The Wedding at Cana

I just watched Episode 5 of The Chosen again. I specifically wanted to see the segment featuring the wedding at Cana. You can just feel Mary’s concern for her friends and their social predicament. But what I really love about the scene is the conversation between Thaddaeus and Mary Magdalene that runs alongside the narrative. It’s not in the bible but it clarifies why this miracle is so important to Jesus’ ministry and to the role Mary plays in our lives.

Thaddaeus and Mary Magdalene are talking about the work that he did before Jesus called him to join the apostles. He says his father was a smith and that he was disappointed Thaddaeus wanted to be a stonecutter. Mary Magdalene remarks that it seems like harder work. Thaddaeus replies,

It isn’t harder, it’s just more final. If the smith wants to change a horseshoe or a pot hook, he has only to put the iron back into the fire and reshape it to fit his desires. But once you make that first cut into the stone it can’t be undone. It sets in motion a series of choices. What used to be a shapeless block of limestone or granite begins its long journey of transformation and it will never be the same.  

And that is what happens at Cana. There’s no going back now. They have just embarked on the long road to Calvary. Mama Mary knows this too. How bittersweet that moment must’ve been for her. But what really struck me is how much she must love us, and how dedicated she is to helping her Son in His mission to save us, by complying so graciously in her role to initiate His public ministry.