Wedding at Cana

Setting: Neither Jesus’ family, nor His entourage are hosting. They are guests.

John 1–11 (1. The First Sign in Cana: Water to Wine (2:1–11))

The positioning of this sign in the Gospel obviously is of crucial importance because it is not merely intended to be the first (by number) of such miraculous events but also functions as the head, clue, or key (archē) to the signs of Jesus (2:11).3 The one who understands this sign should understand the point of all the signs.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

A typical wedding would consist of a procession bringing the bride to the groom’s home, a wedding supper, and a week of festivities. Jesus, his family, and his disciples were invited, so Jesus made the lengthy trip from Judea to attend. The presence of his family and the disciples as his guests makes it plausible to suppose that a relative of Jesus was involved in the wedding.

John 2:1–11 (CSB)

On the third day

This continues the passing of time demarcated by John.

(The next day. 1:29, 1:35, 1:43)

This is probably not the third day of the wedding.

The wedding feast was very important to the wedding. It could last as long as a week. To fail in hospitality was a serious offense.

a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee.

Cana is West of the Sea of Gallilee.

Jesus’s mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.”

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (Notes)

2:3 Jesus’ mother. Some (e.g., Whitacre) point to Mary as a model disciple here and see similarities with the reaction of the first disciples in ch 1, for instance, in taking the initiative in coming to Jesus (cf. 1:37) and allowing Jesus to set the agenda (cf. 1:38). Her faith in Jesus’ ability to solve the situation is another parallel.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

A typical wedding would consist of a procession bringing the bride to the groom’s home, a wedding supper, and a week of festivities. Jesus, his family, and his disciples were invited, so Jesus made the lengthy trip from Judea to attend. The presence of his family and the disciples as his guests makes it plausible to suppose that a relative of Jesus was involved in the wedding.

“What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.”

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (Notes)

2:4 that’s not our problem. Some (Lagrange, Schnackenburg, Derrett, Beasley-Murray) have tried to give this a softer tone, such as, “What do you want me to do?” or “Why tell me this? I understand it.” Such renderings are doubtful. There is some aspect of rebuke or distancing in the question.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

The address, literally just “woman,” is not really insulting, as seen in the fact that when he gives her over to John’s care in 19:26, he also calls her “woman.” The NLT’s phrasing, “dear woman,” is somewhat valid, but in the context, Jesus was distancing himself from Mary. He was no longer just her son—the time had come to follow the path his Father had prepared for him (so Michaels, Burge). His reply is quite interesting. It is literally, “What is it to me and to you?” In the Synoptics, demons often use this expression when Jesus is about to cast them out—“Why are you interfering with us?” (Mark 1:24; 5:7 and parallels). In the LXX, it is often used of discord (“What has caused this?”—Judg 11:12; 2 Chr 35:21) or disengagement (“What business is this of mine?”—2 Kgs 3:13; Hos 14:8). Jesus’ reply is of the latter kind. In it there may be a slight rebuke: “That’s not our problem.” That is, Jesus was distancing himself from the situation and showing reluctance to get involved. Most likely the point is that he had to follow the agenda set for him by the Father rather than allow human situations to dictate his actions.

Time/hour tends to indicate destiny.

“Do whatever he tells you,” his mother told the servants.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

There is no mention of Joseph in Matthew and Luke after the birth narratives, and Christian tradition favors the idea that Joseph was old when he married Mary (cf. Protoevangelium of James 9:2). Thus, Mary had probably learned to depend on Jesus’ resourcefulness, and she was doing that here as well.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

She showed a mother’s trust in her son and simply told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (2:5). Again, she was the model disciple, humbly leaving it all to Jesus and trusting in his wisdom, even when she did not understand. Jesus’ subsequent actions show that her trust was well placed.

Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

He saw the “six stone water jars” that were “used for Jewish ceremonial washing,” each holding 20 to 30 gallons of water (2–3 measures). Jews would use these jars for washing hands (Mark 7:1–5) or utensils. It is important to realize that their purpose was to render the unclean ritually pure—they represented ceremonial uncleanness. When Jesus had them filled with water and then changed that water into wine, a double miracle occurred. First, the unclean jars were made clean. In fact, the reason they were made of stone was because the Jews would have had to break earthen jars that had been rendered unclean (Lev 11:33–35). Second, the water was turned into wine.

“Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did.

When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom and told him,

The servants demonstrated an act of faith because they knew the source of the water/wine was dirty.

They may not have known the water had been changed when they presented it.

“Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.”

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

His explanation (2:10) provides some interesting background. At celebrations like weddings, it was the custom to buy some expensive wine and some cheaper wine. They would serve the good wine first; then after their palates were satisfied (note that this cannot be grape juice; there is a hint of inebriation in “a lot to drink”), they would serve the cheaper wine.

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:12 (CSB)

After this, he went down to Capernaum, together with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they stayed there only a few days.

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (Notes)

2:12 his brothers. Jesus’ brothers were certainly his half-brothers born to Joseph and Mary. The idea that Mary was a “perpetual virgin” and that these were actually Jesus’ cousins arose in the second century (cf. Morris 1995:187).

John, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John (The First Sign: Changing Water into Wine (2:1–12))

According to the Old Testament, at the coming of the final Kingdom there will be an abundance of wine (Isa 25:6; Jer 31:12; Hos 14:7), and this banquet is often depicted as a messianic wedding feast (Hos 2:16–23; cf. Rev 19:9–11). The message of the wine, then, is that the messianic age has started, and it is a proleptic anticipation of the final messianic age to come. The “glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (1:14) is now unveiled for those with eyes to see. This is the first “sign” miracle demonstrating Jesus’ glory. While the synoptic Gospels use “power” or “miracle” (dunamis [TG1411, ZG1539]) to describe such events, John uses “sign” (sēmeion [TG4592, ZG4956]) because the miracles point beyond themselves to a deeper reality—namely, the “unveiling” of God’s work in Jesus (cf. Schnackenburg 1980:515–528).