¹ On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, ⁹ and 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 ¹⁰ and 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.”
¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
“This is not fiction. If you were inventing a biography of Jesus Christ, who would invent, for His inaugural sign of Jesus’ career, a miraculous solution to a mere social embarrassment?”
– Reynolds Price
Thoughts
- Humiliation ➞ Joy (1-5): A sliver of heaven’s abundance as Jesus transforms scarcity and humiliation into a celebration. Consider Isa 25:6,8 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... he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces… we see a foreshadowing of Rev 19:6-9 [READ]
- Abundant Life (6-10): Heb 9:9,10 …gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order. Heb 10:1-4 [READ]* explains further. Christ’s perfect sacrifice (blood/wine) perfectly fulfills OT symbolic rituals to usher in liberation and celebration. The best is here now.
- Obedience the Doorway to Miracles (7-8, 11): Jesus works miracles through obedience: Feeding the 5,000 Joh 6:1-15; The Great Catch Luk 5:1-11, The Ten Lepers Luk 17:11-19. Our Cowboy Culture of self-reliance and independence resists—but when we surrender, we make space for Christ’s power and glory to work in our lives. When we reach the end of ourselves, that’s where God begins. 2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
- Signs Reveal His Glory (11): Signs point the disciples back to the Sign-Giver. they build faith; they demonstrate His power over our messes; they shout “here is light! here is life!” Joh 20:30,31 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.*
Reflections
- Jesus turns water into wine, making the ordinary into the extraordinary. Where in your life could you obey a command from Him, and trust for the overflow? Who needs an invitation to the Kingdom feast?
