Jesus Christ began his ministry immediately following the
experience of his baptism by John the Baptist when Jesus and selected
witnesses saw the Holy Spirit descend, and John announced Jesus as the
Messiah, directing his followers to now follow Jesus. Many of these
did follow Jesus. They would listen to His teaching,
witness His works, and their lives would be forever changed as they would
come to know the Messiah, the One who came to save them from their sins,
the One who would have the power to bring them to the throne of God.
Jesus'
early ministry would be one of establishing truth. The people of
Israel had not experienced a "word from God" for over 400 years
since the nations of Israel and Judah were taken into captivity in Assyria
and Babylon, respectively. During this period, the Hebrews had
wandered far from the faith of their ancient forefathers. Their
worship had been reduced from a personal relationship with God to a
complex set of rules and rituals. Righteousness was defined by one's
ability to adhere to church dogma, defined and preserved by the Pharisees
and empowered by the priests and Levites.
When John the
Baptist started his prophetic ministry of preparing the people for the
coming Messiah, many became to believe that the "word of God"
had returned. His prophesy had a power of truth in it that was
similar to that of Elijah and Isaiah, and his appearance and demeanor was
similar to these ancient prophets. When asked of his source of
authority, the Baptist humbly pointed to the One who was coming, One far
greater than he, One who would baptize people in the Holy Spirit with
power as opposed to his simple baptism in water that was simply a
testimony of repentance.
When we come to John's gospel,
Chapter 2, Jesus' ministry has just begun.
John 2:1.
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
There has been much speculation as to some deep
theological statement made by the use of "three days" in this
verse. The last described act was the calling of Philip (1:43) and
the cascade of followers that resulted. Since it has been three days
since that call, it is clear that the event that takes place in the
following verses did so in the very beginning of Jesus' ministry.
The Baptist had encouraged his own followers to turn to Jesus.
Consequently the first few days would be days of introduction. Jesus
was just beginning to establish relationships with those followers, and
they were trying to ascertain who He was.
Cana of
Galilee was the hometown of Nathaniel (21:2) and was a hard day's walk
from Nazareth, and there was a marriage feast being held. We are not
told who was being married, or what the specific relationships were
between Jesus and the bride and groom, but we are told that Mary, the
mother of Jesus was there. John, in his gospel, never refers to the
mother of Jesus by her name. John wrote this gospel long after
Jesus' crucifixion where Jesus appointed John to be Mary's
"son." There is little doubt that John held Mary in the
greatest love and respect, and he may have not wanted her identity
confused with the other Marys that appear in his writings. For John,
the "mother of Jesus" was a grave and respectful title.
A
first-century Jewish wedding feast was a significant social event. A
group of family and friends would form a parade that would go to the home
of the bride and apprehend her for the groom. They would bring the
bride to the home of the groom where the ceremony that ended a long period
of betrothal would be held. Following the ceremony would be a
wedding feast that could last as long as a week. Weddings were often
held during the middle of the week, so that the celebration would include
the ceremonies and the feasting as well as the religious component that
would come by including the Sabbath celebration at its closing.
During this entire period, the family of the groom was responsible for the
care of the guests including all of the food and drink that would be
served.
John 2:2.
And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
We will find that Mary had a prominent role in this wedding feast,
so it appears that the relationship between the betrothed and Mary was
very close. So, when Mary was invited to the wedding, it would be
certainly proper and reasonable that her son, Jesus would be invited
also. We have no indication of what happened to Joseph the father of
Jesus prior to this time, but tradition and scholarship tend to agree that
Joseph had died. Mary was treated as a widow by her community.
The
invitation of Jesus to the wedding brought with it a complication that
those who prepared the wedding could not have predicted. Along with
Jesus came his disciples. There is no indication of how many people
accompanied Jesus, and based upon the circumstance of the following
verses, that number might have been considerable. Imagine being the
"governor of the wedding" (the wedding planner) and seeing many
more people arrive to the occasion than were anticipated? Today such
events often require a personal invitation to all guests in order that all
can be served. A wedding feast in the first-century Jewish community
tended to invite guests by family or clan, rather than by individual
contact. Consequently, attendance was estimated by the size of the
clans invited. Nobody could have predicted that Jesus' small family
would show up with such a large group.
John 2:3.
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
It is little surprise that soon after the ceremony took place, the
family of the groom started to run out of food and drink. In today's
culture, such an embarrassing event would be quietly and easily
avoided by a telephone call to a grocery store or other wine supplier who
would gladly deliver any quantity of wine to the home for a price.
Such was not the case in Cana of Galilee. Based upon the amount of
wine needed, there was probably nowhere that such a quantity could be
obtained on such short notice. The family would be embarrassed, and
the fault for the shortage would fall on the groom's family.
So,
why did Mary speak up in the way that she did? Her statement to
Jesus was not just a statement of news. The Greek form of her
statement carries with it the expectation that Jesus would do something
about the problem. Why would Mary feel responsible? Certainly,
if the problem was precipitated by Jesus' attendance with a large group,
Mary would feel that they shared responsibility with the wedding
planner. She was desperate that they not be
the cause of the groom's embarrassment.
John 2:4.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet
come.
When we read the English translation of Jesus' statement, His
words sound harsh. However, we are looking at Jesus' words across
2000 years and 10,000 miles of cultural change. In our culture, to
refer to a woman as "woman" would be crude and demeaning.
However, the word used in the Aramaic language of their culture was a very
endearing and comforting form of the word. It was used to
address a woman who was dearly loved. Jesus used the same word from
the cross when he said, "woman, behold thy son" as he appointed
the apostle John the responsibility for caring for her. Some
translations replace "woman" with "dear woman" in an
effort to more closely describe the closeness and respect that is shown by
this address.
The next phrase is also difficult to clearly
ascertain as the translation is taken from Aramaic to Greek to
English. Again, the demand of Mary in the previous verse was clearly
one of her expectation that Jesus would do something to solve the problem,
presumably because they had something to do with causing it. Mary
knew who Jesus was from the moment that the angel announced His conception
to her. She had an irrepressible faith that firmly held that Jesus
could do anything. However, her request at this point presented a
second problem.
Often referred to as the "Messianic
Paradox", Jesus was the Messiah, came as the Messiah, his coming was
clearly prophesied, yet during his ministry he did not want people to know
of it. The people expected a different kind of Messiah and if the
people came to him in any way other than by spiritual conversion, they
would try to make Him a political king, an act that would have had complex
consequences. Because of this, Jesus' Messiahship was revealed to a
selected group of faithful followers. Jesus was so humble concerning
this title that even John the Baptist was later confused about Jesus' fulfillment
of the prophesies and needed reassurance that Jesus was the
One.
We find Jesus only three days into his
ministry, and Mary is making a request from Jesus that would reveal who He
was, creating a dilemma that would require Jesus' wisdom as well as his
miraculous powers. It was appropriate that the faith of some of his
new followers would be strengthened, but at the same time, Jesus could not
draw the attention of the entire public.
John 2:5.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
This little verse reveals a little more about the
circumstance. Why would Mary, a powerless widow, have the authority
to command the servants of another person's home, particularly
in a manner that supercedes that of the wedding planner? This verse
emphasizes the closeness of Mary to the family of the wedding party, and
she may have been assigned or shared the responsibility of providing the
wine that was in demand. If this is true, she would have been doubly
embarrassed by its depletion.
Mary would have no idea of what
Jesus would do, but it is clear by her statement that she had complete
faith and trust in Him in her time of need. A skilled preacher could
probably take this one verse, one that seems quite plain, and develop it
into an in-depth sermon on placing one's complete faith and trust in
Jesus. Here we see an example of simple faith and trust that all
Christians would like to appropriate for their own lives. When Mary
was in need, she did not run to the wedding planner, nor did she turn
within herself and brood over her guilt. She simply turned to
Jesus with her request with the full expectation that He would take care
of the situation. Jesus is here today for that same purpose, and we
can turn to Him in this same, simple, and sincere way. She saw the
solution to her need through complete obedience to Jesus Christ. We
can learn something from her example.
John 2:6.
And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Of course, we all in today's culture know what a
"firkin" is. A firkin is a unit of measure that comprises
approximately nine or ten gallons. Consequently, the pots that John
refers to were from 20 to 30 gallons each. Since there were six
water pots, the volume of these pots together is from 120 to 180 gallons.
Some
writers and theologians ascribe a great theological significance to the
use of stone pots in the event that is about to take place. Storage
of water, wine, etc. was done using pots of stone and clay.
According to their religious tradition, the Hebrews believed that if an
unclean material were placed in a clay pot, it could not be cleansed, and
the pot must be destroyed. However, they also believed that stone
pots were not contaminated in this way. Therefore, the pots used
here were considered clean. These pots were used for the ceremonial
practice of cleansing that took place when a guest would enter a
home. Certainly, the roads of ancient Israel were dusty, and a guest
would be quite dirty after traveling those roads. So, upon entering
the home, the guest would use water to cleanse the dust from his or her
hands and feet. It is from this tradition that we observe the
practice of washing another's feet. Water from the pots was poured
over the hands and feet, so the contents of the pots was always
clean. Also, some argue that use of the ceremonial water pots for a
practical purpose of ministry exemplifies Jesus' message that the needs of
people come before ritualistic practice.
The use of the stone
pots might be more practical, however, since they were probably the only
large vessels that were both clean and available. The
theological significance of their choice might also be reduced by the
Messianic Paradox. Jesus did want the event that was about to take
place to become a public spectacle.
John 2:7-10.
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8And he saith unto them,
Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the
feast. And they bare it. 9When 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,
10And 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.
The fact that the water pots were empty reveals the size of the
assembly. The pots would have been empty because most of the wedding
guests would have arrived and would have completed the washing
ceremony. Upon filling the pots with water, Jesus
commanded the servants to draw water from the pots and take it to the
wedding planner. We see in this act the first of Jesus' miracles
when the water was turned into wine. It is an interesting addition
to the scenario that the wine would be perfect. When the wine was
presented to the governor of the feast, he was astonished at its quality,
particularly when it was being brought out after the initial wine was
consumed. In their culture, the very best wine was always served at
the beginning of the feast when the guests were sober enough to enjoy the
difference between a fine wine and one of lesser quality.
John 2:11.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
John's gospel describes seven of Jesus' miracles while the
synoptic gospels (Matt., Mark, Luke) record many more. However,
John's treatment of them is quite different and more developed. The
Greek word used by John that is translated "miracles" implies a
significant act that points to something. Some translations use the
word "sign" rather than "miracle" in order to convey
this concept. When John presents a miracle he provides, as we see
here, an in-depth description of the context of the act, and comments on
its purpose as a sign. All of Jesus miracles were accomplished for a
spiritual purpose, pointing the witnesses to a deeper understanding of the
glory of God.
We will see in John's gospel that there were three primary
responses to Jesus' signs. Some witnessed the signs and went away
unchanged. Some witnessed the signs and turned to God in faith,
resulting in lives that were radically changed. Yet others witnessed
the signs and rejected their authority, responding with a desire to
destroy Jesus when they saw Him challenging their beliefs.
We see that this sign was accomplished in a manner that we will
see repeated in the others. First, the miracle was initiated to
address the need of an individual or individuals. Though the
depletion of the wine at Cana was not a life-or-death need, Jesus
responded in a miraculous manner in order to prevent the embarrassment of
the governor of the feast and of his own mother. However, Jesus'
miracles always had the added element of Godly purpose in that they were
signs of the truth, and signs that He was the Word made flesh
(1:14).
It might be instructive for us to consider the purpose of a
sign. When my wife, Ann and I lived in Germany from 1973 - 1975, we
greatly enjoyed driving around the region and visiting the castles and
ruins. We also liked taking part in the community walks through the
countryside that were referred to as a "Volksmarche" We
traveled all around central and western Europe with very little use of a
map. We depended largely on the excellent signs that were posted on
the highways. We only needed to know the general direction in which
to travel, and from there we followed the signs.
We always have a choice on how to respond to a sign.
Consider, for example, that you are driving down a road at a high rate of
speed and you encounter a sign in the road that states, "Turn
Back. Bridge out ahead." If we continue in the same
direction at the same rate of speed, death is certain. What are our
choices.
One can ignore the sign, simply rejecting its authority and die
in astonishment when the car plummets into the canyon with the
testimony, "I didn't think the sign was for real."
Others might see the sign and think, "I can simply speed
up, and based on my own skill, I can jump the bridge on my
own." Like for the one who ignored the sign, the valley floor
approacheth, and their fall will come with fear, anguish, and anger.
Finally, others who see the sign will recognize that they are
heading for death, and turn around.
Through Jesus, God has given us a sign. He has revealed to
us that we are heading for the pit, an eternity of separation from the
love and power of God if we reject Him. At Cana, many disciples saw
the sign and in witnessing the provision of the wine they understood that
it was a manifestation of God's glory in Jesus. As a result, they
believed in who Jesus was, their faith was defined, and they were saved
from the pit. We can respond to Jesus in the same ways that are
described above.
One can ignore the signs that God has given us, signs that point
to His glory, our lost state, our need for redemption, and the
opportunity for salvation that is found in Jesus. Those who simply
ignore God's sign will be astonished at the judgment when they find that
they were so foolish.
Others might see the signs that God has given us even to the
point of hearing the gospel, and simply reject it based on their
unwillingness to be submissive to God's plan an purpose. They
might point to their own good works as evidence of their goodness,
unwilling to recognize their sinful and fallen state. It is these
who will hear God say at the final judgment, "I do not know
you."
Finally, others who see the sign will recognize that Jesus is
indeed the Son of God and all that the scriptures reveal about Him is
true. Jesus is the way to salvation, He is the very truth of all
creation, and He is the life everlasting. Only by placing our
faith and trust in him, as Mary did when confronted by the crisis in
Cana, will we find the true peace and joy that comes with the knowledge
of our eternal security with God.
As we remember the miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding in
Cana, let us be reminded that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to
reconcile a fallen people to a holy God.
The issue at the wedding is not the wine. The issue is the
Sign.
References.
Beasley-Murray, George R. (1999). John, 2ed. Word Biblical Commentary,
Volume 36. Dallas, TX: Word Books. Pages 32-36.
Hull, William. (1970). John, Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 9.
Nashville, TN: Broadman Press. Page 227-233.
Martin, Mike. (2002).
Willing to See, Explore the Bible:
Adult Commentary, Fall 2002. Nashville, TN: Lifeway Church
Resources. Pages 30-39.
Simmons, Bob (2002).
Willing to See, Explore the Bible: Adult
Leader Guide, Fall 2002. Nashville, TN: Lifeway Church
Resources. Pages 32-40.
Woodward,
C. Allen. (2002). Wine in First-Century Israel.
Biblical Illustrator 29(1). Nashville, TN: Lifeway
Christian Resources of the S.B.C. Page 45-48.
Tenney,
Merrill C. (1981). John, The Expositor's
Bible Commentary, Volume 9. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House. Pages 41-42.
