We Have Reasoned that John is presenting his Gospel according to e structure of the six days of creation (articles 2-3), and have further shown that this first day is concerned with light, where light is a metaphor for understanding (article 4). We now consider the central story of day 1: the wedding at cana where Jesus transforms water into wine (John 2:1-11). The theme of this opening day of John’s creation is illumination, and the events at Cana are central to it. Read through John 2:1-11.
The prime miracle
Firstly notice how the miracle is described as “the first of his miraculous signs” (John 2:11). The Greek word arche is translated “first” but, lest we understand this to mean solely that the miracle at Cana was the first chronologically in the ministry, it is worth noting the full breadth of the word’s meaning. The word arche is probably best translated “prime,” note its presence in existing English words such as arch-enemy, archetypal, Archbishop. The presence of arche in each of these words ascribes a primary sense of rank, rather than chronology. Thus we do best to understand John 2:11 as saying:
This primary miraculous sign Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee (2:11).
This makes the miracle of even greater interest because now we understand that the scriptural text identifies it as the prime declaration of Jesus’ glory. Furthermore the details of this miracle seem frankly astonishing. On the face of it Jesus is merely replenishing the alcohol supply at a celebration event — a most unlikely representation of the power and purpose of the Son of God! This makes the miracle all the more intriguing and deserving of our closest attention.
Stone waterpots: fulfilling the law
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons (John 2:6).
The emphasis John gives to these jars is evident from the fact we are told far more detail about them than we (seemingly) need to know. We are told:
- Their constituency: stone.
- Their purpose: for ceremonial cleansing of the Jews (KJV: purification).
- Their volume: 6 jars @20-30 gallons per jar = 150 gallons in all.
- Their current condition: empty.
What are these jars supposed to signify? Consider the physical parameters on the spiritual plane, i.e., something the Jews used for purification, contained in stone, now empty. A perfect description of the Mosaic Law! The Law was written on two tables of stone (Exodus 31:18), had the purpose of purifying the Jews (I Chron. 23:28), but was now empty and ready to pass away (Heb. 8:13). So John is using the water jars as a representation of the Mosaic Law! For that reason we pay close attention to Jesus’ interaction with these jars. What does John show us? Jesus fills full (fulfills) the water jars — a perfect enactment of his role (cp. John 2:7 with Matthew 5:17)! We now understand why this miracle is the prime declaration of Jesus’ ministry, because it graphically illustrates how the life of the Lord Jesus wholly enclosed the Mosaic Law. He was come to fulfill it and thus radically and permanently transform the covenant relationship between every man and his God.
Water into wine
Even having considered the weighty symbology of the stone jars, we are yet to touch upon the central feature of the miracle, the fact that the water was transformed into beautiful wine. First note the quantity: 6 water jars containing between 20-30 gallons apiece = 900 bottles of wine! An excellent reflection of the abundance of mercy we receive at the hand of the Almighty; truly we are blessed with every sufficiency.
And with God’s miracle there is always blessing upon blessing. Jesus did not only refill the jars with water, returning them to their former state, but also transformed their entire content, from water to wine — and not just wine, but also the best wine that any had tasted (John 2:10). This instructs us that the covenant relationship with our Father that we enjoy through the Lord Jesus is so much more powerful than anything experienced under the Mosaic Law. It is not just a different covenant, it is a much better covenant: that which was water has now been made wine.
Truly we stand no longer at Sinai, the Mount of Judgment, smoldering with the awesome fire and brimstone power of the Mighty One. We are called to stand before Mount Zion, beholding the living water and the loving mercy of so caring and patient a Father. Truly spiritual Zion reaches so much higher than Sinai, (and beautifully the reverse is true in the physical world), because it is at Zion that we are at last enabled to find the freedom from the bondage so long held, to taste the wine of the new covenant, and to be gently touched by the crippling body-blow that is the understanding of true and total forgiveness. It is this Zion that we first glimpse in John’s recount of the miracle of Jesus Christ on that wedding day in Cana.
Sign of the woman
Perhaps one of the furthest reaching patterns we meet at Cana is evidenced in the presence of the “woman.” The wine has run out, and Mary brings this fact to Jesus’ attention whereupon the Lord seems to give the most astonishing reply:
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have Ito do with thee? mine hour is not yet come (John 2:4).
A most bizarre response by the Lord! Indeed if this were not Jesus speaking we might even deem it disrespectful! Yet we must pay special attention to the details in this remarkable Gospel that appear counter-intuitive. Notice the deliberate use of the word “Woman.” Word choice is important in scripture, and so we must challenge ourselves to spot the association. Clearly “Woman” calls to mind the events of Eden, where we first encounter the character of “Woman,” Eve. The covenant relationship between God and mankind was communicated through “woman:” the serpent would bruise the heel of the woman’s seed, and the Seed would bruise the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:14-15). This is very relevant to Christ, because he is the Seed who will destroy the serpent by the provision of his life’s blood, (John 19:34) which we further know is symbolized by wine (Matt. 26:27-29).
It now becomes a matter of considerable import that as Jesus is at Cana giving a prime declaration of his purpose and destiny, the “woman” asks him to provide “wine.” Now we have an insight into Jesus’ answer: within the spiritual creation Jesus’ answer is now compelling. “Woman, what have I to do with thee?” is not simply rhetorical; rather it explicitly makes reminder of the Eden covenant — that the seed was to save the woman by destroying the threatening serpent. Then follow, “mine hour is not yet come.” This “hour” is language used to describe his crucifixion (e.g. John 12:23 & 27). Thus we can paraphrase Jesus’ answer: “I am indeed the one who will save the woman with the provision of wine. But you should not require that of me now, for ultimately that cannot be until I am crucified [mine hour is not yet come].”
Fascinatingly, the patterns in John’s Gospel are so deep-woven that the matter is not concluded there. We peek forward from Day 1 to Day 5 of John’s Creation to see the conclusion of this pattern. Standing at the foot of the cross with John we hear Jesus utter these words:
Woman, behold your son! (John 19:26).
Firstly an important disclaimer: There can be no doubt from the immediate context that this is a formal introduction by Jesus of his mother to the apostle John; an act characteristically unselfish (indeed incredible) that Jesus, even as he hangs dying on the cross, is making arrangements for the care of others. Having established that, however, we would very much like to suggest a second meaning for this remark, and one that attaches directly to the scenario at Cana. The justification of relating this crucifixion moment to Cana is twofold: first, Jesus had referred directly to this “hour” at Cana, and second, the signature keyword “Woman” arises once again, linking the two events. In Cana Jesus postponed the provision of wine to the crucifixion; now as he hangs on the cross, he says these words:
Woman; Behold! Thy son! (John 19:26).
Remember, Jesus was bleeding as he spoke these words. This is not stated for melodrama; rather the pertinent point is that the very substance of the wine of the new covenant was issuing from his body at the very moment he instructs “Woman” to look at him, to “behold” her son. Now we understand why the keyword “Woman” is so appropriate at Cana, for Cana is the prime declaration of Jesus’ ministry (John 2:11). It sparks our minds to think of both Eden and the crucifixion, because the word “woman” appears prominently in both of those places, too. It is on the cross that Jesus’ ministry, prophesied in Eden and announced in Cana, is completed. The wine (blood) has finally come and the woman (Eve: mother of all living/Mary: mother of the Living) has been saved from the power of the serpent (death). What incredible spiritual depth belongs to this miracle!
Seeing the light: understanding the miracle
He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him (2:11).
The transformation of water into wine is the heart of the miracle, and truly the glory of the Lord was revealed on this day to those who “saw the light,” i.e., had understanding of what was being shown to them. Since “seeing the light” is the overriding concept of day 1, it is not a surprise to us that the Gospel writer pays particular attention to exactly that fact, who understood the miracle they had witnessed, and who did not. The narrative concludes, indeed culminates, with this point:
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 (John 2:8-9).
This is a seemingly superfluous piece of information – it is glaringly obvious that the servants are aware of where the wine has come from, for they are the very people who filled the water jars in the first place! (Remember these jars held 150 gallons, so this was no small task, readily forgotten!) John includes the detail because he wants to present the servants’ understanding in deliberate contrast to the master of the banquet’s lack of understanding concerning the wine’s origin. The spiritual interpretation within John’s Creation is not difficult. The wine represents the new covenant in Christ. The fact that the “masters of the banquet” in Israel (i.e. the Pharisees and rulers) did not understand the origin of the wine, whereas the servants (i.e. the common people) did, is a perfect prophetic description of Christ’s ministry (see Table 1).
Truly it was the servants at the feast who understood the origin of the water made wine and were illuminated by the sight, whilst the rulers never grasped its source.
Conclusions from day 1
We have established the link with the opening day of creation by observing throughout the opening section of John’s Gospel the presence of light, both as a physical word, and in its spiritual form as a metaphor for understanding. Christ himself is represented as a shining Light, and much attention is paid to the responses of all who were “shined upon” – whether they were truly illuminated and understood Jesus’ message, or whether they adhered to the darkness by failing to understand it. The metaphor itself is particularly attractive because in all man’s excellence of scientific understanding natural light is one basic material whose nature remains fundamentally unexplained. So beautifully is the superiority of Almighty God maintained, for man cannot understand the very element that God has chosen as His metaphor for “understanding.”
Day 1 of John’s Gospel also underscores how the spiritual creation stands in excellence above the natural. Natural light does not retain the creative Word and purpose of God within it, and so it acts indiscriminately. By contrast, John’s Gospel is insistent to show that the spiritual Light (Christ) retains the (creative) Word of God within him; meaning that he makes sentient decisions about where he shines and upon whom he shines. Thus the spiritual Day 1 excels the natural Day 1 and, in good accordance with a common scriptural prerogative, the chronological latter excels the former.
It is also true to say that understanding is a beginning and not an ending, and this has consequences for our study in John. Understanding brings the consequence of responsibility, (for anyone who understands what he is doing is necessarily answerable for his actions), and by the same token responsibility necessarily implies a time of j udgement/rul ing. We can extend that idea to say this: just as natural light in day 1 of creation necessarily required that later a sun would be formed (as it was in day 4— and remember the sun is introduced explicitly as “the light to rule,” Gen. 1:16), so the spiritual light that gives men understanding of their actions necessarily implies the presence of a Judgement Day. Thus when the three-day cycle of creation (which follows the sequence: Heaven, Sea, Earth — see article 3) returns to heaven in day 4 as the extension and development of the articles of day 1, we can already anticipate what we will encounter, “Light” developed and refined to incorporate a role ofjudgement.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One