Will You Marry Me?Sample

 Never the Bridesmaid, Always the Bride

Weddings are magical. No matter who’s getting married, there’s something sacred and fairy tale-like about the whole experience. 

As special and wonderful as weddings are, we’ve all been the single person at one. When I was in my early twenties, I was literally in twelve weddings. I had a variety of bridesmaid dresses and interesting hair updos. Thank goodness we didn’t have Instagram back then!

While I was always happy for the bride, I couldn’t help but look forward to the day I would be the bride. Jesus understands this longing. He put this desire in our hearts before time began. Whether you’re married or single in this present world, when you say yes to Him, you become His bride for eternity.

Over the next few days, we’re going to dive into the story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana. At this time, Jesus lived about 8 miles away in Nazareth and had not yet performed any signs or wonders. Many scholars believe that because Jesus, His mother, and His brothers were all present at this wedding, it was quite possibly a relative of Jesus that was getting married.

Much like weddings today, in this culture, weddings took a great deal of intricate planning and were a reflection on the family hosting them. If the host ran out of wine, it would not only be an embarrassment, but also bring shame upon the family.

 

If this was indeed a family member’s wedding, then we can assume that Mary, Jesus’ mother, might’ve been somewhat involved in the planning process. She seems to take responsibility for the wine dilemma. She informs Jesus that the wine had run out and, knowing who Jesus is, asks Him to save her family from shame. 

Let’s look at how Jesus responds to Mary: “Why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” 

In our reading today, we learned that when Jesus said “my hour,” He was referring to His crucifixion and resurrection. He came to this earth to complete a mission: to save us from our sins so we can spend eternity with Him. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” In other words, the hour of His death had finally come. 

When Jesus responded to His mother, He was looking ahead and seeing the bigger picture. Sure, He could’ve fixed the immediate wine mishap, but He hadn’t yet covered our shame for good. This was just the beginning. 

When Mary asked Jesus to get involved in this wedding, it seemed to strike a personal nerve within Him. At this point, He wasn’t even in the betrothal stage with His bride. I believe He might’ve felt frustration, heartache, or jealousy for His bride. He’s waiting for our wedding and feast, and they’ll be the celebration of a lifetime! 

Trust me: our bridegroom won’t just be attending as a bystander or working miracles behind the scenes. He’ll be the Lord of the feast, the King of Kings, getting married to the love of His life—and that, my friend, is you. 

Note: Information in today’s devotional is referenced from Timothy Keller’s sermon “A Wedding Party Encounters Jesus.” Be sure to check it out online if you’d like to learn more on this topic.