Commentary on the Gospels

The Prophet Reveals His Mission

John 2:1-25

The Wedding at Cana

With His new band of disciples, Jesus traveled from Judea to Galilee and attended a wedding at Cana.

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

- John 2:1-4 -

Cana was probably about nine miles north of Nazareth.¹ The prominence of Jesus’ mother at the wedding and especially her boldness in giving orders to the servants suggest that the bride or groom was one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters.

Mary came to Jesus and informed Him that the wine was all used up. Perhaps she expected Him, the eldest son and also the eldest male in the family if His father had died, to go out and buy more.

Jesus’ response has needlessly troubled many commentators. He said,“Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.” A casual reader might see the first part of this reply as irritable and disrespectful. Why does Jesus speak to His mother in seemingly harsh tones? Why does He address her bluntly as “woman”?

We gain insight into these words when we look at the only other recorded words of Jesus to Mary. These were spoken when He hung on a cross.

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

- John 19:26 -

John records both of these sayings so that we will understand their significance. Here in the latter saying, the title “woman” is obviously not intended as a rebuke. Jesus would not wound Mary with hurtful words when she is already overcome by grief and horror. What does He mean? Why, on the occasion of His death, as on the occasion of the wedding at Cana, does He identify His mother as “Woman”? He means that she is the woman prophesied when God rebuked Satan after he had tempted Adam and Eve.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

- Genesis 3:15 -

It was customary in Old Testament Israel to view someone as a man’s seed. The announcement that the coming victor over Satan would be a woman’s seed was a divine proclamation that He would be virgin-born. Since Jesus’ only human parent was the virgin Mary, He was the woman’s seed whom the godly in Israel had longed to see because through Him they would escape sin and death.

The term “Woman” is a title, signifying that Mary is the woman of prophecy. On the cross He used this term to remind Mary that He must die to crush the serpent’s head. Yet why did Jesus use this term at Cana? When He said, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come,” He was likely speaking of His mother as representative of all women. The occasion was a wedding. Therefore, His reply meant that He Himself would never enter human marriage. Since He was human, there is a note of sadness here. He was conscious that He would never enjoy the blessings of marriage, yet He consoled Himself by saying, “Mine hour is not yet come.” He meant that when His hour had come, He would take another bride, the Church. His hour refers to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

- Revelation 19:6-9 -

It is a recurring teaching of the New Testament that Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. The language is singularly appropriate, because the only human relationship that approximates the perfect love of Christ for His people is the relationship between man and wife.

After hearing her son’s words, Mary exercised faith by instructing the servants to do whatever Jesus commanded.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

- John 2:5-8 -

Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots with water. There were six waterpots of stone, each containing two or three firkins. Reckoning a firkin as about nine gallons,² we deduce that each pot held about twenty gallons, the equivalent of a small barrel. To fill the pots therefore required about 120 gallons of water. At some unspecified moment after the pots had been filled to the brim, Jesus turned the water into wine.

Many Christians and professing Christians point to this miracle as vindication of drinking alcoholic beverages. But the wine Jesus made was not alcoholic. The word for wine is oinos,³ which can refer to either fermented or unfermented wine. The ancients did not clearly distinguish between them because they did not know that only the latter contains an intoxicating ingredient, alcohol. We know that the oinos Jesus made was unfermented because He kept the law perfectly, and the law warned against intoxicating drink and against drunkenness.

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

- Proverbs 23:31-35 -

Jesus instructed the servants to bear the wine He created to the governor of the feast. The term merely signifies the chief servant.⁴ When the governor tasted the miraculous wine, he was surprised at how good it was.

9 When 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,

10 And 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.

- John 2:9-10 -

The governor called the bridegroom and observed that a host generally brings out his best wine first and refrains from serving the rest until his guests “have well drunk.” These words describing their condition likely refer to intoxication, but the governor was not referring to the guests at Cana. He was merely stating a general principle. He was saying that when a host furnishes a meal to his guests, he usually provides the best first and saves the worst for last. By then, if much ordinary wine has already been consumed, the guests will be intoxicated.⁵ So, if the guests at Cana had been drinking fermented wine, Jesus could not have given them more of the same except by aiding and abetting drunkenness. But what He in fact provided was unfermented grape juice of a supernatural vintage and thus of an incomparable quality. If you do not have a high opinion of grape juice, perhaps you have never tasted the fresh liquid obtained from a first pressing of outstanding grapes. Only someone with a taste corrupted by familiarity with alcohol would rate fermented wine as superior to the best unfermented wine. After all, fermentation is the conversion of sugar to alcohol. Which of these tastes better?

In fact, the first wine that the guests at Cana drank was probably unfermented. It has been demonstrated that the Jews and other ancient peoples were acquainted with numerous methods for producing and preserving nonalcoholic wine.⁶ Therefore, it is not at all unreasonable to suppose that a family of devout Jews, such as Jesus’ own family, would serve unfermented wine to wedding guests.

The Gospel writer John notes that Jesus’ conversion of water to wine was the first miracle that Jesus performed.

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

- John 2:11 -

This assertion contradicts the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal Gospel written about a century after Christ which affirms that He also did miracles as a child.⁷ John says that He performed His first actual miracle to manifest His glory and strengthen the faith of His disciples.

This event marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, whereas the event marking the end would be the Last Supper. On both occasions He drank wine with His disciples. At the Last Supper He taught them that wine symbolizes His blood.

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

- Luke 22:19-20 -

On the first occasion He hinted at His own wedding in the future with His bride, the Church. Then He provided them all with wine to drink. The clear suggestion was that only by partaking in Christ’s death can we be united with Him. That is, His blood provides the way for us collectively to become His bride and to participate in that great wedding feast to be held someday in heaven.

After the wedding at Cana, a group led by Jesus went to Capernaum.

After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

- John 2:12 -

Besides His disciples, His mother and His brothers also accompanied Him. At this point, His brothers had not yet turned against Him, as they would later.

Jesus’ Visit to Jerusalem

Shortly afterward, after “not many days” (v. 12), Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

- John 2:13-14 -

It was the time of Passover. Since, according to Luke’s chronology, John the Baptist’s ministry began in AD 29, we can identify this Passover, the first during Jesus’ ministry, as the one in AD 30.

There in the Temple Jesus found men selling oxen, sheep, and doves for sacrifices. Also, He found money-changers. The sellers of sacrifices evidently required all customers to furnish payment in Jewish money. So, customers from regions outside Palestine had to exchange their native currencies for money they could actually use.

What Jesus saw in the Temple stirred up divine wrath in His heart. The place intended for worship and praise of God had become primarily a center of lucrative business.

15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

- John 2:15-17 -

Jesus made a scourge (a whip) of small cords and drove out all the merchants and their animals. He was no less forceful in expelling the rich money-changers. He poured out their money and overthrew their tables. Then He loudly declared, “Make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.” Looking on, His disciples saw what He was doing as a fulfillment of a prophecy in the Psalms.

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; . . . .

- Psalm 69:9 -

Jesus succeeded in His assault on the polluters of the Temple not only because He had a large crowd behind Him, but also because, as we learn elsewhere, He spoke with a fear-inspiring authority.

45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?

46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.

- John 7:45-46 -

His commanding voice was magnified and made more penetrating by His righteous anger. Yet His anger was fully under the control of His divine wisdom.

In protest against Jesus’ audacity in scattering the well-respected and influential merchants who did business in the Temple, some Jewish observers demanded that He justify Himself.

Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

- John 2:18 -

This question likely came from Jewish leaders on the sidelines who were angrily watching Jesus’ disruption of Passover celebration. Somehow it had already come to their attention that this man from Galilee claimed to be the Messiah. Therefore, to avoid antagonizing the Jewish masses who welcomed the Messianic claims of someone like Jesus, they demanded that He furnish a sign proving His identity. Jesus responded in mysterious words beyond their comprehension.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

- John 2:19 -

When Jesus’ opponents challenged His bold action to clear money-makers out of the Temple, they doubtless assailed Him with heated voices. But instead of responding in like fashion, as He would have done if His anger were out of control, He replied calmly with one short cryptic saying. The Jews confronting Him scoffed at His answer.

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

- John 2:20 -

They were talking about Herod’s Temple, an elaborate reconstruction of an ancient temple that still occupied Temple Mount when Herod came to power. The work of rebuilding it began in 20 or 21 BC.⁸ Jesus' purging of the Temple took place in AD 30. Since there was no year 0, the true interval was forty-nine or fifty years. For unknown reasons the Jews opposing Jesus saw it as a few years shorter. Perhaps they believed that major work began slightly after 20 BC or finished slightly before AD 30.

As Jesus’ crucifixion drew near, some who had heard His saying recorded in verse 19 twisted it into a threat that He Himself would destroy the Temple.

We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

- Mark 14:58 -

But what did He actually mean by this saying? John provides the answer.

21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

- John 2:21-22 -

By “this temple” He meant His body. The implied subject of the statement, “Destroy this temple,” was “you”; in other words, the Jews listening to Him. He was saying that after they had put Him to death on a cross, He would rise again after three days. This miracle would be accomplished by His own power, for He said, “I will raise it up.”

Here we see the first example in the Gospel record of Jesus’ customary way of dealing with unbelief. He did not actually refuse to satisfy His opponents’ demand for a sign. Indeed, He promised the wonderful and irrefutable sign of the Resurrection. But He gave an answer that was wholly inscrutable except to those enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The disciples came to understand its meaning only after the Resurrection had occurred.

What happened next in this confrontation between Jesus and certain religious authorities? Although He had actually driven merchants and money-changers out of the Temple, these authorities who strongly disapproved of His behavior were afraid, because of His personal strength and popular appeal, to take action against Him.

Although during Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem during Passover He did not win support from the upper echelon of Jewish society, many of the common people did become His followers. Why?

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

- John 2:23 -

John does not reveal what miracles He performed, but we know from the records of His later ministry that these miracles must have been unquestionable proofs of His power over the natural world. Yet their belief fell short of faith in His power to save them from their sins. Therefore,

24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

- John 2:24-25 -

He knew that the desire of most Jews was not for a spiritual leader who would draw them closer to God, but for a political leader who would deliver them from their enemies and usher in an age of national prosperity and preeminence—who would bring them material benefits and satisfy their dreams of worldly happiness. That is what they expected from the coming Messiah.

A Larger Perspective

The first two public acts of Christ—His conversion of water to wine and His cleansing of the Temple—show why He, the Almighty God, became a lowly man in mortal flesh. His purpose was to take out from this sin-cursed world a people for Himself—in the words of Peter, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:9), a people from whom the stain of sin would be removed so that they might live holy unto the Lord. At Cana, Jesus mentioned His people indirectly, implicitly comparing them to the bride with whom He would someday be united. “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). He meant that marriage would not be part of His present life, but that He would take the Church as His bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

- Revelation 19:6-9 -

At Jerusalem, the Temple represented the body of Christ. By chasing out men seeking to make money rather than to worship God, Jesus was showing that the people He would fellowship with forever had to be cleansed first— to be liberated from the all the self-seeking motives leading to sin.

The two incidents reveal not only Christ’s goal, but also the means He would employ to achieve it. To secure a chaste bride, He would wash her in His own blood, of which the wine was a symbol. A people fit for heaven would be the result of His own sacrificial death, described in the cryptic saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

Application

Today there are many people who are using the church as a vehicle to make money. The Lord said that the laborer is worthy of his hire (Luke 6:7), assuring us that it is legitimate for a man to support himself through Christian ministry. But the Lord never intended Christian ministry (or the making of Christian products, such as books and music CDs) to be a means of enrichment. It is one thing to make a living. It is another to pile up earnings into a heap of wealth. Jesus said,

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

- Matthew 6:24 -

Mammon is basically a personification of money. To serve both God and Mammon is impossible. We must choose between them. Anyone in Christian work who serves Mammon will do more harm than good, for in pleasing his master he will fail to make decisions in the best interests of ministry. Instead, he will inevitably compromise Biblical standards of separation and integrity, and he will water down or distort good doctrine. The modern church is plagued with money-makers, including many book publishers and recording companies as well megachurches that have turned worship services into entertainment shows. These businesses posing as Christian work prize profits more than purity, money more than ministry, and gain more than godliness.