The Wedding in Cana

John 2:1-11

Good News Translation (GNT)

*************************

  1  Two days later there was a wedding in the
   town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was
   there,
  2  and Jesus and his disciples had also been
   invited to the wedding.
  3  When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother
   said to him, "They are out of wine."
  4  "You must not tell me what to do," Jesus
   replied. "My time has not yet come."
  5  Jesus' mother then told the servants,"Do
   whatever he tells you."
  6  The Jews have rules about ritual washing,
   and for this purpose six stone water jars were
   there, each one large enough to hold
   between twenty and thirty gallons.
  7  Jesus said to the servants, "Fill these jars with
   water." They filled them to the brim,
  8  and then he told them, "Now draw some water
   out and take it to the man in charge of the
   feast." They took him the water,
  9  which now had turned into wine, and he tasted
   it. He did not know where this wine had come
   from (but, of course, the servants who had
   drawn out the water knew); so he called the
   bridegroom
10  and said to him, "Everyone else serves the
   best wine first, and after the guests have
   drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine.
   But you have kept the best wine until now!"
11  Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana
   in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his
   disciples believed in him.

*************************

Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

Jesus Changes Water to Wine

Three days after the meeting between Jesus and Nathanael, Jesus and His new disciples arrived in Galilee. There they received an invitation to a wedding in a small town called Cana, which was the home of Nathanael.

In the middle of the wedding feast the wine ran out. This was a great embarrassment to the bridegroom, who was responsible for the feast.

Jesus' mother Mary knew that her son was the Messiah, the Son of God. Therefore, she supposed that He could perform a miracle and produce some more wine.

But Jesus told His mother that it was not suitable for her to make such requests of Him.

He now must follow His heavenly Father's instructions, not His mother's. He had left His home, and now there was a new relationship between Himself and her.

Furthermore, it was not yet time for Jesus to reveal Himself as the Messiah publicly.

He knew that if He did so, the people would try to make Him a king, and God's plan for Him to suffer and die would be thwarted.

Also Jesus didn't want to be known just as a traveling miracle worker. He wanted people to concentrate on His teaching.

However, Mary was sure that Jesus would do something to help the bridegroom. Therefore, she told the servants: "If Jesus gives you any instructions, just carry them out."

Jesus then told the servants to fill six big jars with water. Each jar could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Such jars were used by the Jews to store water for cleansing their hands before eating and for washing various cups and pitchers.

When the servants drew off the water, they found it had turned to wine. The master of the banquet - that is, the chief steward - was amazed. He didn't know that a miracle had taken place. He was amazed because the bridegroom had saved the best wine for last!

Notice in the story how man's need becomes an opportunity for God's power to work. When we are in despair, with no human solution in sight, that is when God delights to do His greatest works.

This was the first miracle Jesus performed. Jesus' miracles were signs that He was indeed the Son of God.
These signs revealed Jesus' glory. John describes such miracles so that we might believe that Jesus is truly the Christ.

After this miracle at the wedding in Cana, the disciples began to have real faith in Jesus. Before, only Nathanael had believed. Now the others believed also. John does not say that anyone else believed, such as the servants, who knew that Jesus had turned the water to wine. Even miracles will not produce faith in those whose minds are closed. Jesus' glory was manifest to some, but not to others.

If we are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we must come to Him with humble and open minds.

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