“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water;’ so they filled them to the brim.”
There is something beautiful about a simple act of obedience.
When I ask my kids to do something and they do it without arguing–without procrastinating–without asking a zillion questions, I feel like running through the halls of my house shouting, “Hallelujah!”
And I believe our Heavenly Father desires the same kind of obedience from us.
He asks. We do.
He commands. We comply.
This is the beauty of simple obedience.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes respond to Him with childish immaturity instead.
I’ve read the story of Jesus changing water into wine a thousand times, but I’d never noticed the obedience of the servants.
Mary, realizing the wine had run out during the wedding, told the servants, “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you” (John 2:5).
Keep in mind that the wedding at Cana was Jesus’ very first miracle. Not only did these men not know Jesus, but they had no idea that He would one day walk on ocean waves, feed five thousand men, or raise the dead to life. For all they knew, Jesus was just another guest at the party, not a miracle worker.
But when He told them to “fill the jars with water,” they obeyed.
No questions asked.
No complaining about how long it took to fill “six stone jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons” (John 2:6).
No delay between Jesus’ command and their response.
The servants simply did what Jesus told them to do.
In doing so, they gave us, as ‘modern-day servants’ of the Lord, a beautiful example of obedience.
But following in their footsteps is easier said than done, isn’t it?
For instance, I often want Jesus to explain Himself before I obey. Yet, these men obeyed Him without explanation of why they were “filling the jars with water.”
Henry Blackaby explains, “If you know that God loves you, you should never question a directive from Him. It will always be right and best. When He gives you a directive, you are not just to observe, discuss, or debate it. You are to obey it.”
You see, each directive from the Lord presents us with a fundamental choice: to obey or disobey.
We don’t obey out of fear, thinking the Lord will zap us with lightning if we refuse. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands” (John 14:15). On the contrary, obedience demonstrates heartfelt love for who Jesus is and what He’s done for us.
So, let me ask:
How is the Lord telling you to “fill the jars” right now? What simple act of obedience is He asking of you?
Much like the servants at Cana, you have no idea what the Lord might accomplish through your obedience. (To be clear, you are not guaranteed a miracle if you obey. But you will miss out on experiencing the Lord’s best for your life if you don’t.)
Looking back, I bet the servants at Cana never regretted obeying the voice of Jesus.
And neither will you.
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
DIG DEEPER
Read “To Worship is to Obey God” by Bryant Wright
