John 02

Turning Water into Wine

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

This is the first of John's seven signs. Jesus attended a wedding in Cana. The Jewish wedding ceremony usually lasted for seven days. The Biblical Cana is about seven miles north of the modern Cana. 

2:2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

Jesus brought His five new disciples with Him. Maybe this is why they ran out of wine.

2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.”

It was a terrible thing for a Jewish wedding to run out of wine.

2:4 Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.”

Most of the miracles of Jesus were to authenticate that His message was from God. He was not yet ready to make His miracles public yet. However, He loved His mother and could not say no to her.

2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

Mary knew her son.

2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

These were large containers for holding water.

2:7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top.

The servants followed the instructions of Jesus.

2:8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did.

The servants took the wine to the steward.

2:9 When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom

The head steward tasted the wine and was greatly impressed.

2:10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Notice that this was not grape juice, because grape juice does not make the guests drunk.

2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

There are some cults and isms who claim that Jesus performed miracles during His childhood. However, John recorded through the Holy Spirit that this was "the first of His miraculous signs". Therefore, the boy Jesus did not turn clay birds into actual birds that flew away, as some falsely teach.

Jesus revealed His glory by using His powers of creation. He did not have to plant the seeds, water the seeds, grow the grapes, harvest the grapes, crush the grapes, and then allow them to ferment. Since Jesus is the Creator God of the universe, He just simply turned the water into wine, skipping this entire wine-making process.

Is it unbiblical to drink wine? The answer is found in Psalm 104:14-15, "He (God) provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they can produce food from the ground, as well as wine that makes people feel so good, and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, as well as food that sustains people’s lives." Notice that God created wine to make people "feel good." There was no sin in drinking wine, unless it led to drunkenness. 

Cleansing the Temple

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

This was a family visit. Later on, Jesus would make this city His headquarters.

2:13 Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

This was the first of four Passovers. Jesus’ ministry only lasted three and a half years.

2:14 He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables.

Annas was the High Priest in charge of the Jewish Temple. He was from the party of the Sadducees. They were liberal Jewish leaders who compromised with the Roman government. He owned a private family business of raising sacrifices and exchanging money. He set up his private business in the temple area. His sons were the treasurers. His sons-in-law were the assistant treasurers. The Jewish historian Josephus comments that Annas was hoarding money, wealthy, and violent. If the common priests complained about him, then he had them beaten. This was basically a mafia-type family.

The Mosaic Law allowed families to bring their own sacrifices. However, when they did so, then the priests of Annas would check them and declare them blemished. Therefore, the family would either have to go back home and bring another unblemished sacrifice, which sometimes was a three day journey. Or, they could buy a sacrifice from the Annas family at an inflated price.

Not only did Annas control the sacrifices, but he controlled the money exchange business as well. The Roman coins were not allowed to be used in the Temple area because they had the face of Caesar on them, declaring emperor-worship. Therefore, the modern currency of Rome had to be exchanged for temple currency. Of course, the Annas family placed a high exchange rate and a service rate on this as well. 

2:15 So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

Jesus was not a seeker-friendly pastor. He picked up a whip and drove the Annas Family business out of the temple area. Many baby Christians would claim that Jesus was not using agape love.

2:16 To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!”

Jesus would not be allowed to preach in many seeker-churches today.

2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”

Isaiah 69:9 predicted all of these injustices.

2:18 So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?”

The leaders asked for a miraculous sign of authority. 

2:19 Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.”

What authority did Jesus have? What was the sign of His authority? His authority was that He had the power to resurrect Himself and others from the dead. Once one was resurrected, he would stand in front of Jesus to be judged.

2:20 Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?”

The temple was under construction for 46 years and it still was not completed. It would not be completed until six years before its destruction in 70 A.D. In 67 A.D., the Pharisees did the same thing as Jesus. They overturned the money changer tables. Three years later, the temple was destroyed.

2:21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body.

The Jewish leaders did not have enough spiritual understanding to comprehend the answer of Jesus.

2:22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.

Even the disciples did not understand this statement until after the resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus at the Passover Feast

2:23 Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing.

Jesus began His public ministry of miracles. The purpose of His miracles was to authenticate that He was the Messiah of Israel.

2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people.

Jesus knew how totally depraved, evil, and how fickle humans could be.

2:25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man.

Stoics and Epicureans glorified men, but not Jesus. He understood what Greek philosophy did not.