2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;
and the mother of Jesus was {already} there:
2:2 And both Jesus was called {ie., invited at a moment's notice},
and his disciples, to the marriage.
2:3 And when they wanted {ie., lacked} wine,
the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
no wine- Jewish wedding celebrations typically lasted about 7 days.
To run out of provisions was an embarrassment to the groom, because his ability to provide for his bride would seem questionable.
wine- was a staple of the diet in Jesus' day. It was a source of unpolluted water.
It was seldom used to excess, since the scriptures warn against it. Prov 20:1
On a religious occasion, like this wedding, drunkenness would have been forbidden.
This account offers no excuse to those who wish to excuse their own misuse of alcohol.
Why did Mary mention this lack of wine to Jesus?
Was she asking Him to perform a miracle? -- Not likely.
Since this was the first miracle which Jesus did (v.11), she would not have expected one.
(The supposed childhood miracles in the apocryphal gospels are fictitious, according to v.11.)
Was she suggesting that Jesus and His disciples leave (to reduce the number of guests)?
No, considering the instructions she gave to the servants. (v. 5)
Was she delegating the problem to Jesus? Most likely.
Jesus had proven Himself capable in running the carpenter shop & in providing for the family, after Joseph's death (which is suggested by his absence on this occasion). He could find a way to get the needed provisions.
2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?
mine hour is not yet come.
woman- There is no disrespect implied here, as there might be to modern ears.
This was a proper & polite method of address. cp. 19:26; 20:13,15
However, notice that He does not call her "mother".
what have I to do with thee?- (cp. the use of this idiom in 2Sam 16:9,10; Mat 8:29)
The meaning is: 'The purposes, which you have in mind, differ from my purpose.'
A possible paraphrase: 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?'
While he was under their roof, Jesus had been in submission to His earthly parents. But now that He had entered fully into His heavenly Father's business, He would no longer receive direction from His earthly mother (cp. Luk 2:49-52).
His consuming purpose was to finish the Father's work (4:34). He would allow nothing to distract Him from that goal, which was the focus of His life (Mat 20:28).
2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone,
after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece. {ie., about 20 gallons per jar}
These water jars usually held water for ceremonial washing, not for drinking.
Why did Jesus use these? Everything He did was full of significance.
(Although, the meaning was not always recognized by those around Him.) -
He provides true inner cleansing- not by external ritual, but by His word taken internally (15:3).
He is the true Bridegroom- who cleanses His Bride.
The quantity of water suggests that it was meant for more than hand washing.
Jewish marriage customs involved ritual bathing (or baptism). (eg. Lev 15:16-18)
Washing is mentioned in the context of the Lord's 'betrothal' of Israel to Himself (Ezek 16:8-14,60).
This occasion and Isa 62:5 form the background to John's reference to Jesus as the Bridegroom. It is the Bridegroom's place to baptize the Bride (Joh 3:25-30).
Christ "loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify {ie., 'set it apart' for identification with Himself, as symbolized in believer's baptism} and cleanse {GK= katharizo, purify (same word as used in v.6)} it with the washing of the water by the word..." Eph 5:25-27
2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water.
And they filled them up to the brim. 2:8 And he saith unto them,
Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.
And they bare [it]. 2:9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,
and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;)
the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
filled... to the brim... with water- This would be all water or all wine.
There was no room for dilution.
and they bare it- They obeyed Jesus' instructions. But He had offered no explanation.
What were these servants thinking?
They drew water (v.9) and served it to the master of ceremonies.
How would he react to receiving lukewarm water?
What if he knew it came from washing jars?
Would this wedding feast come to a disgraceful end with a heated argument?
Imagine their surprised relief:
2:10 And saith unto him,
Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine;
and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse:
[but] thou hast kept the good wine until now.
good wine- Why was this wine better than that served earlier?
Because it came directly from the Creator and Giver of Life (cp. 1:3,4).
Water cannot transpose into wine without the life of the vine & time on the vine.
In a hot climate, with no refrigeration, the alcohol content in fermented wine acted as a preservative. Fermentation is a process of death & decay, the product of time off the vine.
Unfermented, fresh grape juice would have been a very rare luxury.
This was fresh from the Vine (15:1), there could be no better.
A servant of the Lord need not fear drawing out for others,
if he is full to the brim with the word of Christ (Col 3:16), and
Man's efforts went as far as they could - six pots to the brim.
(The number six is often associated with man in scripture.)
Only God could provide meaning, value & taste. cp. 1Cor 3:6,7
Someone has suggested that the 6 waterpots recall the 6 days of creation. (Gen 1) All was 'without form and void': full of emptiness & nothing good, until the Creator intervened.
2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
manifested... his glory- ie., as God the Son, the Creator (1:14).
Note that Jesus did not perform this miracle to call general attention to Himself (as a politician would). He made Himself known in a limited way:
the governor of the feast was ignorant of the source (and gave honor to someone else).
the servants had knowledge of the source (but failed to disclose Him).
the disciples believed on Him. Their belief was strengthened as they got to know Him better.
2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum,
he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples:
and they continued there not many days.
2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand,
passover- the first of three during Jesus's ministry. cp. 6:4; 11:55
the Jew's passover- what had originally been "the Lord's passover" (Ex 12:27)
had become empty religious ritual- all the more empty because they did not recognize the Lord in their midst.
and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves,
and the changers of money sitting:
2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords,
he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen;
and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
2:16 And said unto them that sold doves,
Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
This 'cleansing of the Temple' was early in Jesus' ministry.
His enemies sought for a sign over & above the scriptures. cp. 6:30; Mat 12:38-40
2: 19 Jesus answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
2:20 Then said the Jews,
Forty and six years was this temple in building,
and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
temple- two different GK words are used in this passage-
GK= hieron, the temple complex, including the outer court which Jesus cleansed (v.14,15).
GK= naos, the inner sanctuary (v.19-21). cp. Paul's use of this word in 1Cor 6:19.
46 years in building- Herod began rebuilding the temple in 20 or 19 B.C. Work continued until 63 BC.
This dates the beginning of Jesus' ministry at approx. 27 AD.
raise- GK= egeiro, to raise up, to wake up. Each occurrence in John refers to resurrection (cp. 12:1,9,17).
2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them;
and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
they believed the scripture...- right faith is based on the scriptures, the Word of God.
Contrast the superficial faith of those who believed only because of what they saw:
2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast [day],
many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all [men],
2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.