Beginning Of Miracles: Water Into Wine – Part 2

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee (John.2:11).

THE VERY FIRST miracle that Jesus performed occurred under the most unlikely of circumstances. It didn’t take place at some dramatic venue in the temple at Jerusalem nor was the miracle itself one that had any impact on the leaders of the nation; it is unlikely that they were even aware of its occurrence. Rather, this first miracle took place at a family gathering near his hometown in the “backwater” province of Galilee. The outcome was simply that he provided enough vintage wine to keep a party going. The actions of our Lord may seem hardly important, but on closer examination, we will find the miracle that took place at the feast of Cana had profound consequences.

Sequence of events

The narrative in John 2 starts off with the obscure dating notation, And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee (Jn. 2:1). Third day from what? Bible commentaries simply say it was his third day in Galilee.’ We may, however, regard the chronology in the gospel of John as actually being more profound than merely noting the passage of three days’ time.

Consider the following circumstance, namely, that this gospel record omits the narrative of the 40 days and nights in the wilderness where our Lord Jesus was tempted. It is probable that what is being spoken of as the “third day” is indeed the time span since he emerged from that trial. What could be more fitting than to immediately embark upon selecting his co-workers for the task of spreading the gospel message after his wilderness temptation? In the process of doing so, Christ accepts an invitation to attend a wedding, most likely at the request of his mother Mary (cp. Jn. 1:37-51 with Matt. 4:12-23).

By the third day, he had chosen Andrew, Peter, Phillip, Nathaniel and probably John.’ With the Lord, these five all end up attending a local wedding reception. What could be more appropriate, or satisfying “in type,” than to celebrate a marriage supper three days after arising from the “hell” of the wilderness temptation. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). In the wilderness, he demonstrated clearly that sin could be conquered in the flesh; now he was united with his disciples and enjoying a feast which celebrated, again “in type,” the joy of the kingdom which was at hand by his very presence (Matt. 4:17)³

The wedding feast

Back to our story of the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were invited to a marriage reception, a custom that goes far back into antiquity and one with an ample history of much food and wine being served (as when Laban deceived Jacob, who no doubt had a few wineskins too many, see Gen. 29:22-25). This wedding celebration must have been of-a near kinsman, or perhaps of a very close family friend, for that was the custom then as it is now. Cana was only a few miles north of Nazareth, the family home of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The fact his mother, Mary, was able to speak to the servants and instruct them what to do confirms that the wedding most likely was that of a very near kinsman. Perhaps the wedding involved a cousin of our Lord Jesus. His disciples were locals from Galilee and were presumably close to the family hosting the reception. It is entirely natural that they also received invitations to the party and were not crashing the gate, as some have implied. It might seem most incongruous that Jesus would be found at such a party, but that would be exactly what the eldest son would be expected to do under the circumstances. If, as we suppose, it was the marriage of a near kinsman, then Jesus would have been expected to escort his no doubt widowed mother to the reception.⁴ Besides, more wondrous possibilities lay ahead!

A large quantity of wine!

Things were going well until a most disastrous calamity occurred. Much to the embarrassment of the host, they had run out of wine. Perhaps no greater disgrace could happen at a Jewish wedding reception than to run out of food or wine!

The narrative tells us there were six ceremonial stone water vessels each of which could hold from 20 to 30 gallons’, that Jesus asked to have filled to the brim. These vessels were generally used to store water for purification and the water in them would not necessarily be fit for drinking. The total volume of 120 to 180 gallons of water that was provided surely indicates a very large multitude of guests was attending this wedding feast. Here was not merely a small, intimate family affair; probably several hundred people were present.

Jesus now changes this large quantity of water into wine, and not just any wine, but one of well-aged vintage character! The chemistry of being able to turn water into wine is beyond our comprehension, but even more amazing was the added nuance that this miracle made wine of such fine quality that it would normally take years of aging to reach such perfection. Wine is among the most complicated agricultural products that one can imagine. There are literally thousands upon thousands of different types of wine that can and do exist, yet I know of not a single one that is produced with anything even close to an instantaneously aged taste. The aging process occurs by a slow chemical change which subtly interacts with the type of container and the dissolved oxygen to change the sugar and tannins to a mellower, fuller flavor. This process generally takes several years, or more, to achieve peak taste and no modern technological shortcut has yet been found instantly to produce vintage Cabernet or Chianti.

Was this a frivolous miracle, as some have suggested? Indeed, commentators have had great difficulty explaining why Jesus chose to perform (what to them) seems like such an inconsequential miracle. It is even harder for temperance Christians to understand! Yet here we find Jesus starting his ministry by turning water into wine at a wedding feast. Of course, he ended his ministry by turning wine into his blood (symbolically) with the promise that he would drink the wine anew with his spiritual kinsman in the age to come at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I don’t think this analogy is accidental.

Jesus’ reluctance

Some remarkable details transpire in the narrative of this miracle. Note the absolute faith that Mary had in her son: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it (John 2:5). We will find that this element of faith is a virtual necessity of every Bible miracle. Sometimes explicitly stated and at other times merely implied, but nevertheless essential. It is apparent that this faith overcame the apparent reluctance Jesus had first displayed (see v. 4).

Why was Christ reluctant? Commentaries often have long-winded, complicated explanations for this behavior. Christianity in general has attributed a status to Mary almost akin to the godhead, and therefore the comment made by Jesus, What have I to do with thee? (John 2:4) seems rude. But given the fact that Joseph is obviously no longer on the scene, the widow Mary was clearly obliged to be under the authority of her son, who as the firstborn was now head of the household. We need find no cause for rudeness or disrespect; instead we find simple, plain speech which said, in effect: mother, I don’t think this is the time or place to perform a miracle. Clearly the faith of Mary overcame this reluctance.

Mary’s expectation

It is also not entirely clear from the story exactly what Mary expected Jesus to do. If she anticipated a miracle, it is not obvious from the narrative. After all, there was no apparent prior circumstance in which Jesus had actually performed a miracle, since this is clearly recorded as his very first one. No doubt Mary had absolute confidence that her son would somehow get the problem solved, though she could hardly have predicted the outcome. Perhaps she thought he could dispatch his disciples to quickly purchase more wine, or that he would speak just the right words to the guests to calmly explain the situation and make it acceptable to them, or perform some other similarly natural action to solve the embarrassing problem.

The same confidence, without specific demands, must reside in us when we need our Lord Jesus Christ to rescue us from a troublesome situation. When we are in difficulties, we must trust completely in the Lord to provide, even if the exact details elude us. Often we expect specific help for our problems, yet relief equally as often does not come in the way anticipated. As the old proverb goes: be careful what you pray for because you might actually receive it.

Mary sets a perfect example for us: she lays the problem in the hands of Jesus, she puts at his disposal all the human resources she could draw upon (the hands of the servants of the feast) and then trusts in him as to the outcome. We can do no less.

Remarkable miracle

It was indeed a remarkable outcome. The finest “estate-bottled vintage” wine is produced and the host of the reception is astonished at the quality, so much so that he wonders why the groom has kept the best for last (v. 10). Nor was this event performed in secret; the miracle was plainly witnessed by the servants – but the servants which drew the water knew (Jn. 2:9), and there must have been many of them to service such a large crowd.

What better beginning for our Lord Jesus Christ than for him to reveal the power vested in him by the Father to all his friends and relatives. When it says that this miracle manifested forth his glory, it is obvious that it had a profound effect upon all that were at the reception and especially upon his disciples – and his disciples believed on him (Jn. 2:11). In this day and age it might be hard for us to imagine how powerful the effect of this miracle must have been. Wine was not just a beverage savored by connoisseurs; rather it was the everyday beverage of life. Vintage wine was extremely rare, for the climate of Palestine does not lend itself to long term storage of wine. Wine was mixed with water in large urns or craters in proportions of usually 20 to 1 so that the water would be palatable to drink. Water purification of any kind, for example chlorinating or even boiling water to destroy disease-causing bacteria, had not yet been discovered. Wine was indeed life-giving and a miracle involving its creation was sure to draw attention. What happened at this feast must have been discussed far and wide, and the scriptures make it clear that it had a profound effect on his disciples.

A valid miracle

Plainly, this miracle meets all the criteria we discussed in Part 1:

1. Turning the ceremonial washing water into a large quantity of vintage wine clearly demonstrated that the power of the Lord God resided in His son Jesus Christ.
2. It was the absolute faith Mary had in her son that energized this miracle. Indirectly, the complete obedience of the servants to her command should not be dismissed. This too was an act of faith.
3. The requisite “two or three” scriptural witnesses observed this transformation by Jesus Christ. In fact, the large attendance at a wedding feast gave our Lord the opportunity to demonstrate his power and mission to all his extended family and close friends. What better way for us to begin our own ministry than by demonstrating the power of God working in us to our friends and relations?
4. Turning water into wine goes way beyond any known chemistry, and aging wine in a few moments to taste like superb, vintage wine stored for years surely boggles our minds. There is absolutely, unequivocally no way that any human agency could ever have performed this miracle, now or then.

Two thousand years has not dimmed the eyewitness accounts of this miracle as recorded in our Bibles, nor has the passage of time diminished the power of this miracle to enhance our faith and to bring wonder and amazement to our hearts and minds. Even so, we believe in the Lord God of Israel and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.