Lesson 3 - John 2:1-16 - THE FIRST SIGN: MIRACLE AT CANA
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in John 1:29-36, 40-51, we learned how the ministry and witness of John the Baptist served as the inauguration of Jesus Christ's ministry on earth (vv. 29-34). And John not only 'witnessed' that Jesus was the Messiah come, his witness both directly and indirectly prompted the first disciples who would became followers of Jesus (vv. 40-51). The underlying application point we learned from this lesson was that our witness about the truth of Jesus Christ is spread through normal lines of communication: We encourage a friend or family member (1) to come and see for themselves, then (2) invite them to establish a personal relationship with Christ as His follower. This is how disciples are made, both then and now.
This week, starting in John Chapter 2 and extending all the way to Chapter 12, we begin the section of John's gospel known as the 'Book of Signs,' that commences with the wedding feast at Cana (vv. 1-11) and the cleansing of the Temple (vv. 13-16). A 'sign' is more than a demonstration of power: it reveals a larger spiritual truth beyond itself. Yet, unlike miracles that are done openly, the meaning of the signs are hidden from some, so that many do not understand their meaning. For example, while the signs caused Jesus' disciples and others to "believe in Him," Jews in general remained skeptical and their understanding darkened. In today's lesson, we will see Jesus perform the first sign (or miracle) in His public ministry and in John's gospel. It was 'semi-public" insofar as only Jesus' disciples, the servants present, and Jesus' mother understood what had really happened. As we will see, John's portrayal of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in the next three chapters highlights the idea of Jesus replacing what was old (i.e., inferior) with something new (i.e., superior).
Read John 2:1-5 - MY HOUR HAS NOT YET COME
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. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus *said to her, "What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother *said to the servants, "Whatever He tells you, do it."
v. 1a: "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee," - This is identified as the third day after Jesus' encounter with Nathanael (1:45-51). Though the exact location of "Cana" is uncertain, scholars believe it was approximately 9-10 miles north of Jesus' hometown in Nazareth.
v. 1b: "and the mother of Jesus was there;" - John never mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus by name, possibly to avoid confusing her with the other Marys named later in this gospel.
v. 2: "and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding." - In this region of Galilee, comprising Nazareth and Cana, a local wedding would have been a community celebration, which accounts for Jesus and His disciples being invited. The text doesn't reveal the identity of the disciples, but we can assume it included Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, and most likely John the apostle.
v. 3: "When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, "They have no wine." - Wedding celebrations in those times could last for days, and to run out of a commodity like wine would have been a huge social disgrace, something that would stigmatize the newlyweds forever. Although Jesus had yet to perform any miracles, Mary already knew her son was the Messiah and she clearly expected Him to do something about it.
v. 4a: "And Jesus *said to her, 'What business do you have with Me, woman?'" - Jesus' words to his mother sound disrespectful and unkind to our ears, but we must understand them in the context of those times, when it would have been seen as a gentle rebuke. First, He addresses her as "woman" rather than mother to denote a new relationship between them as He begins his public ministry. Second, the phrase, "What business do you have with Me," is actually an Aramaic figure of speech that could paraphrased to say "your priorities and mine are now different, and you need to let me handle this problem according to my own purposes."
v. 4b: "My hour has not yet come." - "My hour" refers to a special time in Jesus' future when He was to leave this world and return to the Father (see John 13:1; 17:1).
v. 5: "His mother *said to the servants, 'Whatever He tells you, do it.'" - Mary humbly accepted Jesus' response to her and simply ordered the servants to cooperate with Him in whatever He decided to do. While she didn't understand what Jesus would do or when he might do it, she had confidence in His concern for others and His abilities. She would simply back off and allow Him to take charge and solve the problem according to his own way and timing. Notice that initially, Mary approached Jesus as His mother, an authority figure, but now she treats Him as her Lord.
Read John 2:6-8 - THEY FILLED THEM UP TO THE BRIM
6 Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. 7 Jesus *said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He *said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him.
v. 6: Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. - This was how Jews stored water for purification rituals, because stone pots permitted much less contamination than clay pots. "Two or three measures" would be a total volume of 20-30 gallons apiece, and times six would be 120-180 gallons total. Since one cup of water could purify up to 100 people in a ritual, one commentator noted that the water volume of these jars symbolized the abundance of grace made available through Jesus Christ.
v. 7: "Jesus *said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim." - The servants obey Jesus, filling the jars completely. The terse statement, "So they filled them," implies they didn't do it leisurely but worked hard to fill them up as rapidly as possible. Hauling, lifting, and pouring 200 gallons of water into these six pots would have been an arduous task.
v. 8: "And He *said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him." - The "headwaiter" (or chief steward) was in charge of the wine and would have shared in the embarrassment over the shortage. He is responsible not only for the quantity of the wine available, but also for its quality and suitability for consumption by the guests.
Read John 2:9-11 - YOU HAVE KEPT THE GOOD WINE UNTIL NOW
9 Now 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 groom, 10 and *said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
v. 9: "Now 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 groom," - Most Bible commentators agree that when the servants filled the pots to the brim, that the water in them became wine. Only Jesus, His disciples, the servants, and presumably Mary, knew that only water had gone into the pots but that wine had come out of them. The only thing that accounted for the transformation was Jesus' instructions. There is an irony in this verse: Some people know where the wine-a metaphor for grace-comes from, but others do not. The headwater -a metaphor for the religious leaders-should be the one who knows the wine's origins, but it's the servants, disciples and ordinary people, who know.
v. 10a: "and *said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine;" - The idea here is that when the guests have imbibed a sufficient quantity of wine (are inebriated), they can't tell the good from the bad. So, typically, the best wine is served first and the watered-down rotgut later when they can't tell the difference.
v. 10b: "but you have kept the good wine until now.'" - Bible commentators refer to this as the 'punch line,' really the key to understanding the story. The headwaiter comments on the strange behavior of the groom in saving the best wine for last, when in fact, neither he nor the groom have the slightest idea what happened. The deeper meaning of this sign is this: God has done a very amazing thing: He has saved for last His very best gift to Israel and the world. His best was not in Israel's past, when He gave Moses the Law and gave Israel the land. He has kept the best wine until the coming of Jesus Christ. So the key to understanding the SIGN at Cana is seeing that it's a story about moving from the old water of the Law and prophets to the new wine of Jesus' abundant grace.
v. 11a: "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee," - We might call it a 'miracle,' but John takes it a step further by calling it a "sign." We can define a sign as something that points to a spiritual reality beyond itself, e.g., the new wine was a sign that points to Jesus' abundant grace.
v. 11b: "and revealed His glory;" - when through this sign and others, Jesus "revealed His glory," it means He demonstrated His deity-that He is God. Therefore, if He can create an entire universe from nothing, He can certainly turn water into wine.
v. 11c: "and His disciples believed in Him." - This is the main point of the chapter: The purpose of Jesus' signs is to inspire belief. Indeed, the stated purpose of John's gospel is: "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). Yet, not everyone who witnesses these signs will believe.
APPLICATION 1: As His first Sign, the miracle performed by Jesus at Cana pointed to a new spiritual reality. The miracle-turning water into wine-symbolized moving from the old water of the Law and prophets to the new wine of the age of grace-from something inferior to something superior. And by signaling a new age of grace, Jesus offered salvation to an entire world, not just the Jews.
APPLICATION 2: The purpose of Jesus' Signs is to inspire belief in Him. Verse 11 indicates that after the miracle at Cana, Jesus' disciples "believed in Him." In stating His main purpose for writing this gospel, the apostle John later said, "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). It is our job and sacred duty as Christians and as a church to be witnesses, who, like Philip, invite people to "come and see" (John 1:46).
Note: v. 12 is a transition between the wedding at Cana and the cleansing of the Temple in Judea.
Read John 2:13-16 - TAKE THESE THINGS AWAY FROM MY FATHER'S HOUSE
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away from here; stop making My Father's house a place of business!"
v. 13: "The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." - All four gospels tell the story of the cleansing of the Temple, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke place it near the end of Jesus life, while John's gospel places it at the beginning of His ministry. This has generated three theories about the timing of the story: (1) That John moved it forward to establish one of the important theological themes of his gospel; (2) That the authors of the synoptic gospels moved it back because of its historical significance just prior to Jesus' trial and crucifixion; and (3), which scholars rate as least likely, that there were two cleansings of the Temple.
v. 14: "And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables." - These activities were going on in the Outer Court, not within the Temple itself. The selling and buying of animals for sacrifice was needed because pilgrims coming from afar couldn't bring their own animals, and it was also necessary to have some form of foreign money exchange. However, by Jesus' day, it had escalated into a major money-making scheme for the priests that had largely overtaken spiritual worship in the Outer Courts. The priests defended it with the rationalization that it was used to fund Temple activities throughout the year. Similar arguments are made in churches today: if the money's being make for 'God,' it's okay.
v. 15a: "And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen;" - The atmosphere that Jesus is seeing here was like a street fair, with hundreds of vendors and their animals. The noise and the stench would have been overwhelming-all within the Temple precincts. The fact that Jesus, with his small "whip of cords," was able to rapidly drive "them all out of the Temple area" was in and of itself a miracle. We might go as far to say that He put the fear of God in them.
v. 15b: "and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;" - Try to imagine this: the panic of these "money-changers" as they scramble on their hands and knees to recover the scattered coins while simultaneously trying to keep their customers from stealing them. In one fell swoop, Jesus had brought the Temple's indecent money-making enterprise to a standstill. There was nothing wrong per se with selling animals for sacrifice or exchanging money for the pilgrims, but it should never have been allowed to profane the Temple Courts of God's House.
v. 16: "and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away from here; stop making My Father's house a place of business!" - Jesus made no exceptions, even ordering the doves typically sold to the poorer pilgrims to be removed from the Temple Courts. The markup on the doves (profit) was probably higher than that for the larger animals. So, large or small, sin is still sin, yes? Comment: Though Jesus' actions were forceful, they weren't cruel. He didn't harm anyone. The actions that Jesus took were not so much the physical force but the moral power He used to empty the courts of activities that were unashamedly profaning His "Father's house." Added to that, He fulfilled at least two OT prophecies that predicted the Messiah would come and purify the Levites (Mal. 3:1-3; Zech. 14:21).
APPLICATION 3: Jesus' actions in the cleansing the Temple demonstrates the vital importance of honoring God's House as a place of worship. Just as Jesus was angered by the things being done in the courts of the Temple in Jerusalem, He doesn't want our churches to become places where we are more concerned about gathering more money to maintain ourselves in comfort than reaching the lost souls and people in need right outside our doors. As one preacher said, "we should regards our churches as hospitals for sinners, not museums for saints!"
