THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Virgin Mary sets up not her own word or her own will, but the word and will of Jesus Christ as the rule of the-believer’s life. It is worthy of careful note how promptly Mary herself yields to our Lord’s suggestion that it is not for her even to suggest to Him what to do. She ceases to suggest time of manner or place or measure of what is to be done. She leaves it all to Him. She has learned her lesson and learned it well. She recognizes her place, that she is not the one to whom He should listen, but'that He is the One to Whom she and every one else should listen. V. 6. “And there were set there' six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the lews, containing two or three firkins apiece Notice with what precision and min uteness and yet with what brevity John tells the story. He recalls the exact number of waterpots, the ma terial of which they were made, and the exact capacity of each waterpot. We have evidently the account of an eye witness, and yet while stating all so fully and with such minute particu larity, showing what an indelible im pression it had all made upon his own mind, there is the most singular ab sence of all expressions of surprise or wonder at the miracle. This char acterizes all the Gospel stories of our Lord’s miracles and the other wonder ful events in His life. The truthful ness of the story in its minute details is substantiated by the fact that vessels of stone or earthenware were pre scribed by Jewish tradition for the washings before and after meals. The theory that John’s Gospel was writ ten in the second or third century and is more or less fictitious, breaks down at every point, even in the most min ute details in the record. The firkin was equal to about nine gallons; each waterpot therefore must have con-
with which our Lord spoke to her that encouraged her heart in face of the seeming rebuff. Mary’s faith was ab solutely unshaken—possibly it was in creased. She had absolute confidence in Him that He would command just the right thing at just the right mo ment. Her words are worthy of being the life motto of every professed fol lower of JesUs Christ. The whole secret of a life of blessing and power is found in her words. If you would know alb the fulness of blessing that there is in Him then, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it” (Jno. 15 :14; 15:7; 1 Jno. 3 :22). Each word in the brief sentence is worthy of careful study: First , “WHATSOEVER He saith.” It may be a hard thing He bids us do; it may be a seemingly senseless thing, as indeed it appeared to be in this case, nevertheless “ What soever He saith” is the one thing to do. How happy is the man who learns this “Whatsoever.” It is the condition of being a friend of Jesus and enjoying a friend’s privileges (John 15:14). And then great em phasis should be laid upon the “HE” —“Whatsoever HE saith.” Not whatsoever Mary says, nor any man says, but what HE says, the one only Divine Being that ever walked this earth, the absolute Lord and Master of the life of every Christian. Then note the “SA ITH” —He has put His will into words; He has not left us to imagine what He would have us do but He has actually said it; not what we imagine to be the thought of His mind, but His will as He has revealed it in His words is to be the rule of oUr life. Then notice very casefully the “DO.” We are not merely to admire, nor think about, nor believe in, nor proclaim, what He saith, we are to DO it. Not something like it; not something just as good, or even some thing better, but “IT ” the very thing He says. It is well to note that the
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