John 2:1-11. Water into Wine

John is very good at detail.  He tells us just a few stories about Jesus but they are highly selected.  This is the first of seven signs that John has selected, like a good barrister does to persuade the jury.  Verse 11 tells us that this was the first of the signs he has selected.  He chose these stories to teach what was most important about Jesus:

"But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”  John 20:31

This verse serves as the conclusion of John's Gospel, explaining the purpose of the book: to lead readers to faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and to offer them eternal life through that belief.  

He loves to use words and phrases that have a spiritual as well as a literal meaning and repeatedly returns to these themes.   Thus in his book he adds a significant details.

a. In the Dark

Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who was on the ruling body, the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus ‘in the night’.  Though he was a highly respected Jew, he was still in spiritual darkness and was looking for light.  He later became a follower of Jesus.

When Judas went out to betray Jesus, John adds the words, ‘And it was night’

b. Lamb of God

When John describes John the Baptist’s introduction of Jesus he choses to use the words,

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

John is reminding us that Jesus became the once for all time Passover lamb.  It is because he took our sin on that cross that we can be acceptable to god and become members of God’s kingdom.

c. Third Day

Look at how he starts this passage, ‘on the third day’.  There has been much discussion about these days but undoubtedly he is also reminding us that ‘on the third day’ Jesus rose from the dead to prove his claim to be the only Son of God.  Jesus explicitly mentioned this phrase around 21 times in the Gospel accounts. 

d. Wedding

This wedding is emphasised.  It was probably the wedding of a family member as Mary has a prominent role.  The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas and that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:55-56).   Jesus was a normal family man who enjoyed family celebrations.

e. Wine

Wine is frequently depicted as a source of happiness and festivity, often present at joyous occasions like weddings and banquets.  Rabbis had a saying ‘without wine there is no joy’

Wine is seen as a gift from God, symbolising abundance, prosperity, and the positive aspects of life.   Wine plays a role in various Jewish and Christian rituals, including the Passover Seder and Holy Communion, emphasising its sacred significance. 

f. Six Stone Jars

Stone jars were important.  This marriage was almost certainly in  a religious Jewish household.  Alfred Edersheim, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, focuses on the six stone jars at the wedding in Cana as representing the Jewish system of purification, which was ultimately inadequate and fulfilled by Christ's miraculous transformation of water into wine. The jars, used for ritual washings, symbolised a system of legalistic observances that were ultimately insufficient for true spiritual cleansing. 

Jews practice ceremonial washing in various contexts, with the most common being handwashing before meals, especially those involving bread, and upon waking in the morning. These washings are rooted in biblical laws and rabbinic tradition, aiming to achieve ritual purity. 

The quantity of water in the jars, which was then transformed into a large quantity of fine wine, pointed towards the abundance of grace offered through Christ, far surpassing the limited provisions of the Law. The six jars, each holding 20-30 gallons of water, highlight the vastness of the need for purification and the inability of the Law to fully satisfy that need. The large quantity of wine produced from the water also points to the abundance of grace offered through Christ, far surpassing the limited provisions of the Law. 

The miracle at Cana can also be seen as a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messianic age and the abundance of blessings that would accompany it. 

Jewish law separates everything into ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’.  The fact that these were stone jars is very significant.  The Jewish law demanded that clay vessels that become unclean must be smashed but that rule did not apply to stone jars. Though mush more expensive to make, needing a giant stone lathe, they lasted much longer.  It is interesting that a stone quarry and a workshop for making these stone vessels has been discovered near Cana.  These small factories were also need to make the rounded segments of stone pillars.

g. My hour has not yet come

The phrase "my hour has not yet come" was a recurring expression used by Jesus in the Gospel of John, particularly in relation to his death and glorification. It signifies Jesus' awareness of a divinely appointed time for his actions, especially his crucifixion and resurrection, which would fulfil God's plan. 

Jesus used the phrase to indicate that his actions were not based on his own will or timing, but rather on the predetermined plan of GodIn John 7:6, 8, 30, Jesus uses the phrase to explain why he is not yet openly revealing himself or going to the festival in Jerusalem.   In John 12:23, 27, 13:1, the "hour" is directly linked to his passion and glorification 

h. Fill to the top.

John surely emphasises this because  it demonstrates that Jesus wants us to have life in abundance.  H e later quotes Jesus as saying:

“I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

The God who made us longs that we should have eternal life and that this will be ‘life to the full.’

i. The Bridegroom

Whenever a marriage is talked about you will inevitably be told the name of the husband and bride.  But not in this case.  Surely it is because John wants us to focus on someone else, Jesus who is our bridegroom.

It was the bridegrooms responsibility to provide the wine for his wedding.  So when Mary asks Jesus to provide the wine she is asking Jesus to act as the bridegroom.

The Bible frequently uses the metaphor of Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as his bride. This imagery is prevalent throughout both the Old and New Testaments, symbolising a deep, intimate, and faithful relationship between Christ and his followers. 

The Old Testament uses the imagery of a wedding and a covenant relationship to foreshadow the relationship between God and his people. Passages like Isaiah 54:6 and Jeremiah 30:17 hint at this connection. 

The New Testament explicitly uses the bridegroom and bride imagery to describe Jesus and the Church. John the Baptist, in the Gospel of John, refers to Jesus as the bridegroom (John 3:29).  

Jesus himself uses the parable of the bridegroom and the virgins (Matthew 25) to illustrate the need for readiness and faithfulness for his return. He also connects his presence with the joy of a wedding feast (Matthew 9:15).

The book of Revelation concludes with the imagery of the New Jerusalem as the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2, 9). 

Ephesians 5: 22-23 most clearly describes the Church as the bride of Christ, with husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the Church. 

The bridegroom and bride metaphor emphasises the deep love, commitment, and unity between Christ and his Church. It highlights the sacrificial love of Christ for his bride (the Church) and the expectation of faithfulness from the Church. 

j. Old Testament fulfilled

We know that many of the New Testament stories and doctrines are built on the Old Testament, that Jesus recognised to be the Word of God.  It is therefore not surprising that this picture of a lack of wine is described in Isaiah as part of his description of God’s judgment:

“The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan.  The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revellers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent.  No longer do they drink wine with a song. . .” Isaiah 24:7-9

This devastation is only temporary, salvation will come. The next chapter describes this restoration which was described in terms much as John uses:

“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines.  On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;  he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.  The Lord has spoken.”  Isaiah 25:6-8

Aged wine in the best wine, John writes,

“You have saved the best till now.” John 2:10

Source of these ideas

It was Jesus who taught these things to his disciples.  Remember John had previously been a fisherman before he joined the school of Jesus.

At this stage of his life Jesus is focussed on trying his disciples.  Notice that none of the guests and not even the Master of the Banquet knew of the miracle Jesus had done.  Jesus wants his disciples, he wants us to be certain about who he is, God’s messiah foretold throughout the old testament who had come to save the world and to give his people eternal life, abundant life.  This surely what Jesus wants us to learn from the double meaning of what the Master of ceremonies said:

“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”. John 2:10

Does everyone here know this about Jesus?

Let us finish with eh words that Mary said:

“Do whatever he tells you" 

Mary instructs the servants to listen to Jesus Jesus. Listening to Jesus is the way to receive eternal life.  A little later Jesus says:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24 

So believing in Jesus and accepting God's word leads to eternal life and freedom from judgment. It highlights the present reality of having eternal life, not just a future promise, for those who believe

Those of us who have turned to Christ for forgiveness and purpose are called to unwavering faith and obedience to God's will, trusting in His guidance even when it seems hard.  We know of Jesus' teachings and commands because they have been given to us in Scripture and this is why we must all make it a major goal in life to get to know God’s Word well.


BVP