The Miracle at Cana
TRANSLATION
(1) On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. (2) Jesus also was invited to the wedding along with his disciples. (3) When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.” (4) Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars placed there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each one contained twenty or thirty gallons. (7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” so they filled them up to the brim. (8) Then he said to them, “Now pour some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did this, (9) and, when the master of the banquet tasted the water now become wine, he wondered where it had come from (but the servants that had drawn the water knew). The master of the banquet called the bridegroom over (10) and said to him, “Everyone serves the choice wine first, and then the cheaper wine when everyone has drunk freely. But you have saved the best for last.”
(11) What Jesus did in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed on him. (12) After this he left for Capernaum, with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples. There they remained for a few days.
OBSERVATIONS
John used the phrase, “the first of his signs,” to describe the miracle Jesus performed at the wedding in Cana. John’s Gospel was structured around Jesus’ seven great sign miracles, each one revealing yet another facet of his deity and deepening the faith of his disciples. What prompted him to act on this occasion was his mother’s untimely request for her son to step in and do something to help a young couple escape the unimaginable embarrassment of running out of wine at their wedding reception.
Several repeated terms help us grasp the thrust of the passage. “Cana in Galilee” was mentioned twice (vss. 1 & 11), “the mother of Jesus” is found twice (vss. 1 & 2) as well as “mother” (vs. 5). Other repetitions included “disciples” also found twice (vss. 2 & 11), “wine” five times (twice in vs. 3, once in vs. 9 and three times in vs. 11), “servants” (vss. 5, 7, & 9), “water jars” (vss. 6 & 7), “fill(ed)” (twice in vs. 7), “water” (twice in vs. 9), and finally “master of the feast” (three times in vss. 8 & 9).
OUTLINE
I. The crisis at the wedding: Mary told Jesus, “They have no wine.” (1-5)
II. The resolution of the crisis: Mary told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (6-11)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus miraculously turned water into wine at a wedding, manifesting his glory and confirming his disciples in their faith.
APPLICATION
Just what was the significance of this first great miracle that Jesus performed? First of all, it displayed his power over creation. The making of wine is an intensive process normally taking months and involving many skilled hands to produce a good vintage from ripe grapes. Here Jesus dispensed with the growing, the harvesting, the treading, the aging, and instantly provided a large amount of wine that the master of the wedding feast described as excellent. Additionally, Jesus by this miracle anticipated the new creation, the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming of Israel’s promised Messiah who will usher in a kingdom of unprecedented joy and prosperity. In that day his followers will celebrate with a wedding feast of delight greater than any other in history.
While his disciples did not understand all that this miracle signified at the time, they learned that the one they were following as his disciples was far more than just another itinerant rabbi. Eventually they would come to realize just how great he was and grasp far more clearly what he had come to accomplish for the glory of the Father.