Tell the truth. Leave it alone. Obey.

 

The other day I found myself led to read John 2:3 “When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told Him, ‘They don’t have any wine.’ ” I have to be honest, I wasn’t overwhelmed with enthusiasm as I began to read, after all, been there, done that. But I quickly purposed to “see” it differently. To “hear” His thoughts, and hopefully, to receive His Word for me.  

What I saw, was the simplicity of the words spoken by Mary and the directness in which they were asked. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a relationship with Christ that permitted a direct approach with the facts. She didn’t make excuses. She didn’t taint it with her opinion. Mary simply delivered the facts as they were to the one who could make a difference. She told the truth.  

How many times did we hear those infamous words growing up, “Tell the truth and you won’t get in trouble?” Typically they came in sets of two or three, with a promise and rarely did we believe them to be true. So we lied, the very thing that actually got us in trouble! 

It seems mom instinctively knew the truth would set you free, or at a minimum she memorized John 8:32 and purposed to teach it to us! Here’s my version of the passage before I learned the truth. “If you obey my words, you will resemble the child I hoped to birth, you’ll know what I think, and avoid punishment.”* 

Okay seriously now, those “oh so familiar” words were spoken by one determined to get to the bottom of something. Now! Not later… when the matter has the potential to become something much bigger. Why does the one asking insist on knowing the truth, rather than the modified, prettier version? Because if they, mom in this case, know the truth, she can fix it! Or at least equip you to fix it.

Moms know best. Well, most of the time. Take Mary for example. She’s at a wedding reception where they run out of wine. First off let me point out the much overlooked fact of the situation. Mary was not the bar tender, she was most likely not the hostess and certainly was not the mother of the bride. But all the same, she knew what was going on behind the scenes, just like most mothers.  

Mary sees a potential hic up in the celebration and seeks to resolve it before it becomes a bigger problem. In fact, she doesn’t waste energy worrying about how it will look, and she doesn’t waste time gossiping or complaining about poor planning. Mary goes right up to Jesus and tells Him the facts, expecting a resolve. She does this not based on their relationship alone, but because she knows who He is and what He can do with the truth. Mary confirms her trust for a solution in John 2:5 when she tells the servers, “Do whatever He tells you.” In simpler words, obey!

Many times when there is a need our focus is on how to meet it, get it, or even the injustice of it, rather than the simplicity of the need itself. Do the details matter once the need has been met? Then why do we waste time and energy on them? If we apply the above truth to these questions we may find the answer is that we simply don’t trust. Harsh? Maybe, but it could be the truth. Perhaps it’s pride. A desire to fix it ourselves, for glories sake? Surely these are not “our” truths! Or just maybe it’s the answer or its delivery we fear. After all, look at how Jesus’ responds, “Woman, what is that to you and to Me.” We could judge his answer as harsh, but Jesus spoke the truth. 

In its raw form, truth can be sharper than a two-edged sword. But isn’t that where the power is, in the raw ability to bring about a change, a paradigm shift, the manifestation of abundance? 

The unblemished truth, in the hands of the one known to have your best interest in mind, will set you free … free from binding circumstances, free to experience a change, and free to receive. 

As seen and heard by me, based on John 2:3.

*No offense intended, merely written in lightheartedness for the children who are certain the Holy Spirit spies on them and tells mom everything!