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Just Do It!
Jon Burgess5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”6Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing), containing twenty or thirty gallons each.7Jesus said to the servants,“Fill the waterpots with water.”So they filled them up to the brim.8Then He said to them,“Drawsomeout now and take it to the headwaiter[of the banquet].” So they took itto him.9And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had turned into wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew) he called the bridegroom,10and said to him, “Everyone else serves his best wine first, and whenpeoplehaveOrhave become intoxicated.drunk freely,then he servesthat which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now.” John 2:5-10
Just like the servants at the Wedding at Cana I have been called to do whatever Jesus is asking me to do even if it makes no sense whatsoever. The servants were guaranteed to lose theirjobs if they showed up to their boss with a wine goblet full of water. Jesus didn't tell them what was going to happen. He didn't give the servants details on when exactly that water was going to turn to wine. He just said do it, and they did it, and Jesus did it, and God was glorified!
Looks like Nike stole the slogan from Mother Mary. Before they attached theirNike swoosh to their"Just Do It" slogan, Mary attached the slogan to the description of every servant of Jesus: “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
Whatever: Unconditional Obedience. I don't get to put qualifiers or timetables on my obedience becauseI'm not the Savior, I'm the servant. Delayed obedience or partial obedience is still disobedience. My schedules, my skills, my social expectations are at His beck and call. My time, my talent, my treasure are at His disposal.
He Says: Totally Attentive. I can't obey what I have not heard. There's a big difference between hearing and listening. My boys hear me talking to them about cleaning their room but aren't listening to a word I'm saying. I do this with the Lord. There were a lot of voices in that party that day, but the only one that mattered, the only one the servants need to be attentive to was Jesus. It wasn't the first part and then they could wing it after that. No, they needed to listen to every single word so they could obey in every single way.
To You: Team Accountability. Jesus wasn't just talking to one servant, He was talking to the whole group. To a man, they all had to carry out His instructions no matter how ludicrous it may have seemed. I'm so glad we are called to do church as a team. Jesus sent out His disciples two by two as "sheep among wolves". At least I'm not heading into battle alone. There is strength in numbers.
Do It: Action Oriented. When it comes to religion there's a whole lot of good talk with very little good action. Love is a verb because Christians were always meant to put feet to our faith and step out by faith. If the servants simply nodded their heads in agreement with Jesus' words but never stepped into action they would have missed out on being the hands and feet that carried out Jesus' first miracle. James makes it clear that faith without works is dead. If not walking out what I'm hearing out then my faith is dying out.
Jesus, thank You for this reminder this morning. It's so simple and yet so profound. Religion likes to make things so complicated and get lost in the endless debate. You're the Savior. I'm the servant. I'm here to do whatever you say no matter what. Let me continue to hear and obey!
