John 2:1-12

content/bible_journal/john/2:1-12.md

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+title = "John 2:1–12"
+date = "2026-01-03"
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+
+### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John2.1-12)
+
+"On the third day" may continue the progression that had been building in chapter one.
+("The next day" repeated in [John 1:35](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John1.35) and [1:43](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John1.43).)
+It may also be that it refers to the third day Jesus spent in Galilee after arriving there, which seems more likely as it could have taken a week for travellers to go from the Jerusalem area to Galilee on foot.
+In any case, that day was the day of a wedding in the town of Cana.
+It suddenly occurs to me that the words are "the mother of Jesus was there", but "Jesus also was invited".
+That almost implies that Mary wasn't invited to the wedding herself, but attended in some official capacity.
+Almost, considering the "also" in v. 2.
+
+At the wedding feast, Mary finds out that there were not sufficient preparations for the number of guests.
+The wine had run out, but the feast was not close to being done.
+She makes this observation to Jesus, but from His response it's clear that she was making a subtle request.
+(Jesus addresses His mother as "Woman", but at the time it was as polite as calling her "Ma'am".
+It amuses me that today addressing someone with "Hey, man" is normal, but "Hey, woman" is not.)
+By saying "My hour has not yet come," He lets her know that He is the one who decides the timetable and methods of His ministry.
+Despite this, she tells the servants to do whatever He tells them.
+
+It is hard to figure out what her motivations and expectations were here.
+Clearly, from the other Gospel accounts, she knew that He was the promised Messiah, but perhaps she was wondering when He was going to get on with it.
+That doesn't explain what she wanted Him to do about the insufficiency of wine at a party, though.
+
+The first miracle that Jesus performs publicly is to turn water into wine.
+Specifically, the transformed water comes out of large storage basins which held the water used to wash guests' feet when they arrived, as well as other purification rites.
+That the wine is used for a wedding feast alludes to the wedding banquet of the Lamb when God's plan of salvation comes to its ultimate fruition.
+(Cf. [Isaiah 25:6–9](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isaiah25.6-9) and [Revelation 19:6–9](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Revelation19.6-9).)
+
+While I have heard this passage preached on several times, I don't think any of them paid much attention to verse 11.
+With this first sign, Jesus "manifested His glory", the glory "we have seen" ([_John 1:14_](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John1.14)).
+By performing this miracle, Jesus was revealing His deity to those who saw it, that is, His disciples.
+They believed in Him because of what they saw Him do here at this wedding, even more than when He called them.
+This is why He did the miracle the way He did.
+If the point was just to keep the party going, it could have been done more subtly.
+("Go look in the basement again, maybe there's more you missed", or "There's more wine in this barrel than expected. It just keeps coming out.")
+Instead, the symbolism of the water of purification being turned into the wine of salvation shows everyone the point of Jesus's ministry as the Messiah in the first century.
+
+* * *
+
+We look forward to the ultimate wedding feast, when we celebrate Your eternal victory over sin and death.