The First Sign
2:1-12
This is a well known story. It is also an important story, because it tells us of the first sign Jesus performs. John used the term “sign” rather than “miracle”. John records seven signs in his gospel.
The structure of John 2:1-11 is typical of a miracle story: the setting is established (verses 1-2), a need arises (verses 3-5), a miracle addresses that need (verses 6-8), and there is a response to that miracle (verses 9-11).
There are many interpretations of this story, many of which are allegorical and speculative. We should remember that John said he recorded these signs, so that people would be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and interpret the signs in light of that purpose. (20:30-31).
The story begins after Jesus had met Nathanael in the area of Bethsaida. After that encounter, Jesus and his disciples walked to Cana to attend a wedding. It was a two day walk, so this story happens on the third day after Jesus met Nathanael.
Jesus was invited to the wedding with his disciples. His mother was there also. She seems to have had a role in the wedding and felt responsible in some way to help with the shortage of wine. Plus, she seems to have had some command of the servants, (5) These things indicate either the bride or groom were relatives or close friends of Jesus’ family. Also, verse 12 implies his brothers and sisters were there also. The Greek word for brothers in that verse can mean brothers and sisters.
Matthew 13:55-56 tells us Jesus had brothers and sisters:
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all is sisters with us?
Mark 6:3 is the corresponding verse, although it mentions only the brothers. There are those who claim that Mary had no children after Jesus, but Scripture attests to the contrary.
The event that is called a wedding here is more like what we would think of as the reception, except that it lasted for several days. The groom paid for the food and drink rather than the bride’s family.
Unfortunately, the groom did not stock enough wine and it ran out before the party ended. This would have been a huge embarrassment to the groom and his family if the guests found out. Jesus’s mother sympathized with the groom’s plight and informed Jesus that the wine had run out.
Although Jesus’ mother (who is unnamed in this gospel) did not ask Jesus to do anything, the implication is certainly there. This is certainly true in verse 5, where his mother tells the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. This may not mean she expected a miracle, since Jesus had not performed one yet. It may just mean she had, as a widow, habitually leaned on him as the oldest son to take care of things.
But she also knew he was special. She had been told by an angel that her son would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High. (Luke 1:32)
Jesus’ response to his mother carries a tone of rebuke. He addressed her as “woman”, not as “mother”. “Woman” was not an impolite term, but it was not an affectionate one. It seems that Jesus was creating some distance between himself and is mother.
He then went further by saying “what does this have to do with me?”. (3) The literal wording is “what to me and to you”. It meant something along the lines of “what is common between you and me with regard to this”, or “why do you involve me”?
Why does Jesus answer this way? He seems to be saying that he will act in his earthly ministry independent of anyone else’s agenda or manipulation. He will only act according to the Father’s will. He said this explicitly in 5:30, saying I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me”. When Peter objected to Jesus saying he would go to his death, Jesus rebuked him, called him Satan, and said he cared only for the things of men not the things of God. (Matthew 16:23)
With this first sign, Jesus was entering into his public ministry. Everything else had to be a lower priority, even his family. This had to have been difficult for his mother.
The reasoning behind Jesus’ response was that his hour had not yet come. (4) His “hour” referred to his death and resurrection to glory. So, it was not time for him to be glorified, at least to the public.
Jesus was also keeping the focus on his glory and not on Mary’s role as his mother who got him to do something. Mary is not the mediator between believers and Jesus. She is simply a believer.
Mary did not argue with Jesus, she simply told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. (5) She was content to leave the matter in Jesus’ hands, trusting him to do the right thing. Her appeal as a family member was rebuked, but her faith in the miracle working Messiah was rewarded.
Jesus had the servants fill six stone jars with water. These jars normally held water for ceremonial washings, washings for spiritual purity. The Jews had many rules for purification that involved washing the person, or the feet and hands, or utensils.
These jars were big. They held twenty or thirty gallons of water.(6) Jesus transformed all of that water to wine and had the servants take it to the master of the feast. The master did not know where the wine came from. But when he tasted it, he complimented the bridegroom for keeping the best wine to the last. (10)
So Jesus turned the water to wine, made it good wine, and made lots of it. There would have been between 120 and 180 gallons of it.
By performing this sign, Jesus manifested his glory and caused his disciples to believe in him. (11) No mortal man or woman can change water to wine. Only God could do that. So, Jesus proved himself to be the divine Son of God. The disciples believed. Remember, John wrote “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
Jesus also showed himself to be full of grace with this sign. He did not owe the bridegroom anything, but he provided the best and he provided it abundantly. He will later say “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. (John 10:10)
There may be an additional symbolism here. The water represented the old covenant since it was used for rituals based on the Jewish regulations. Jesus replaced that water with something greater, the good wine. It was a symbol that the new covenant replaces the old and is much better. Hebrews 8:6 says “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant …”
God has poured out his grace on us in abundance. We are saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Like the bridegroom in this story, we did nothing to deserve it.
The old hymn says “Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe”.
As we celebrate the first coming of Christ and look forward to his second coming, we have a great opportunity to reflect upon God’s grace in sending his Son so that all who believe do not perish, but have eternal life.
Reflect on God’s grace this week.
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