Jesus Changes Water to Wine
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a]
7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and 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."
11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Jesus Clears the Temple
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."[b]
18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.[c] 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Footnotes:
John 2:6 Greek two to three metretes (probably about 75 to 115 liters)
John 2:17 Psalm 69:9
John 2:23 Or and believed in him
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Setting out to process the Bible, chapter by chapter, out loud and in a community, hoping that through this, we might all grow closer to the hero of the story.
About Me
Links of Note
Blog Archive
Receiving Comments Through E-mail
If for interaction, or curiosity purposes, you would like to receive the same e-mails I get when a new comment is posted on any blog on this sight, simply send an e-mail to nathan.kemper@gmail.com and ask to be added to the comment forwarding list. Make sure you are clear which e-mail address you would like the comments sent to.
4 comments:
Two phrases stuck out to me today.
"He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him."
"After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken."
How much of a difference is there in my life of belief in the Scripture and what Jesus has done and said, and putting my faith in Him?
I'm probably opposite the disciples. It is easy for me to believe that Scripture is true, and in the facts of Jesus' life, but much harder for me to expressively put my faith in Him. I often put my faith in myself and my resources that i find in this world, and less often leave relying on faith in Jesus and putting my trust in Him? How much more effective could my life be if education, skill and giftings (blessings that come from God) were not where my faith ended, but byproducts only of my faith in Christ?
I always wondered why Jesus changed the water into wine after telling his mother that "My time has not yet come." Is this to show us obedience to our parents? Mary did not force him to do it, just made a quiet suggestion. Is that how we should look at parenting? I know that this does work in parenting. Sometimes it is better to let your child believe that it was their idea to do something instead of demanding it.
I can't speak as to why Jesus did this. My best guess comes from the verse that closes it when it says "He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." Jesus' entire intent might have been to show off his glory. I've always heard that any miracle points towards the glory of God before any other function.
I do have some interesting comments as to why John puts it as the first miracle he records. John wrote to Asia Minor (modern day turkey). It was a place that was highly mythological and in particular would have noticed three of the "gods" most affluently. Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine, Oscalopias, the Greek God of Healing, and Demeter, the Greek God of Food and Sundries.
The first three miracles Jesus records is a statement of "My God is Bigger than Your God" by writing first that Jesus turned water into wine (above the God of Wine), second was healings (above the God of Health and Healings) and third was feeding the five thousand (above the God of Food and Sundries). John is very selective throughout his gospel in which miracles he chooses to include (fewer than the other Gospels) and is likely also very selective in the order in which he included them.
The Greek reader in Asia Minor would have been well aware that this "person" was now showing powers that were beyond multiple greek gods.
It's also interesting to me to see how differently people approach the scriptures. Not being a parent yet, i rarely read parenting into any scriptures unless it is obviously stated.
I know how to read teaching, or husband, or disciple into lots of scriptures, as i do those things, but rarely would look at a verse and read parenting.
I'm better off for seeing your perspectives as well. Please continue to offer them.
Post a Comment