“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” – John 2:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 18, 2017): John 2

A Wisconsin “Dairy Queen” has made the news with

what the owner admits is a politically incorrect sign. The origin of the sign is actually found in a complaint that someone had voiced because the restaurant played Christian Music over the speakers in the dining area. The sign is placed at the door as a sort warning of the kind of establishment that you are about to enter. If they say “Merry Christmas” to you in December, then don’t say that you weren’t warned that such an opinion might be expressed.

I applaud the sign. I think that we should be able to express our views about and belief in God. If the owner has really made room for God in his business dealings, then he has also made room for you. I also see a major problem with the sign. It has chosen to equate religious belief with civic responsibility. And in that way, it is disrespectful to its customers. I don’t believe that the owner means to be disrespectful, well, except maybe for the comment about a “snowflake safe space” prepared just for you. There is a general attitude in American culture that seems to try to make the argument that belief in God, and honoring soldiers, police, firefighters and being respectful of the American Flag go hand in hand. If you don’t believe in God, then you must not believe in the United States. If you are a football player who is making a gesture during the playing of the National Anthem at a game in response to racial violence, then you must not be a Christian. Equating the two is disrespectful to everyone.

But it might not have always been that way. I freely admit that we live in a politically charged time when every word we utter seems to mean much more than it should. And language changes. I recognize that language of my youth, language that I didn’t give a second thought to, is now considered to be disrespectful. And sometimes even I get caught by the change.

It is the element of politically incorrect disrespect that I am always reminded of whenever I read the story of Jesus at Cana. Jesus response to his mother is not one that I would recommend for any young Bible readers – or older ones. I am not sure that at any age my mother would have felt honored by me calling her “woman” and then telling her no I didn’t want to do something. (The next time your mother asks you to cut the grass try this – “Woman, why do you involve me. The grass isn’t long enough yet” – or maybe not.)

But in this instance, two things need to be noted. First, in Jesus day the term “woman” was a statement of fact. No disrespect was intended. Just as in North American society we generally call our mothers “mom,” but that word would never pass through the lips of an upper-class British family. In Britain, no matter the age of the child, the appropriate term is always “mommy.”

Once we get past the disrespect of the term “woman” directed at Jesus’s mother, we also have to understand that Jesus never intended to be known as the “miracle worker.” He had a message of love and acceptance that needed to be preached and a death that would save the human race. As he lived and taught, he would do miracles, but the miracles were always intended to be secondary to both his message and his purpose. In this case, Jesus had yet to start to preach his message, so the miracle would become the primary objective.

But Jesus respected his mother, and so performed the miracle at his mother’s request. Although it was Jesus hope that few at the wedding celebration would ever know that the miracle had taken place. This was a private action of honoring his mother that Jesus completed with only a few servants present as witnesses.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: John 3