John 2:1-12:

The Wedding at Cana

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

July 12, 2009

 

I.  Introduction

A.  Please turn to John 2:1. 

B.  While you are turning....  What is a miracle?

1.  Definition of a miracle:

a striking and religiously significant intervention of God in the system of natural causes.

Note two things here: (1) the concept of miracles presupposes, rather than sets aside, the idea that nature is a self-contained system of natural causes.  Unless there are regularities, there can be no exceptions to them.  (2) A miracle is not a contradiction.  A man walking through a wall is a miracle.  A man both walking and not walking through a wall at the same time and in the same respect is a contradiction.  God can perform miracles but not contradictions--not because his power is limited, but because contradictions are meaningless.[1]

 

2.  Biblical words

a.  Heb. môpet (" wonder, sign, portent"[2])

b.  Heb. pele' ("wonder ... unusual, extraordinary"[3])

c.  Heb. 'ot ("sign, pledge, token"[4])

d.  Gk. dynamis ("a deed that exhibits ability to function powerfully, deed of power, miracle, wonder "[5])

e.  Gk. teras ("someth[ing] that astounds because of transcendent association, prodigy, portent, omen, wonder "[6]).

f.  Gk. sēmeion ("sign or distinguishing mark whereby someth[ing] is known, sign, token, indication ...  event that is an indication or confirmation of intervention by transcendent powers, miracle, portent"[7]).

3.  Religious context or merely an odd occurrence?

II.  Exposition

A.  Background

1.  Today, we move into the section concerning the public ministry of God, the Son (John 2:1-12:36a).

2.  Last week, we looked at Jesus' calling of His first disciples (John 1:35-51).

3.  This week, we will look at Jesus' first miracle, turning water into wine at the marriage in Cana (John 2:1-12).

B.  Exposition: Public ministry of God, the Son (John 2:1-12:36a)--The first sign: the wedding at Cana in Galilee (John 2:1-12)

1.  The problem: a shortage of wine (John 2:1-4)

a.  The occasion (John 2:1-2)

^2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; ² and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding (John 2:1-2).

 

1)  "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there."

a)  Jesus arrived in Cana "on the third day" after leaving Judea.[8]

b)  Marriages were on the fourth day of the week (Wednesday) for first marriages or the fifth day of the week (Thursday) for widows.[9]  Therefore, this was on a Wednesday. 

c)  Cana was probably Khirbet Kana about eight miles from Nazareth.[10] 

d)  Nathanael was from Cana (John 21:2). 

e)  Jesus' mother was also at the wedding. 

f)  Jesus' presence indicates His approval of marriage and rejoicing.

2)  "And both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding."

a)  Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the wedding.

b)  However, the Gk. verb translated "invited" is singular. 

c)  It is possible that the extra disciples put a strain on the wine supply.[11]

d)  The suggestion of some that this is Jesus' marriage to Mary Magdalene is absurd; He would hardly be "invited" to His own wedding. 

e)  Mary Magdalene is nowhere called Jesus' wife. 

f)  Paul referring to his single status said, "Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?" (1 Cor 9:5).  Note that he did not say, "and even the Lord Jesus."

g)  Mary Magdalene does not appear this early in the gospels. 

h)  Luke indicates that Mary was a woman of private means who supported Jesus (Luke 8:2-3). 

i)  Hints of a relationship all come from late Gnostic forgeries. 

j)  There is no reason to believe that Jesus ever married.

b.  The request (John 2:3-4)

³ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  ⁴ And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us?  My hour has not yet come" (John 2:3-4).

 

1)  "When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.'"

a)  The wedding celebration ran out of wine, a social calamity.[12] 

b)  Wedding feasts could last for seven days.[13] 

c)  "Wine" (oinos) means "a beverage made from fermented juice of the grape." 

i)  There are different Gk. words for unfermented grape juice (tryx) or sweet new wine (gleukos).[14] 

ii)  Wine was watered down with three parts water to one part wine.[15] 

d)  Mary disturbing the male guests was possibly a breach of etiquette.[16] 

e)  However, guests were expected to bring gifts to help in the cost of the celebration.[17] 

f)  Mary does not tell Jesus what to do; she merely informs Him of the need.

2)  "And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does that have to do with us?'"

a)  Jesus' language in addressing Mary seems a little harsh to our ears. 

b)  "Woman, what does that have to do with us?" is literally, "What to me and you, woman?"[18] 

c)  The phrase "what to me and you" distances the parties and carries a reproach (see Jdg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 1 Kgs 17:18; 2 Kgs 3:13; 2 Chr 35:21).[19]  

d)  "Woman" was Jesus' normal polite way of speaking to a woman (Matt 15:28; Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15).[20] 

e)  However, this also establishes some distance between Mary and Jesus. 

f)  Jesus is tactfully but firmly asserting His independence.[21] 

g)  Roman Catholicism is clearly mistaken to claim the Son's submission to Mary.

3)  "My hour has not yet come."

a)  "My hour has not yet come" refers to the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 that pinpointed the exact day of Messiah's coming, the Triumphal Entry. 

b)  Before the Triumphal Entry, Jesus repeatedly expressed that His time had not yet come (John 7:6, 30; 8:20), but, after the Triumphal Entry, Jesus said, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23). 

c)  At that point, Jesus knew "that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father" (John 13:1).  Jesus knew that, after His presentation, Messiah would be "cut off" (Dan 9:26). 

d)  Keener explains, "Because Jesus' 'hour' in John refers especially to the cross, here Jesus is saying, 'Once I begin doing miracles, I begin the road to the cross.'"[22] 

e)  Jesus lived His life with an awareness of God's timetable and His destiny.

2.  The solution: Jesus changes the water into wine (John 2:5-12).

a.  Obedience (John 2:5-8)

1)  Filling the jars (John 2:5-7)

                ⁵ His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  ⁶ Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.  ⁷ Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  So they filled them up to the brim (John 2:5-7).

 

a)  "His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'"

i)  Though Mary did not know exactly what Jesus would do, she clearly expects something. 

ii)  Therefore, she instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus directs. 

iii)  Obedience is frequently a prerequisite to seeing a miracle of God.

b)  "Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each."

i)  "Stone waterpots" were less likely to become ritually unclean.[23] 

ii)  Jesus' miracle produced about 120-180 gallons of wine.

iii)  120 gallons would be 3,840 cups with 4 oz. of wine mixed with 12 oz. of water, more than enough.[24]

c)  "Jesus said to them, 'Fill the waterpots with water.'  So they filled them up to the brim"

i)  Jesus commanded that the waterpots be filled with water.

ii)  The servants complied so enthusiastically that the pots were filled to the brim. 

iii)  Filling waterpots with water is not too strange, but the next command would have tested their faith.

2)  Taking water to the headwaiter (John 2:8)

⁸ And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter."  So they took it to him (John 2:8).

 

a)  This has been translated, "chief servant" (HCSB), "head steward" (NET), and "chief steward" (NRSV). 

b)  The "head waiter" (architriklinos) so called because of the "[triklinos] a banquet room 'with three couches'" was "the slave who was responsible for managing a banquet ... head waiter, butler."  He was not the same as the "[symposiarchos] toastmaster, master of the feast." ^[25] 

c)  He was responsible for regulating the wine. 

d)  If he were aware of the shortage, he would have getting nervous by now.^[26]

e)   Jesus' next command was to draw some water from one of the waterpots and take it to the headwaiter. 

f)  At this point, it is still water! 

g)  The servants risked being thought crazy or incompetent. 

h)  Nonetheless, in faith they complied.

b.  The miracle (John 2:9-10)

                ⁹ When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, ¹⁰ and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now" (John 2:9-10).

 

1)  "When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew)."

a)  "Water which had become wine"--This has been translated:

i)  "The water just now turned into wine" (AB).

ii)  "The water; it had now turned into wine!" (CJB).

iii)  "The water now become wine" (ERV, ESV, RSV).

iv)  "The water (after it had become wine)" (HCSB).

v)  "The water that was now wine" (NLT). 

b)  The point is that it was not wine when the servants filled the waterpots; it was still water that they took to the headwaiter.  It became wine when they presented it to the headwaiter.

c)  This is similar to Jesus commanding paralyzed people to rise, take up their bed, and walk.  They found that they were no longer paralyzed when they tried. 

d)  Peter walked on water, but he had to get out of the boat. 

e)  It takes a step of faith.

2)  "The headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.'"

a)  A natural strategy would be to bring in poorer quality wine after the guests tastes were dulled.

b)  The headwaiter praised the groom's generosity because he thought that he had saved the best for last. 

c)  Jesus not only made wine, He made good wine.

c.  The first sign (John 2:11)

¹¹ This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him (John 2:11).

 

1)  "This beginning of His signs"--This was Jesus' first miracle contrary to noncanonical books that have Him performing childhood miracles. 

2)  This miracle was a "sign." 

a)  The Gk. word translated "sign" means "an event that is an indication or confirmation of intervention by transcendent powers, miracle, portent­."[27] 

b)  John wants us to focus on the significance of the miracles.[28] 

i)  The sign "manifested His glory." 

(a)  This refers back to John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." 

(b)  The miracle was a signpost pointing to Jesus as the God of nature. 

(c)  God the Father turns water into wine constantly in agriculture; Jesus supernaturally speeded up the process.[29] 

ii)  His disciples already believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but this strengthened their faith.

c)  John was the only one of the Gospel authors who was there when this miracle occurred. 

i)  Therefore, this miracle is not recorded in the Synoptic gospels. 

ii)  Thirty-five miracles are recorded in the gospels.[30] 

iii)  However, John wrote that "there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25).

3.  Short stay in Capernaum (John 2:12)

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days (John 2:12).

 

a.  Jesus made his headquarters in Capernaum (Matt 4:13; Mark 2:1). 

1)  The city's name in Heb. kĕfar naÊûm means "village of [the prophet] Nahum." 

2)  The likely site is Tell Hûm, about 15 miles from Nazareth on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee.[31] 

b.  "His brothers"--It would appear that Mary had other children after Jesus. 

c.  "A few days" means ten days in Acts 1:5. 

d.  Thus, we are drawing near to Passover.

II.  Applications

A.  Jesus

1.  Jesus approves of marriage although He did not marry.

2.  Jesus approves of celebrations; there is nothing holy about being melancholy.

3.  Contrary to Roman Catholicism, Jesus does not take orders from Mary or anyone else.

4.  Jesus lived His life with an awareness of God's timetable and His destiny.

B.  Miracles

1.  Obedience is frequently a prerequisite to seeing a miracle of God.

2.  Faith motivates us to step out.

3.  It is when we step out in faith that we discover God's power.

4.  Miracles meet needs, but they also point to who Jesus is.