According
to ancient Jewish writings, Adam awoke from his deep sleep on the 7th
day – the day of
God's rest. The Godhead had shaped and formed a new creation for Adam
– Woman. Jesus, the Second and Last Adam, is shaping and forming
His Bride during the age of grace. God
joined Adam and the Woman together as one in holy matrimony on that
day. All was still pure, complete and perfect. There was no sin.
Adam then said of the woman, “This
is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called
Woman because she was taken out of man.” Genesis 2:23. In
other words, they were united bone to bone and flesh to flesh because
she was a very part of Adam. They were also united Spirit to Spirit
because all was holy and spiritual. I have a sign in my living room
that says, “All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” This
holy, perfect Woman was a very part of Adam/Man. They were one being
with the Father in His eyes. Christ's Bride is also a very part of
Him. She is in Him and united with Him in Spirit and in Truth.
There
was a wedding on the 7th
day of creation just as there will be a wedding between Jesus and His
Bride on the 7th
day – the Day of the Lord – when all who love Jesus will be
united with Him for all eternity in rest, love and peace. As the
Woman was a anew creation formed out of the rib of Adam, the Bride of
Christ is a new creation formed out of the water and blood that
flowed from the wound in Jesus' side. It is the blood of salvation
and the water of the Word anointed by the Holy Spirit that will
reshape and reform us into the image and likeness of Jesus. The
wedding of Jesus and His Bride will take place when all things are
restored to holiness and perfection in Christ as it was before the
first Man and Woman sinned against God. At the wedding feast of the
Lamb, there will be no end to the joy and celebration.
The
wedding at Cana was the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry to begin
shaping and forming this new creation in the hearts and minds of
those who love and follow Him, and to restore the grace lost by the
first Adam and Woman. It will be at the wedding of the Lamb that
Jesus and His Bride will drink the wedding cup of wine sealing the
union of Christ and His Bride for all eternity.
Mary,
the earthly mother of Jesus
When
the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, “They have no more
wine.” Jesus replied, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My hour
has not yet come.” John 2:3-4
Mary
is to be every follower of Christ – His Bride. Mary was chosen,
faithful and obedient to the Word of God. At God's Word through
Gabriel, Mary carried the Word/Jesus in her flesh body until His Body
was fully shaped and formed within her and then eventually birthed
into the world. Every follower of Christ is to also carry Jesus in
their flesh body and allow Him to be shaped and formed within us
until He is birthed through us to others. We are the Body of Christ
who carry the Word and the Holy Spirit within us. We are to have the
family resemblance of Jesus by reflecting Him in our actions, words
and deeds. Mary said “yes” to receiving the Word in her flesh and
eventually birthing Jesus. She was submitted to God and His Word. We
too have to say “yes” to allowing Jesus --the Word -- to come
into our flesh body so He can be shaped and formed in us and
eventually birthed into the world that is in darkness and sin. Mary
obeyed the Word of God by faith as followers of Christ are to obey
the Word by faith.
Jesus
called Mary “Woman.” Jesus never called His mother by her
earthly name in the gospels. He called her Woman – the title of
honor and respect. Woman is an honorable title meaning queen or bride. The original Woman in Genesis was the queen (Bride)
of
a ruler/king Adam. When the Godhead shaped and formed a holy bride
for the first Adam, Adam called her Woman. As Woman, she was Adam's
bride without spot or blemish – holy and perfect because she was
without sin. She radiated the light and glory of holy God and her
holy husband, just as the Bride of Christ is to radiate the light and
glory of God and Her Husband Jesus.
Jesus
called His earthly mother “Woman” because she is the fulfillment
of God's prophecy to the serpent that the woman's seed will defeat
the devil. (see
Genesis 3: 14-15) Mary
is the Woman, and Jesus is the Seed. The first Woman was
disobedient. Mary was obedient. The original sin was committed by a
virgin woman; therefore, sin had to be removed through the “Seed”
of a virgin Woman.
In
her womb, Mary also carried the Holy Spirit in her flesh through
Jesus. He was full of the Holy Spirit in her womb just as the Bride
of Christ can only receive the Holy Spirit through Jesus and is to
carry the Word/Jesus and the Holy Spirit in her fleshly heart and
body.
Jesus
also called Mary “woman” from the cross in John
19:26. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom he
loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your
son,” and to the disciple, “Behold, your mother,.” In
other words, Mary and John are spiritual members of His spiritual
family now. Jesus is about to die on the cross, be resurrected and
ascend to the Father. Mary's role as Jesus' earthly mother is coming
to an end. She will now have a spiritual relationship with Him.
Note that Jesus called Mary “woman” at the beginning of His
earthly ministry and at the end.
Jesus
used the title “Woman” a total of five times in the Gospel of
John. Five is the number of grace. In John
4:21, He
called the Samaritan woman at the well “woman” when He told her
that a time was coming when there won't be worship in a temple on
Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem but worshipers will worship the Father
in Spirit and in Truth. The Bride of Christ is the one who will
worship in Spirit and in Truth all over the world, not just in
Israel.
Jesus
also called the woman caught in adultery “woman” when He asked
her where her accusers were. There is no condemnation in Christ for
His Bride. Even though this woman was a sinner, when she came to
Jesus she was no longer condemned.
Again
in John
20:15, Jesus
called Mary Magdalene “woman” when she was weeping because Jesus'
body was no where to be found. This happened after Jesus'
resurrection. Even the two angels in white called her “woman.”
Mary didn't know where to find Jesus. Jesus found Mary. He came to
her and revealed Himself in His resurrected body. Jesus reveals
Himself to His Bride in His resurrection power.
Jesus
used the title “Woman” when talking to His Bride just as the
first Adam called His bride “Woman” when she was holy, righteous
and good. Christ's Bride is made holy, righteous and good through the
blood of Jesus. Keep in mind that Christ's Bride will be made up of
both males and females.
To
continue to show the consistency of scripture, there is a “Woman”
spoken of in Revelation
12 that
was a sign in heaven. This Woman was clothed with the sun (light
of the day – Jesus) and
had the moon (light
of the darkness – Satan) under
her feet. She wore a crown of twelve stars (number
of Divine Government) on
her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain because she was
about to give birth to a Son. In time, her Son was snatched up to God
and His throne. This was Jesus' resurrection and ascension back to
the Father. The body of Jesus was birthed through a Jewish woman. The
spiritual Body of Christ is being birthed on earth through His
spiritual Bride. The Woman in Revelation speaks of Mary who birthed
the Incarnate Word –Jesus -- in the flesh. It also speaks of the
Bride of Christ made up of males and females, Jews and gentiles, who
have the light of darkness (Satan)
under
their feet and are protected by the Godhead. This Woman in
Revelation was protected and cared for by God as the dragon (Satan)
tried
to destroy her offspring. The Woman's offspring are “those
who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
v17
As
Mary obeyed Jesus by faith, the Bride of Christ is to obey Jesus by
faith and hold to the testimony of Jesus. The Bride of Christ is to
have Satan under her feet.
No
Wine
Mary
must have been involved in the preparation and carrying out of this
wedding celebration because she realizes that in the middle of this
wedding, the wine has run out. She goes to Jesus with the problem. No
doubt Mary wanted to save her family from the humiliation that
running out of wine would cause them. Mary knew that her Son could do
something about it because Gabriel had told her who her Son was
before He was born. Mary watched Jesus grow in wisdom and stature.
She had even heard prophesies about Him, so she knew that Jesus could
do something about her cares. She is acting as intercessor. Mary
didn't have the solution but she knew Jesus did. Mary's intentions
were good.
Jesus
responds to Mary with a puzzling remark. “Why
do you involve Me? My hour has not yet come.”
Jesus
is now the age of maturity (30)
when
a son in the Older Testament could serve God. (Numbers 4:3) As we know, Jesus came
to fulfill the Law and the Prophets perfectly and completely, so He
had to wait until He was 30 years of age to fulfill this portion of
the Law. Although He honored and respected His earthly mother and
adopted father early in His life in obedience to the ten
commandments, He is now under the authority of His Heavenly Father
and must wait and act at His Father's time and will. Jesus has a
Divine timetable. His relationship with His earthly mother is now a
spiritual one, and His life and actions are now governed by God.
(see
Matthew 12:46-50)
Mary
gave the right response. She would trust Jesus. She knew in her
heart that Jesus would do something about her concern. She submitted
to her Son's authority and told the others to “Do
whatever He tells you.” v5 In
other words, submit to His authority and obey His Word fully. Mary
was aware that obedience to Jesus would solve the problem of no wine.
He would supply all of their needs according to the riches of His
glory. (see
Philippians 4:19)
Jesus
heard Mary's concern and eventually did something about it, but not
until His Heavenly Father instructed Him. Jesus will supply the need
of the host of the wedding feast at the Father's appointed time.
Faithful Mary's heart and petition would move the Father and the Son
to act.
Jesus'
“hour” in this scripture is the hour of the revelation of His
transforming power but scripture uses this phrase when speaking about
the hour of Jesus' death. Jesus said, “The
hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23 Then
in John
13:1, Jesus
knew that the “time
had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.”
There
were times in scripture when Jesus' “time
had not yet come.” When
His disciples wanted Jesus to perform miracles in Jerusalem during
the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus said that “the
right time had not come” for
Him to do this. The time also had not come for the religious leaders
to seize Jesus in John
8:20.
As
you can see, Jesus always waited upon His Father's Word before He
took any action or spoke any word.
(Next
week: The stone waterpots and the transformation)
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