Sabbathought:: "Truth, Lord: yet . . . ."

In John chapter 2 we find the first miracle (see verse 11) of Jesus' ministry, at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. It is the changing of water into wine. (Reflect with me that the first sign the Lord provided through Moses in Egypt was the turning of the Nile waters into blood. The final convincing sign was the death of the firstborn son. Do you see the stark parallels? The Lord teaches in this way, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.)

Some have supposed this was Jesus' own marriage feast, but it was the custom for the wedding to take place at the home town of the groom, so this would likely have been one of Jesus' half sisters (see Matthew 13:55--6) marrying a boy from Cana. This view is strengthened by the fact that their mother Mary seems to be in charge of the feast, the hostess.

Joseph Smith's translation of verse 4 is smoothed from a "rough thing" into a more sensible form. Instead of Jesus saying to His mother, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come", Joseph renders it, "Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do; for mine hour is not yet come." This version of the account is confirmed in the next verse in the Bible when Mary says "unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

And Jesus then turns some 150 gallons of water into not just wine, but the best wine (v. 10), a miracle indeed as Jesus circumvented the usual fermentation period required for the best wine.

As we take a few moments to study this together, does it not cause your heart to burn within you (see Luke 24:32) at the purity and the glory of the story---His story or Gospel? Are you eager, as I am, to study the New Testament in Sunday School in 2011?

Did Jesus and His disciples (John 2:2) drink wine? Was it just grape juice or did it have a "kick" to it? Did they avoid pork, in conformity with the Law of Moses? In our day, we can eat pork but we expressly avoid the wine with a kick to it for the reasons given in D&C 89:4--6. There is wisdom in all of this, even a Word of Wisdom.

The instances of Jesus speaking "rough things" to His enemies---the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers---are legion and are legend. They wanted His destruction because He was a threat to their priestcraft and they wanted no part of His gospel message of repentance and humility and obedience.

But Jesus' total singleness of purpose---to bring glory and obedience to His Father's will---shows us incidents of somewhat "rough things" even to His close associates, His family, and the lowly.

When Peter adamantly insisted that Jesus not go to Jerusalem and suffer and die at the hands of wicked men, as He had prophesied, the Lord said "unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Matthew 16:21--23). To Peter, these words. . . ! His chief Apostle and close friend. . . !

It's as if He was saying, "I don't want to do it either for the personal agonies involved (see Luke 12:50 [49--53]; 22:42), but I must do the will of the Father and be faithful to my mission, which you do not understand."

When His mother and family members came to speak with Him, He took the occasion to refocus His hearers from His earthly mother and family to His Heavenly Father and the family of Saints who become such by obedience to His gospel plan (see Matthew 12:46--50). To us, this would perhaps appear a "rough thing" and we might try to explain it away, but His mother would have understood (see Luke 2:51).

When a woman of Canaan came seeking an urgent blessing for her daughter, He "answered her not a word." As she persisted, He explained that He was sent only "unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Such a rough response would bring today charges of nationalism and other politically correct reactions.

He continued to explain to her that, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs [meaning to Gentiles]". Rough things indeed, for this poor woman and her suffering daughter! But note how this scene plays out: the woman persists, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." I can never read that without my soul and my emotions saluting this woman. . . !

"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (Matthew 15:22--28).

She passed the test of faith. She extracted a blessing from Him---despite the reasons to the contrary---and we find a salutary lesson for us. Far from Jesus going out of His way to bless the needy, He often would ignore them until they showed the faith necessary to bring the blessing (see also Matthew 9:27--31 and Luke 18:35--43 among many examples). Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. Why would He ever act otherwise?

Is this a different Lord and Savior than the one we think we know, as Elder Bednar intimated to the English Saints last Autumn? There are many other examples, but they will not yield to a casual study, only to those with a sincere searching heart and real intent. These things are true and faithful.

God bless.

Steve