John 2:4

Westerners would consider anyone addressing his mother as "woman" to be disrespectful, but this was an acceptable word to use in Jesus’ culture (Gr. gunai, cf. John 19:26; John 20:15). It did not have negative connotations. [Note: Derrett, pp. 89-90.]

"That Jesus calls Mary ’Woman’ and not ’Mother’ probably indicates that there is a new relationship between them as he enters his public ministry." [Note: Morris, p. 158.]

Similarly the words "What do I have to do with you?" (NASB) sound arrogant, but they were only a gentle rebuke. They constituted an idiom that is hard to translate (cf. Judges 11:12; 2 Samuel 16:10; Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:24; Mark 5:7; Luke 4:34; Luke 8:28). "What do we have in common?" meaning "Your concern and mine are not the same" [Note: Tasker, p. 60.] or "Madam, that concerns you, not me" [Note: The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 1125.] captures the spirit of the question. Jesus was not dishonoring His mother. He was explaining to her that He would handle the situation, but in His own time and way. Jesus’ obedience to His heavenly Father was more important than His obedience to His earthly mother.

Jesus elsewhere always spoke of His "hour" (Gr. hora) as the time of His passion and its consequences (cf. John 5:28-29; John 7:30; John 8:20; John 12:23; John 12:27; John 13:1; John 17:1).

"It refers to the special time in Jesus’ earthly life when He was to leave this world and return to the Father (John 13:1), the hour when the Son of man was to be glorified (John 17:1). This was accomplished through His suffering, death, resurrection (and ascension, though this was not emphasized by John)." [Note: Harris, p. 196.]

When Jesus’ hour finally did come, He met the need of the entire human race by dying on the cross. Mary was requesting that He meet a need immediately. Perhaps Jesus referred to His hour not yet being present to help Mary realize that the meeting of needs was something He needed to control. Just as it was not yet time for Him to die, so it was not yet time for Him to meet this pressing need for wine. Probably He meant, The time for me to meet this need has not yet arrived. Throughout this Gospel, John made it clear that Jesus was on a divine schedule that His Father controlled.