We might find the tone of Jesus puzzling in today's Gospel reading. He seems to dismiss his mother, the Virgin Mary, rather harshly. What are we to make of his words in this passage? As always, we must look at the theological, cultural, and biblical context of the passage to understand what Jesus is saying.
To begin, let us recall the 4th Commandment, which mandates that we honor our father and mother. If Jesus had disrespected his mother, whether in public or in private, he would have been guilty of a sin. We know that, being God Incarnate, Jesus was completely free of all sin. Thus we should dismiss the idea that his words to the Virgin Mary might have been disrespectful in some way.
But then how do we explain his apparent harshness? In particular, why does he call his mother "woman"? His choice of words has a deep theological significance. The Gospel of John shows a parallel between the coming of Christ into the world with the account of creation in Genesis. The work of Christ begins with the redemption of humanity and will culminate in the remaking of all of creation as the New Jerusalem.
In The Book of Genesis, after the fall and punishment of Adam and Eve, God makes a promise to the first parents. The traditional translation of the text says: "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel" (Genesis 3:15). Historically, the Church Fathers have understood the seed to refer to Christ, who would defeat the Evil One, symbolized by the serpent. The woman of the passage has been understood to point toward the Virgin Mary. Given her instrumental role in the mission of her Son, Mary helped to crush the head of the serpent. That is why in Catholic sacred art, Our Lady is often depicted as standing on a serpent's head.
By calling his mother "woman," Jesus highlights that she is indeed the one prophesied so long ago in Genesis and that he himself is the seed who will win the victory. A key aspect of Catholic theology regarding the Virgin Mary is that Mary is always pointing toward Christ. All doctrines about Mary reinforce doctrines about her Son.
The connection with the woman of Genesis at this particular moment in The Gospel of John is especially significant, since Jesus is about to perform his first public miracle, which will serve as the first public sign that he is the Messiah, the Savior of humanity. The connection with the woman of Genesis is reinforced later in The Gospel of John when Jesus refers to his mother as "woman" again twice. In that passage, as he is being crucified, he tells the Apostle John, who symbolizes the Church in the passage, to regard the Virgin Mary as his mother. As Jesus is offering himself up as the sacrifice to save humanity from sin, his words recall the promise of the Savior made to humanity right after our fall.
In The Book of Revelation, which is the conclusion of the biblical writings of the Apostle John and the conclusion of the Bible itself, we also see John referring to the Virgin Mary as the "woman." As John shows us the final defeat of evil and the remaking of all of creation, he reminds us of the fundamental role our Holy Mother has played and is still playing in salvation history.
But then, we might ask, why does Jesus seem to set aside his mother's comment about the lack of wine so dismissively? Why does he say: "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." (John 2:4) In referring to his hour, Jesus is talking about the beginning of his self-revelation as Messiah. Up until now, he has led a quiet life with Mary. He has lived like one of us, worked like one of us, not using his divine powers to make life easier or to stand out. But once he performs this miracle in public, his true identity will begin to be revealed and his public ministry will start in earnest. The specific miracle is also significant, because the abundance of wine was one of the signs of the coming of the Messiah. Thus, if Jesus transforms a large quantity of water into wine, he is saying by his actions to his contemporaries: "I am the Messiah."
Once he reveals himself as the Messiah, there is no turning back. That moment will be the beginning of his journey toward Jerusalem - toward crucifixion. As Messiah, it is his mission to offer himself up as the sacrifice upon the Cross for all of humanity. Mary and Jesus both know this. Jesus pushes back because he wants to know if his mother, who loves him with all her being, is ready to see him embark upon this path. Is she ready for her Son to set out toward the Cross?
No doubt, Mary's heart must have grieved in that moment as his mother. She would have wanted to protect him, shelter him, keep him safe. But she knew that she needed to support what he had come to do. She would also share intimately in her Son's suffering. As his mother, she would feel in her own being the suffering that Jesus experienced. The Virgin Mary was truly Our Lady of Sorrows. But she persisted despite her desire to shelter her Son and despite the pain that awaited her own self.
In pushing back against her question, Jesus gave his mother the choice of deciding if that would be the moment when his public ministry would begin. He deferred to her readiness in starting his public work for humanity. Far from being disrespectful, Jesus showed the greatest, most tender respect for our Holy Mother.
In the passage, the Virgin Mary responds to the choice Jesus gives her by deferring to him in her turn. She tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). She is ready for him to begin, but she gives the choice back to him. We see two hearts so full of tender love for each other that each of them defers to the other.
"Do whatever he tells you." Those are also the last words of the Virgin Mary recorded in the Bible. Those are her words to the whole Church, to each of us individually. Our Lady has one desire for us - that we be completely united with her Divine Son. People spend so much time and money trying to be happy, trying to heal psychologically, trying to fill the emptiness in their lives. But without Christ, no true healing is possible. Christ is the true answer.
The Virgin Mary will always lead us to Christ. The best way to ensure that we follow Christ truly is being devoted to Our Lady. The best way to the Virgin Mary, in turn, is the Rosary, which she has encouraged us to pray daily. The 20 decades of the Rosary help us to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Mary has told us to do whatever Jesus tells us. Praying the Rosary daily helps us to open our hearts to what her Son is telling us to do.
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The readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C are:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: The Altar of the Church at Cana, the site of the first miracle of Jesus (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.