way in
which He would extricate the host from his difficulty, but only turned
to Him on whom she was accustomed to lean. But His answer shows that he
felt Himself urged to action of some kind by her appeal; and her
instructions to the servants to do whatever He ordered indicates that
she definitely expected Him to relieve the embarrassment. How He would
do so she could not know, and had she definitely expected a miracle she
would probably have thought the help of the servants unnecessary.

But though Mary did not anticipate a miracle, it had already occurred
to our Lord that this was a fit occasion for manifesting His kingly
power. His words grate somewhat on the ear, but this is partly due to
the difficulty of translating fine shades of meaning, and to the
impossibility of conveying in any words that modification of meaning
which is given in the tone of voice and expression of face, and which
arises also from the familiarity and affection of speaker and hearer. In
His use of the word "Woman" there is really no harshness, this being the
ordinary Greek term of address to females of all classes and
relationships, and being commonly used with the utmost reverence and
affection. The phrase "What have I to do with thee?" is a needlessly
strong translation, although it might be difficult to find a better. It
"implies a certain resistance to a demand in itself, or to something in
the way of urging it;" but might be quite sufficiently rendered by such
an expression as "I have other thoughts than thine." There is nothing
approaching angry resentment at Mary's inviting His aid, nothing like
repudiation of any claim she might have upon Him, but only a calm and
gentle intimation that in the present instance she must allow Him to act
in His own way. The whole phrase might be rendered, "Mother, you must
let Me act here in My own way: and My time for action is not yet come."
She herself was perfectly satisfied with the answer. Knowing her Son
well, every gleam of His expression, every tone of His voice, she
recognised that He meant to do something, and accordingly left the
matter in His hands, giving orders to the servants to do whatever He
required.

But there was more in the words of Jesus than even Mary understood.
There were thoughts in His mind which not even she could fathom, and
which had He explained them to her then she could not have sympathized
with. For these words, "Mine hour is not yet come," which she took to be
the m