|
|
"This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him."
(John 2:11)
|
|
|
The Gospel of John; Chapter 2
Brian Culliton
Jesus' First Miracle at Cana
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
This was most likely the wedding feast of a close relative. It appears as though Mary was one of the people responsible for the affairs of the feast. In the Jewish culture of that time, wedding parties would last for an entire week! It was no small undertaking.
Mary obviously expected Jesus to do something about the wine situation. Mary was probably desperate because if she was responsible for the wine supply, this was not going to look good for her. So she pleaded with her son to do something.
4Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." 5His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 6Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 9When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
This exchange between Jesus and Mary is the subject of much debate among apologists. Some believe that Jesus was acting in obedience to His Mother who was asking for a miraculous fix to the wine shortage problem. But those who think this way often disregard what John said in verse 11: "This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory." Here John gives us the purpose of the miracle: to show His glory. Verse 11 also tells us that this was the beginning of signs, or miracles. I don't think it makes sense to say Mary expected Jesus to perform a miracle when she had never before seen Him do any miracles.
Jesus told His mother: "My hour has not yet come." On two other occasions John tells us that the Jews tried to seize Jesus but could not because "His hour had not yet come." (7:30, 8:21) John later explains what he meant by "His hour."
"Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1) There are several occasions in John's gospel where Jesus said, "The hour has come," but "His hour," or "My hour" is specific to His passion, death, and resurrection.
Why did Jesus declare that His hour had not yet come at this wedding feast? What is the significance of His proclamation? The wedding feast itself is the significance. This lack-of-wine-situation became an opportunity for Jesus to teach His disciples something that would take years for them to understand - the wedding of the Lamb (which is Christ and His church).
From Matthew's account of the last supper when Jesus gave them the cup to drink, He said, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
In the Jewish culture when a man and woman were betrothed, the man would sign a contract with the father of the woman. If the woman agreed to the contract, she (the bride) and he (the bridegroom) would both drink from a cup of wine thus sealing the contract. From that moment on they would be considered husband and wife. The bridegroom would then go and prepare a place for them at his father's house. When the work was complete and the preparations for the wedding feast were finished, the bridegroom would return with a company of men for his bride. He would take her back to his father's house and there all who were invited would celebrate the wedding feast.
When we celebrate communion together as Christians, we show forth our commitment to Christ, our bridegroom, whom will one day soon return for His bride the church. When we return to Him, all things will be new. Thus, the wedding feast in Cana was a model of the wedding feast that will take place in heaven.
It's important to understand this wedding feast as representing two distinct time periods - before the new covenant and after. First, the wedding feast was held with common wine representing the old covenant. Then, at the appointed time, Christ came and cleansed us with His blood. The water in the pots used for the purpose of purifying represents this. Consider Paul's command to Christian husbands:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27)
By changing the water into wine, Jesus was showing that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand and also the new covenant which was sealed by His blood. Therefore Jesus proclaimed His hour that was yet to come, by this miracle in Cana. And just as the master of the wedding feast was well pleased with the new wine, God the Father is well pleased with His Son!
11This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Suffice it to say, this was Jesus first miracle and by this miracle He manifested His glory, i.e. proof He was God.
12After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
It is evident from this verse that Joseph, Mary's husband was no longer living. It is also evident that Mary had other children. Those who adamantly defend Mary's perpetual virginity like to argue that the word "brothers" or "brethren" could actually mean cousins, because the Hebrew language didn't have a word for cousin. But here that argument doesn't make sense because John didn't write his Gospel in Hebrew, he wrote it in Greek. The Greek language had separate distinct words for brother, cousin, and sister. John spoke and wrote in Greek because it was the common language.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. 15When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. 16And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" 17Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."
From verse 12 we see that Jesus, His disciple, and His family all went to Jerusalem for the Passover. This would have been something Jesus and His family would have done every year. This time, however, Jesus was coming to the Passover during His public ministry. This would be Jesus' first public appearance as the Messiah.
The Lord through His prophet Malachi foretold this event:
"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the Lord of hosts. (Mal. 3:1)
In this prophesy we see John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ, and also the appearing of the Son of God at His temple. Jesus is the Lord whom they sought yet they did not recognize Him when He came.
Jesus cleanses the Temple in the continuing fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy:
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Mal. 3:2-3)
The prophecy speaks of much more than Jesus cleansing the Temple. Those who were entrusted with the oracles of God had corrupted the House of God. They turned what God had made holy into a house of merchandise. None of them, not even their brightest Pharisees, could stand against Christ, the Holy One! They could find no fault with Him so they unsuccessfully sought to trap Him in His words.
As a refiner purifies gold and silver, Christ purifies the hearts of those who put their trust in Him. This was the reason for His coming; that man, who was unrighteous and separated from God, could be made righteous, and abide with God, through Christ; the truly righteous One!
The sons of Levi were those of the tribe of Levi who was one of Jacob's twelve sons. The decedents of Levi were not given a land, as were the other eleven tribes, they were the priests whose job was to offer sacrifice for the people in the Temple.
All the Temple sacrifices were foreshadows of the one true and holy sacrifice, Christ Jesus. The appearing of Christ now meant that the new covenant was at hand. Christ purified the sons of Levi by His sacrifice at the cross. No longer would God accept animal sacrifice since He Himself has offered the true sacrifice. The priesthood of the Levites was done away with and replaced by the priesthood of believers in Christ. Peter said that those who are Christ's are a royal priesthood who offer praise, not animal sacrifice. The sons of Levi the prophecy is referring to are the followers of Christ.
Having seen the glory of Christ, the disciples were more keen than anyone to recognize the fulfillment of prophesy in Jesus. After witnessing Jesus cleans the Temple, they remembered the Psalm:
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. (Psa. 69:9)
The reproaches for Jesus were about to come to fruition as we see in the next verse.
18So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"
They were very offended by what Jesus did and demanded He give an answer to where He got His authority. The Pharisees saw themselves as the only authority concerning the Law and were prepared to silence Jesus. But Jesus confounded them with His answer.
19Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
Not only were the Jew (most likely Pharisees) surprised by Jesus' statement, but so too were His disciples.
20Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
The Discerner of Hearts
23Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
Many of the people who heard Jesus and saw His miracles believed He was a prophet sent by God. But many of these same people would be calling for His crucifixion three years later. There were a great number of Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah, but they completely misunderstood what the Messiah came to do.
The Jews were expecting the Messiah to deliver them from the Romans. They were all geared up to have Jesus lead them in a revolt and establish the kingdom that would last forever! Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking because He knew their hearts.
Three years later when Jesus would enter Jerusalem for the last time, the Jews, with the exception of the religious leaders, were ecstatic! They laid palm branches in front of Him as He entered the city on a donkey. Jesus taught in the temple daily and performed signs astonishing the people. But the Pharisees opposed Him saying He did these things by the power of the devil.
When His hour had come, it appeared to the people that the Pharisees were right. They saw Jesus being scourged and tormented to within an inch of His life. "How could this possibly be the Messiah," they thought. The Jews felt as though they had been deceived and turned on Jesus crying with the Pharisees, "crucify Him!" And here in chapter two of John's Gospel we see that Jesus already knew these people would one day turn on Him.
|
|
|
