(English below)
En parlant avec les Catholiques concernant la position de Marie dans l’église, la majorité citait Jean 2 comme exemple pour montrer comment Marie a une position élevée dans le ciel et comment Jésus écoute les requêtes de Sa mère. Le but de mon article est de répondre à la question: Est-ce que Jean 2 supporte la doctrine catholique que Marie a une position d’influence sur Jésus, et ceux qui la prient pourraient-ils avoir un accès à Jésus à cause d’elle?
Or, le troisième jour, il y eut des noces à Cana en Galilée. La mère de Jésus était là. 2 Jésus fut aussi invité aux noces avec ses disciples. 3 Comme le vin venait à manquer, la mère de Jésus lui dit: «Ils n’ont plus de vin.» 4 Jésus lui répondit: «Que me veux-tu, femme? Mon heure n’est pas encore venue.» 5 Sa mère dit aux serviteurs: «Faites tout ce qu’il vous dira.» – Jean 2:1-5
Afin à répondre de ma question principale, j’ai besoin de répondre à une autre question: pourquoi l’apôtre Jean a inclût cet événement dans son Évangile? En autre mots, quelle est la bonne interprétation de Jean 2? Nous pouvons forcer notre interprétation de la Bible afin d’approuver nos pensées et nos préférences, mais notre but devrait être de découvrir l’interprétation de l’auteur. Nous devrions poser la question, qu’est-ce que Jean voulait nous enseigner par ce passage?
Le thème principal dans l’Évangile de Jean est que Jésus est le Fils de Dieu. Il est la Parole. La Parole est Dieu (chapitre 1, verset 1). Et la Parole s’est faite homme, et Jean a contemplé Sa gloire comme celle du Fils unique venu du Père (chapitre 1, verset 14). Alors, tout son évangile est une exposition de ce fait. Jean nous montre que Jésus est Dieu et qu’il est en contrôle de tout, incluant la façon dont il est mort et même l’heure de Sa mort. Personne ne pouvait le forcer à montrer Sa gloire ou devenir Roi d’Israël avant qu’il le voulait. Il avait un plan, et ce plan incluait Sa mort sur la croix. Aussi, nous pouvons voir dans l’évangile de Jean que Jésus a écouté la voix d’une seule personne, Son Père Céleste. «Je ne peux rien faire de moi-même…je ne cherche pas à faire ma volonté, mais celle du Père qui m’a envoyé.» (Jean 5:30).
L’évangile de Jean à plusieurs thèmes qui supportent le thème principal. Un de ces thèmes est que Jésus (et le Père) a prédéterminé exactement l’heure de Sa mort et rien ne peut pas la changer. Nous trouvons ce thème en Jean 2:1-5. Jésus, ses disciples et sa mère étaient invités dans un mariage. Il manqua de vin. La mère de Jésus Lui dit: «Ils n’ont plus de vin.» Jésus lui répondit: «Que me veux-tu, femme? Mon heure n’est pas encore venue.» Ici, nous voyons que Jésus a parlé d’une heure prédéterminée, mais cette heure n’était pas encore venue. Ainsi, nous voyons l’introduction d’un thème dans l’évangile de Jean. Nous trouvons ce thème partout dans l’évangile.
En chapitre 6, les gens essaient de forcer Jésus à devenir roi (verset 15). Mais, Jésus est parti parce que ce n’était pas l’heure prévue. En chapitre 7, nous voyons deux fois que Jésus mentionne que n’était pas Son heure. Il dit à ses frères en versets 6 au 8, lorsqu’ils essaient de le forcer à montrer Sa gloire à la Fête des tentes de Jérusalem, «le moment n’est pas encore venu pour moi… ». Aussi plus tard dans le chapitre, les autorités Juives essaient de l’arrêter, «mais personne ne mit la main sur lui parce que son heure n’était pas encore venue» (verset 30). En chapitre 8, nous voyons le même thème qui est répèté. En verset 20, Jean nous dit que «personne ne l’arrêta.» Pourquoi? «parce que son heure n’était pas encore venue.» À la fin du chapitre, les Pharisiens ont pris des pierres pour le lapider, mais Jésus est sorti du temple. Cela nous montre qu’Il était en contrôle totale de Sa vie et pas eux.
Quand nous arrivons au chapitre 12 nous voyons un changement dans l’évangile. Les Juifs ont rejeté Jésus et les païens (non-Juifs) l’ont recherchés. Jésus a dit en verset 23, «L’heure où le Fils de l’homme va être élevé dans sa gloire est venue.» Aussi au verset 27 Il continuerait, «Maintenant mon âme est troublée. Et que dirai-je? Père, délivré-moi de cette heure? Mais c’est pour cela que je suis venu jusqu’à cette heure.» Quand nous allons plus loin dans son évangile, Jean nous amène vers la culmination, le sommet. Deux autre fois, pendant la soirée avant Sa crucifixion, l’heure de Sa mort, Sa gloire, et la raison pourquoi Il est venu, sont mentionnés. «Avant la fête de la Pâque, Jésus, sachant que son heure était venue de passer de ce monde au Père et ayant aimé ceux qui lui appartenaient dans le monde, les aima jusqu’à l’extrême.» (chapitre 13, verset 1). Ce passage introduit un nouvelle section lorsque Jésus a prit du temps avec ses disciples. Aussi dans chapitre 17, verset 1, dans Sa prière au Père, Jésus a prié, «Père, l’heure est venue! Révèle la gloire de ton Fils afin que ton Fils aussi révèle ta gloire.»
Alors, nous pouvons voir que le sujet de l’heure est un thème majeur dans l’évangile de Jean. Donc, au chapitre 2, lorsque nous lisons que Jésus a dit à Sa mère que Son heure n’était pas encore venue, Jean voulait nous communiquer que Jésus était en contrôle de Sa destinée. Ni Sa mère, ni ses frères, ni le peuple, ni les Pharisiens, ni les disciples, et ni Judas l’Iscariot ne peuvent Le forcer à montrer Sa gloire avant qu’Il l’est prédéterminé ou d’une façon différente de ce que Son Père a planifié. La Parole était Dieu, et la Parole s’est fait homme.
Donc, pour les catholiques, isoler ce passage de Jean afin de glorifier Marie est complètement contraire au but de l’évangile de Jean et le thème majeur «de son heure» que nous voyons dans le livre entier. Si nous voulons arriver à la conclusion catholique de Jean chapitre 2, nous avons besoin d’ignorer le reste du livre et l’objectif de Jean. L’interprétation catholique est dangereuse, parce qu’elle sort un passage de son contexte afin d’arriver à son interprétation. Cette façon d’interpréter la Bible change le sens original du texte. Dans son évangile, il est facile de savoir que Jean ne voulait pas nous dire que nous pouvons avoir l’accès à Jésus par Marie. Ainsi, il nous montre que rien ne peut changer le plan de Dieu, le Saveur du monde. Même pas sa mère.
Did Jesus Obey His Mother?
In talking with Catholics concerning the position of Mary in the church, the majority refer to John chapter 2 as an example of how Mary has a position of influence in heaven and how Jesus listens to the requests of His mother. The goal of this post is to answer this question: Does John chapter 2 support the Catholic doctrine that Mary has a high position of influence over Jesus, and those that pray to her can have access to Christ because of her?
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” – John 2:1-5
In order to answer my main question, I need to answer another one first: Why did the apostle John include this passage in his gospel? In other words, what is the right interpretation of John chapter 2? We can force our interpretation on the Bible in order to support our own thoughts and preferences, but our goal should be to discover the interpretation of the author. We need to ask the question, what does John want to teach us in this passage?
The main theme in John’s gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Word, and the Word is God (chapter 1, verse 1). And the Word became flesh, and John beheld His glory, as the only Son from the Father (chapter 1, verse 14). So, John’s entire gospel is an exposition of this truth. John shows us that Jesus is God, and that He is in control of all things, including the way He will die, as well as the timing of His death. John demonstrates that no one could have forced Jesus to show His glory or become the King od Israel before He wanted to. Jesus had a plan, and that plan was to die on a cross. Also, we can clearly see in John’s gospel that Jesus listens to just one voice, that of His Heavenly Father. “I can do nothing on my own…I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30)
The gospel of John has several themes that support the major point of the gospel. One is that Jesus (and the Father) had predetermined exactly the hour of His death and nothing could stop or change it. We find this theme in John 2:1-5. Jesus, His disciples, and His mother were invited to a wedding. At the wedding, they ran out of wine. The mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus responded to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not come.” Here we see Jesus speak about a predetermined hour, but this hour had not come yet. Here we see John introduce a theme in his gospel. We find this theme all throughout the book of John.
In chapter 6, the people tried to force Jesus to become king (verse 15). But, Jesus left the crowd because the hour of His kingship had not yet come. In chapter 7, we see two times that Jesus mentioned that His hour had not yet come. He told His brothers in verses 6 and 8, when they tried to convince Him to show His glory at the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, “My time has not yet come…” Later on in the chapter the Jewish religious leaders tried to arrest Jesus, “but no one lad a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” (verse 30). In chapter 8, we see the same theme repeated again. In verse 20, John tells us that, “no one arrested him.” Why? “because his hour had no yet come.” At the end of the chapter, the Pharisees picked up rocks to stone Jesus, but Jesus left the temple. This shows us again that He, not them, was in complete control of His life.
When we get to chapter 12 we see a transition in John’s gospel. The Jews have rejected Jesus and the Gentiles (non-Jews) began to seek Him. Jesus says in verse 23, «The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.» He continues in verse 27, «Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.» When we go a little farther in the gospel, John brings us to the climax of his theme of the hour. The night before His crucifixion, two other times the hour of Jesus’ death, glory, and the reason He came to earth is mentioned. «Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.» (Chapter 13, verse 1). This passage introduces a new section where Jesus takes some time with His disciples. Also in chapter 17, verse 1, in His prayer to His Father, Jesus prayed, «Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.»
So, we can see that the theme of the hour is a major one in the gospel of John. Therefore, in chapter 2, when we read that Jesus told His mother that His hour had not yet come, John wants to communicate that Jesus was in control of His destiny. Neither His mother, His brothers, the Jews, Gentiles, Pharisees, His disciples, or even Judas Iscariot could force Him to show His glory before He predetermined to do so, nor could they force to do so in a way different that what His Father had planed. The Word was God, and the Word was made flesh.
Therefore, for Catholics to isolate the passage in John 2 in order to glorify Mary is completely contrary to the goal of the gospel of John and the major theme of «the hour» that we see in the entire context of the book. If we want to arrive at the Catholic interpretation of John 2, we would need to ignore the rest of the gospel and the goal of John in writing it. The Catholic interpretation is a dangerous one because it seeks to remove the passage from its context in order to arrive at its own interpretation. To interpret the Bible this way is to change the original meaning. In his gospel, it is easy to see that John never wanted to communicate to us that we can have access to Jesus through Mary. Actually, he shows us that nothing can change the plan of God for the Savior of the world. Not even His mother.
ronyoungjr.com 
The issue as headlined above is, “Est-ce que Jesus a obei a Sa mere?” or “Did Jesus obey His Mother?” He was submissive and obedient to Mary as well as Joseph. See, Luke 2:51. As to the shortage of wine at the wedding at Cana, He obeyed Mary and in so doing, He showed mercy to the wedding hosts and the guests.
Further, when Jesus performed the miracle in obedience to His mother, He glorified His Father in Heaven, which meets the “main theme in John’s [G]ospel [ ] that Jesus is the Son of God”; that His hour had not come on that “third day,” and as said above, “that Jesus was in control of His destiny.”
Make it known here that I respect this pastor and blogger at this site, Mr. Young; however if the Truth is to be told, Catholics do not isolate or contort Chapter 2, in an effort glorify Mary contrary to John’s Gospel or contrary to Our Lord Jesus Christ or His Father in Heaven. If anything, His obedience sets a good example and glorifies His Holy Name.
The simple fact is that, like Mary’s forefathers and patriarchs in faith and like our forebears in faith, the prayers of God’s holy people, whether from earth or in Heaven, ascend before God, in petition for His people, for Mercy, and for reconciliation. Like every righteous person, Mary’s prayer was heard by God the Son and He answered. The special relationship between the two was natural, as Christ had a human nature as well as a divine nature. In that love, as Christ was like men in all things but sin, one cannot deny that special love between the Son and His mother.
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you that Jesus was submissive to His mother from a human standpoint, like a child is to obey His mother. But, that is not the question that I sought to answer in my post. I simply isolated John 2 for the purpose of looking at the issue of Mary as an intercessor, as the Catholic Church teaches. I think I clearly laid out the proper exegesis of the text.
You said in your comment, “The simple fact is that, like Mary’s forefathers and patriarchs in faith and like our forebears in faith, the prayers of God’s holy people, whether from earth or in Heaven, ascend before God, in petition for His people, for Mercy, and for reconciliation.” I agree that believers in Christ, in past and present, have prayed to God and do pray to God. Where we differ is your belief that we can have access to God through Mary, or any other believer who has passed away. This belief lacks any biblical foundation. John 2, nor any other passage for that matter, does not teach that we can pray to God through her and be answered. To seek to imply this in John 2, or apply this by this passage is to move off the solid foundation of biblical truth to the shaky and sinking sand of man-made theology. To believe the Catholic theology of asking Mary to pray for us is an attempt to force a non-biblical idea into the biblical text. That idea did not come from Scripture, but is an idea that was already formed, and then the Bible was used to try to confirm it. This is bad hermeneutics. And bad hermeneutics equals bad theology. And bad theology leads one away from God, not towards Him.