Patience Brings Blessings

AGAIN? UGH…are you serious? We all use these expressions when we are faced with someone who just won’t change. It may be at work or even at home, but when time and time again we are face to face with the free will of others, we get frustrated. We are tempted to give up in the relationship, waiting for the other one to change. We are the ones who must change.

At that time, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the wedding, with his disciples. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2.1-11

In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus shows us what patience ‘looks’ like. Jesus wasn’t ‘ready’ to start His public ministry. Nonetheless, when His mother approached Him, rather than ‘losing His cool’ He consented and performed His first public miracle.

I can only imagine how frustrated He must be with me. In my own ears, I sound like a toddler demanding special treatment. Still, time and time again He listens to my prayers and always provides what I need. It may not be what I want, but it is always what I need.

This gives us an example of how to treat others. It shouldn’t matter how often we interact with others. We are called as Christians to be patient. Patience brings blessings. When we can learn to be patient with others, like God is patient with us, we aren’t the only ones blessed.

If Christ had said ‘no’ to His mother on that day, how many would not have seen His glory. It wasn’t the wine they needed. They needed to see His glory. Christ didn’t always say ‘yes’ to requests. I’m reminded of when a group wanted to see Him shortly before His Passion.

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.”

John 12.20-23

The Greeks didn’t need to see Him at that moment because what they were going to see soon enough was His glorious resurrection. The Greeks had to be patient to see the glory of God. If they had ‘stormed off’ in frustration, they may never have known the resurrected Christ.

When Christ invites us to follow Him, the first step is for us to deny ourselves. Then we will be willing to take up our cross and follow Him. (See Mark 8.34) We learn patience by learning to deny our will. We learn that we can’t always have what we want from God, when we want it.

When we are patient with others, we learn to be patient with God, and God is patient with us. When God is patient with us, blessings come. We see the glory of God. Shouldn’t we want that same opportunity for our friends? They can see God’s glory too if we are patient with them.