Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 44-48
     New Testament Reading: John 2

“Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter” And they did. (John 2:7-8).

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is at the wedding by herself. There is no mention of her husband, Joseph, being in attendance. The last mention of Joseph in scripture is at the temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:41–51). Scholars agree Joseph had died during the 18 years between then and this time. Most likely it was rather recently, as the people in the area still remembered Joseph and referred to Jesus as his son.

Jesus and His Disciples were also at the wedding. Scripture does not specify why they were at this wedding. However, there are some clues given:
v1 – The wedding was in the city of Cana in Galilee. This is about 4 miles from Nazareth.
v1-2 – John is very specific in stating Jesus and his disciples were invited, but Mary was there.
v3 – Mary was overly concerned that the wine ran out. Why?
v6 – The servants listened to Mary. Jewish men did not even speak with women in public, much less take instruction from them.
v9 – After the water turned to wine, the Master of the Feast went and spoke to the bridegroom. (the bride is never mentioned)
From these clues, I believe the most likely scenario is the bridegroom is one of Joseph and Mary’s sons, a half-brother to Jesus, who made his home in nearby Cana. Mary, being the remaining living parent of the groom, was responsible for the event. Along with her son, she had planned the wedding feast and hired the servants. She is now the one responsible for not having enough wine.

When Mary saw that the wine ran out, she went to Jesus and said, “They don’t have any wine.” In the past, Mary would have relied on her husband Joseph to take care of such matters, but now as a recent widow, she turns to her eldest son for help.

Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars with water that were there for the Jewish rites of purification. John is very specific that there were six stone water jars, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. He also notes that the servants filled them to the brim so there would be no doubts there was no room in the jars for Jesus to add anything to them.

Jesus doesn’t pray over the jars. He doesn’t touch them, there is no big fanfare. Jesus doesn’t even taste the water to be certain it turned to wine. He simply tells the servants to draw some water out to give to the master of the feast.

Imagine for a moment what the servants must have been thinking. “We just filled these jars with water, and now you want us to give some to our boss who is expecting wine! Are you trying to get us fired?” But these humble servants were obedient and did what Jesus asked. As a result, they were witnesses to Jesus’ first miracle, known only to them and the few disciples.

It is important to notice that the wine that Jesus made was ‘good wine’, the ‘best or finest wine’ depending on the translation. Jesus never produced mediocre work. He did nothing half-heartily. As Christians, we are always to do our work as working unto the Lord. Regardless of what we are doing, we are to always do our best work.

John concludes this narrative with an explanation for the events. Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)

Certainly, Jesus turning water into wine solved the temporary problem at the wedding, but John lets us know there was a greater purpose. It was a sign to manifest His glory. Did the sign work? Absolutely! John says that as a result, His disciples believed in Him.

This narrative perfectly illustrates how God intends His Church to operate:
  ~ There is a need
  ~ Jesus has a plan
  ~ He asks us, His servants, to work
  ~ Jesus miraculously transforms our work to meet the need
  ~ God and God alone is Glorified

How much better would all our churches be if we all responded to Jesus as these servants did? Without questioning the motive, seek and follow the clear teachings of the Bible and obediently serve Him.