go to count change into their hand. 27s

They'd be very careful not to touch the hand. 36s

The rabbis wouldn't teach them. 39s

They were forbidden for being a witness in a court trial because they were regarded as 45s

buyers. 57s

Who by speaking of women in biblical day? 60s

Women in biblical day. 69s

That's why Jesus' treatment of women that we see in Holy Scripture was so radically different 72s

than that which was occurring in the day. 80s

Radically different. 83s

He elevated the status of women. 84s

He treated them with equality. 87s

It was so radically different than the treatment. 90s

The women were experiencing Jesus spoke to women. 95s

He spoke to them publicly. 99s

The woman at the well, Mary Mangalyn, the widow of name on and on, goes the list. 102s

Jesus touched them and healed them. 108s

Why he even allowed a small band of women to accompany the disciples as they traveled. 113s

That would have been on herd of in Jesus's day. 119s

And the first resurrection witness, who, Mary Mangalyn? 125s

And when you consider that against the backdrop of women that couldn't testify in a 130s

court because they were considered liars and yet Jesus chooses a woman to be the bear of 137s

the resurrection were radically different treatment, radically different treatment. 149s

That's why when we look at our text for today and the exchange between Jesus and a woman, 157s

it might strike us rather odd when we read it. 164s

And then you layer on top of that that the woman that he is addressing is his mother. 170s

Look when they placed chapter 2, verse 1. 181s

On the third day there was a wedding in Kina of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. 184s

Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 189s

The third day it refers to chapter 1, verse 43 and then you follow the account. 195s

So you'll see the days there now we come to the third day. 200s

Kina was 10 miles away from where Jesus grew up in Nazareth and weddings in ancient 205s

day. 216s

Weddings in ancient day were huge occasions. 217s

Typically they're huge in our day. 223s

In biblical day it was a whole other level. 225s

Why sometimes the wedding celebrations would last weeks on and long after the bride and 231s

groom had left. 238s

And if the bride and groom were around for a few days why in the evenings the community 239s

would gather once again they would light torches they would sing to them. 246s

They treated them like a king and a queen. 250s

It was a huge, huge event. 253s

Look at verse 3. 259s

When the wine gave out an ancient day hospitality was so emphasized, particularly at weddings. 263s

And if we ran out of wine at a wedding literally the groom could be subject to a lawsuit 275s

by the guests. 287s

So this isn't an oversight here. 290s

This is a problem here and it's a potential problem for the groom. 292s

Look at the second part of verse 3. 300s

The mother of Jesus said to him, 304s

they have no wine. 307s

She presents the problem to Jesus. 310s

Now we see in the account Jesus goes and he changes the water into the wine. 316s

The best of all wine we see here the miracle occurring. 322s

Then we see that the problem is resolved. 327s

But it's the response here isn't it? 334s

It's the response of Jesus to his mother. 337s

Look please, at verse 4. 344s

And Jesus said to her, 349s

woman. 354s

Woman? 360s

Jesus was certainly aware of the fourth commandment to honor your father and your mother. 365s

He was readily aware of that. 371s

I think of my own upbringing if I would have turned to my mother. 375s

In if I would have said, woman, 383s

it wouldn't have been appreciated. 388s

It she turns here and says, woman, 391s

that doesn't seem consistent. 400s

Does it? 403s

Doesn't seem consistent with how Jesus treated women? 405s

Doesn't seem consistent with how Jesus elevated the status and respect and equality of women. 410s

How Jesus was totally different than how society had treated women. 417s

It just doesn't make sense. 422s

He turns to his mother and says, woman, 424s

woman, why? 435s

Mary would have been literally a girl. 446s

Literally a girl when she found out that of all of the women in all of history, 451s

she was going to bear the Messiah. 457s

She literally was a girl when she found out that news. 461s

And when she is expecting the senses call, 466s

the remember, a function of the sentence, 469s

senses what we studied last week was for the poll tax to be instituted, 472s

so they have to travel to Bethlehem. 476s

She's expecting here, she has to make the trip on a donkey, 480s

expecting on a donkey. 486s

There's no room for her in the end so she gives birth in a barn and places per child 491s

in the feeding trough of the animals. 500s

The shepherds come and they share the glorious news of the angelic choir that they've heard 503s

in all that was said in the scripture says that Mary, 510s

she pondered these things and she treasured these things in her heart. 515s

It's now 30 years later. 524s

And Jesus turns and says to Mary, 528s

woman, 536s

but to our ears and our assumptions with regard to how that sounds to us today, 541s

in actuality here the term that he is using, addressing his mother, 550s

woman, it was it was actually a term of respect. 557s

This wasn't disrespect here. 564s

This was an expression of respect on Jesus' part. 566s

We could translate that lady. 572s

We could translate this as as maim. 577s

Jesus turns and says, 581s

maim. 585s

Verse 4 again, 587s

Jesus said to her, 590s

what concern is that to you and to me? 594s

Literally, literal translation is, 600s

what is there for you and me or in other words, 603s

what do we have in common here? 608s

So he says maim, 613s

and then he says, 615s

what do we have in common here? 616s

Because you see, these were different priorities. 618s

Mary's priority was to solve the problem 621s

of the lack of wine at the wedding and Jesus had different priorities. 625s

The relationship, the public ministry has started of Jesus. 634s

The relationship is no longer 640s

mother and son. 646s

The relationship now is Lord and disciple. 649s

Mary was addressing her son and Jesus addressed her as her Messiah. 660s

It becomes even more clear as we go on. 678s

Look at verse 4 again. 682s

Jesus said to her, maim, 683s

what concern is that to you and me? 686s

What do we have in common? 688s

Then he says, 691s

my hour has not yet come. 692s

That's Messiah, language. 696s

Turn a few pages, would you? 699s

To John chapter 7, verse 6, 700s

John chapter 7, verse 6. 704s

Jesus said to them, 715s

my time has not yet come. 717s

Slide down to verse 8. 721s

Go to the festival yourselves. 724s

I'm not going to this festival for my time. 726s

Has not yet fully come. 729s

Slide further down into verse 30. 733s

Then they tried to arrest him but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet 737s

come. 743s

Keep going, please. 745s

To chapter 13, verse 1, chapter 13, verse 1. 747s

In chapter 13, verse 1, we read. 756s

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to 760s

depart from this world and go to the Father. 767s

Lastly, let's go to John 17, verse 1, 770s

John 17, verse 1. 775s

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, 781s

Father, the hour has come glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you. 786s

What was the hour headed that had come? 794s

But the hour that had come was the cross. 797s

That's the hour that had come. 801s

Jesus here you see is speaking as the Messiah. 805s

Mary is addressing Jesus as her Son. 809s

And Jesus is addressing Mary as the Son of God. 813s

That's what's happening in it. 819s

How do we address the Lord Jesus? 825s

How do we address him? 830s

If we come to him and what we want is his will to bend to our will, 833s

then we're addressing him as our servant. 845s

If we come to him in petition after petition after petition after petition with 852s

with scant, a near mention of praise, we are addressing him, not in a manner that is worthy of him. 857s

If we come to him and we think we need to guide him in the way that he should go, 869s

we're addressing him as a child. 875s

If we come to him and we treat him and our thoughts are words, if we treat him as a pal. 882s

If that's our conception of Jesus, as he's this prison pal to us, 893s

we are not addressing him then in the manner of one worthy of the throne upon which he sits. 903s

Mary was addressing her Son and Jesus addressed her as her Messiah. 912s

And Mary, she died. 924s

She understood because, look again, adverse five, please, of chapter two of John. 931s

Right after Jesus says in verse four, 940s

ma'am, what do we have in common? 944s

My hour has not yet come. 948s

After he addresses her as Messiah, 952s

notice five, his mother said to the servants, 956s

do whatever he tells you. 961s

She submits to the Lord's ship of the Messiah. 965s

Whatever he tells you, whatever it is, do. 975s

May we do the same in our lives. 984s

There are three times recorded in Scripture where there's dialogue between Mary and Jesus. 992s

What is in Luke II chapter? 1000s

It's after the Passover, there were a lot of throng of people, 1003s

of course, that would have attended the Passover. 1006s

And the throng of people are leaving. 1009s

And there's the assumption that Jesus is in the throng. 1011s

They go a day's journey and then they realize 1016s

Jesus isn't there. 1021s

So they go back then, they go back to Jerusalem and for three days. 1024s

They're searching for Jesus. 1031s

They find Him in the temple. 1035s

And there's a dialogue between Mary and Jesus. That's the first time. 1038s

And Jesus was 12. 1043s

Second time we see in Scripture is at the wedding of Kena. 1045s

The third time is in John the 19th chapter. 1050s

And in John 19 it says this. 1056s

Meanwhile standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, 1061s

Mary, the wife of Clopus and Mary Magdalene. 1067s

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, 1072s

he said to his mother, 1078s

woman, 1084s

here is your son, 1087s

from the cross, he turns to his mother and he says it again. 1092s

One. 1101s

One. 1105s

He speaks to her as her Messiah. 1109s

Because on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ was redeeming the world, 1116s

redeeming the world because of its sin. 1123s

And on the cross Jesus was redeeming the world which included the sin of his mother, 1128s

winning for us and for his mother, 1139s

forgiveness and from the cross Jesus turned to his mother and said, 1148s

what? 1159s

In Philippians the second chapter, 1167s

the apostle Paul writes this, 1170s

that Jesus emptied himself, 1174s

taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness. 1175s

And being fallen in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death 1181s

even death on a cross. 1187s

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name. 1191s

So that the name of Jesus, every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 1198s

and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, 1208s

the Father, and our knees bent and we address him as same fear, 1216s

son of God, 1234s

Lord, our knees bent and we address him as same fear. 1237s