THE GOSPELS: LESSON 11:

THE FIRST MIRACLE OF JESUS

TEXT: JOHN 2: 1 - 12

THE SETTING.

          This is as Jesus is making his way back to Galilee, following his 40 days in the wilderness of Perea. He now has five disciples, Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and Bartholomew (Nathanael). This event begins the third day after Jesus had first me Andrew and Peter and John. They are at Cana and then Capernaum in Galilee (check your map).

VERSES 1 - 9: A MARRIAGE FEAST AT CANA.

Verse 1: There is a marriage feast at Cana. John 21: 2 tells us that Nathanael was a native of Cana. Perhaps that is why they went there initially. Jesus’ mother was there. From here on out, there is no further direct mention of Joseph in the Gospel accounts. The most likely reason is because Joseph was dead. Jesus is thirty years old, just about ready to begin his public ministry of preaching that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (See Mark 1: 14, 15.)

Verse 2: Jesus was also invited to the marriage, with his disciples. According to custom that had been in force for about 500 years, this marriage was almost certainly on a Wednesday, for this was a custom of the Jews which had attained the force of law. It said:

“. . . a virgin . . . marries on the fourth day (of the week), and a widow on the fifth, because the Sanhedrin sits in the cities twice in the week, on the second, and on the fifth days; so that if there is any dispute about virginity, he (the husband) may come betimes to the Sanhedrin.” (From Gill’s Bible Commentary.)

          This was a law in effect since the times of Ezra. One of the reasons why Wednesday was agreed on is because “virgin weddings” were often prolonged affairs with great feasting and celebrations, and they did not want them to violate the Sabbath (seventh day). They would of necessity be ended by the sixth day, which was the “Day of Preparation” for the Sabbath.

          Since Jesus’ mother and he were invited and since Mary had some authority in the preparations, it was clearly the marriage of a fairly close relative. To the Jews it was considered an act of kindness and generosity to attend a wedding, especially for a grown man, for custom dictated that there should be “ten free men” to act as witnesses to the nuptial proceedings.

Verse 3: “When the wine gave out . . .” The marriage celebration often went for more than one day. In this case there were so many guests and the celebrating had gone on so long that they ran out of one of the staples: wine. Jesus’ mother tells him of this. Did she expect a miracle? Or did she merely expect her oldest son to take care of the problem like mothers always do?

Verse 4: Woman, from the Greek, guné, a woman, a wife. In other words, a married woman with children, NOT as the Catholics insist, a virgin woman who had never known a man. This was a common greeting, and was not disrespectful. See John 19: 26.

“My hour is not yet come.” Jesus’ preparations to begin his public ministry were not completed. Mary was asking him to “jump the gun,” as it were.

Verse 5: Note the explicit faith here: Do whatever he tells you. Oh, if only we could all have this same faith and do whatever he has told us, instead of continually injecting out own ideas into Christianity!

Note here that Mary is instructing the servants what to do. She is no longer just a poor girl, now she seems to be a woman of substance and authority.

Verse 6: Since there was no running water, the servant girls would go each morning to the well and bring back large earthen jugs filled with water, enough for the drinking, cooking, and washing needs for the day. There were six of these large jars set aside specifically for “ceremonial washing.” (See Mark 7: 1 - 4.) Apparently they were just about empty. Each held about 25 gallons of water. That’s 200 pounds each! Strong girls.

Verse 7: Jesus instructed the servants to fill them and they “filled them up to the brim.” There surely is a lesson here, too. When Jesus asks something of us, we should be ready to do it completely, to fill it “up to the brim.”

Verse 8: They were instructed to draw off some of the water and take it to the “steward”of the feast. They did it. Obviously they were intent on following Mary’s instruction to do “whatever he tells you.” The “steward” was either the “head waiter” -- a servant in charge of all the serving, preparations, etc. Or he was the “chief guest,” the father of the bride (or groom) who was in charge of the wedding proceedings. It is unclear which is intended.

Verse 9: The “steward of the feast” tastes the water, which was NOW wine, and he does not know where it came from. This makes me think he was the “head waiter” who didn’t recognize the vintage, which he surely should have, since he would have been in charge of its serving. So, he calls the bridegroom. This makes it clear that this feast was in the home of the bridegroom, which means this was the pre-conjugal celebration, which preceded the consummation of the marriage in the “bridal chamber.” (I.E. this was at the END of the betrothal period, right before they would consummate the marriage.)

Figure 1 A timeline of events we have studied in Jesus’ 30^th year.

Verse 10: Why would men serve the “good” wine first? The phrase “poor wine,” used in the newer translations, should be “lesser wine.” In other words wine which is less full-bodied, less flavorful, and probably less intoxicating. What does this tell us about Jesus? What example of service does this set for us, as followers of Jesus? Obviously, as the scriptures says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might . . .” (Eccl. 9: 10.)

Verse 11: This was the FIRST (Gr. arché) of Jesus’ miracles. From this we can be assured that all the apocryphal tales of Jesus performing miracles as a baby or a child are just made-up, weak additions to the TRUE gospel story. Done in Cana of Galilee. There was also a Cana in Asher, and another Cana in Ephraim. See map. The miracles of Jesus were never done just to supply physical wants. They were also to produce faith. The result of this miracle was to make his glory (power) plain and so it produced greater faith in Jesus’ disciples.

Verse 12: After the wedding, everyone in Jesus’ family (and the disciples) went to Capernaum, on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. It seems that Jesus (or Mary) must have had a house at Capernaum, for he spends much time there, and it is there he did many works and taught in the synagogue. It is called “his own city” in Matt. 9: 1. It seems probable that Capernaum was where Mary had moved after Joseph’s death.

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