John 2:5
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
“Whatever He says to you, do it.” If only more people would heed Mary’s advice. It’s easy to simply agree with what Christ commands us isn’t it? It’s a completely different issue, however, when we talk about getting down to the “nitty gritty” of actually obeying what He says.
I relate this to my experience of growing up under the guidance of my dad. At times, I didn’t always agree with the rules he established for our family… especially if they got in the way of my personal agenda! Growing up, we lived in a developing area outside of town. There were not many houses yet, so this left acres of unexplored territory for the taking. During the summer, my friends and I spent most of our time creating or defending one of our many forts throughout the “woods” around my house. The only stipulation was that we stayed within earshot of my mothers whistle. My dad had told me to never go further than the boundaries he had set up. Sounds good, right? Well, for the most part, this rule was never broken. But there was that one time my friend and I ventured beyond our boundaries specifically so that we would be out of earshot. We thought our logic was impeccable: If we couldn’t hear the whistle, we wouldn’t have to go to church choir that afternoon! Bad idea… especially when your dad is a Sheriff’s Deputy and owns his own portable PA system in the form of a marked car! Needless to say, the situation snowballed as Matt and I coward under some palmetto bushes for about an hour as we watched my dad drive back and forth around our neighborhood. These things never work out as planned, do they?
Unfortunately, many of us view Christ’s commandments as no more important than I did my own father’s. We interpret “Love one another” as a suggestion, not a command. When we read, “Go into all the world…” we assume Jesus is talking to everyone but us. “Love your enemy” should apply to those that have a problem with you, but never refers to your own attitude towards that same individual. Mary’s command to the servants didn’t come out of anger or selfishness, but rather out of her understanding of the heart of Jesus. In the same manner, my dad didn’t set up boundaries to simply command power and influence over me, but to protect and care for me. When will we learn that Jesus gives us commandments out of His love for us? It’s time that we started heeding our Lord’s whistle rather than running from it!