CHAPTER FOUR
John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When 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.
10 And 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!"
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
(NKJV)
Things of note:
1) Our Lord was at a party, a wedding reception. He was never afraid to go where the people were either celebrating or grieving, He moved easily from the most joyous to the most tragic situation. And remained the same, Honoring his Father's institution of marriage. Honoring the couple by his very attendance, but remaining there in the background, Watching with love. As he watches each of us today and on into our joining him.
2) He was invited. He doesn't come to the party unless invited. He will not intrude. Either by being there and demanding attention or by arriving at the door, saying, "I'm God. Get me a drink." No, he is always at the door, waiting for us to knock, to invite him in. Sometimes he lets events occur so we will call him, but he never grabs us by the lapels and says, "Here I am." He treats us with a respect we so often fail to give him. But when you ask, he does enter your life.
3) Then the need for the miracle arises and his mother asks him for a favor. Nothing special, just save the wedding family's face by helping with the wine. These are the times I think he may have had relatives just like mine. Only I don't usually have a miracle to save the day. John never calls her Mary, one suspects because the name Mary was so prevalent in Christ's circle, confusing enough and because Mary Magdelane may have been a part of gnostic mistaken teaching by this time and John wanted no mistake made and that woman being given credit for the incident.
4) Jesus seems to play a little game with his mother. Pretending to be indignant at her request but doing it anyway. Sometimes God behaves like that. He seems to say "You DO realize I'M the one in charge?" He seems to accuse us of a presumption, and maybe we are guilty of that, but he knows the heart of the request is good. He always says, as Christ did: "Ask and it shall be given."
In the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, the reception proceeds as follows. Note that the bride and groom become a king and queen of the ceremony, It will aid in you understanding of the proceedings:
Now that the couple are married they are accompanied by dancing guests to the cheder yichud, "the room of privacy." They may now be alone in a closed room together, an intimacy reserved only for a married couple. In fact, according to many Jewish legal authorities, the very fact that they are alone together in a locked room, is a requirement of the legal act of marriage, and hence their entry into the room must be observed by the two witnesses of the marriage.
While the bride and groom are alone together (usually eating, after having fasted all day) the guests sit down to eat a festive meal. The meal is preceded by ritual washing of the hands, and the blessing over bread. At some point, the band announces the arrival "for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. _____!!!" and everyone joins in dancing around the bride and groom. The dancing, in accordance with Jewish law requires a separation between men and women for reasons of modesty, and hence there is a mechitzah, or partition between the men and women. The main focus of the dancing is to entertain and enhance the joy of the newlyweds, hence large circles are formed around the "king and queen," and different guests often perform in front of the seated couple. It is not unusual to see jugglers, fire eaters, and acrobats at a wedding (most of whom are guests, not professionals!) The meal ends with the Birchas Hamazon, Grace After Meals, and again the seven blessings are recited over wine, shared afterwards by the bride and groom.
Among the seven blessings, a prayer for the full restoration of Jerusalem with the Temple being rebuilt and Jews returned to abide behinds its walls. So these weren't part of the ceremony then, but similar blessing for the couple and family likely remain from that era. More importantly, the rabbi says a blessing over the ceremonial waters for the washings that precede every one of the meal ceremonies.
5) So when Jesus commandeers the water pots, it might have raised an eyebrow. the wine was gone. Even if he blessed the water, no end ceremony could take place. It involved wine. He could have called for drinking water in pots and done the same things, but he takes an outward sign of man's action to temporarily wash away his own unholiness and uses them in an act of God's holiness: providing what is needed to the one who asks and in such a way that ONLY God could have provided it.
6) He never waves a hand, dances around, shouts at everyone to look at him doing this marvelous thing. He never sets up a tent and asks for money and demands that the onlookers have faith or it will fail. Likely his mother knew he wouldn't do any of those things which was why she told the servants to obey him. All they did was pour the water. Even today, all his servants do is pour the water. We just get caught up in thinking we are the ones turning the water into wine because Christ isn't standing there. Lots will give praise to the Holy Spirit and rightly so. But too many of us often think "It happened because I prayed." Forgetting it was God's answering that did the trick. It would be as if the servants thought water turned to wine because WE poured the water.
7) Not coincidentally, wine is, of course, the symbol of his blood with enough provided for everyone. Later, the same will be true of the bread. He says: "This is my blood which is given to permanently cleanse your sins. And there's enough for everyone!" Later: "This is my body. Take and eat, There's enough of me for everyone!" He turned the ordinary almost seawater in his veins into the sacred bath of sacrifice that washes over us in baptism and quenches the thirst of our soul.
8) I work for a living. I have a boss. I know there are sometimes thing the workers know that the boss doesn't. (Fewer today than in the past because of pervasive cameras, but still some things.) Usually unimportant, little things, little jokes about feet hurting and shoulders aching. Things people don't tell the man in charge.
It had to be funny to the workers to see the boss drink wine from the washing waters. The servants had to snicker a little when the big guy took a swig and then even more when he began to rave about how good it tasted. Jesus was always sharing secrets with the "little people." If you got calluses on your hands and feet from brutal labor or trying to get a business going or if you cared for sheep or fished, (neither one an honored place in Jewish society) Jesus talked to you. He looked you in the eye and you knew he felt those calluses, had some of his own from the rough wood and the hammer of his profession. He knew what it was to be hungry, to lose a loved one (Joseph was gone by then.), to bend under the Roman oppression, to see a false king ruling the country, to pay taxes. Yes, he even let the water tenders in on a little joke to let them see the hand of God purifies the water men only think is pure, transforms it for sanctified use.
9) And God always saves the best for the end. At the end of life's banquet, we go to be with him forever. Then we can all rave about the wine.
10) And the last verse touches on this blog's main theme, It's best read in the old King James version.
John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
J. Vernon McGee, in his Commentary on John 2, suggests this is Jesus' first public miracle and that it contradicts "those who teach that the Lord Jesus, as a little boy down in Egypt making clay pigeons with the other little boys, would touch the clay pigeons and they would fly away.' McGee concludes: "He did not perform miracles in Egypt." (A part of his Thru the Bible series, podcasts available on studylights.org.)
I tend to think was NOT his first miracle, and certainly the fact Nate took Jesus' vision of him under the tree as a miracle agrees with that idea. I do, however, agree with the gist of McGee's statement
Gnostics claim there are "Gnostic Gospels" which depict Jesus doing miracles as a child, the one J. Vernon mentions and another where Jesus is a youngster, gets mad and kills one of his friends then raises him from the dead. There exist 52 such "scriptures" that claim to be from apostles like Thomas
That claim ignored the fact of the Holy Spirit filling Christ at his Baptism and the fact that union was the start of the miraculous acts by Christ.
Here's the thing; the Nag Hammadi scrolls, the gnostic "gospels", all date from the SECOND century AD. None were written in the lifetime of the apostle they claim as author. Whereas John and Matthew are dated from the FIRST century AD. Luke and Mark, likely Peter's story told by John Mark, are from the FIRST Century AD. The entire New Testament is a 1st Century historical record. And all of it was extensively authenticated before inclusion. Anything that contradicts those Gospels is NOT a Christian Gospel, since it is really bad news. Gospel means good news, and the good news is that Jesus came to Earth to deliver us from sin and clean away our sins so we can once again be with the Father.
The next Failure of Myth: It has no good news.
John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When 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.
10 And 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!"
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
(NKJV)
Things of note:
1) Our Lord was at a party, a wedding reception. He was never afraid to go where the people were either celebrating or grieving, He moved easily from the most joyous to the most tragic situation. And remained the same, Honoring his Father's institution of marriage. Honoring the couple by his very attendance, but remaining there in the background, Watching with love. As he watches each of us today and on into our joining him.
2) He was invited. He doesn't come to the party unless invited. He will not intrude. Either by being there and demanding attention or by arriving at the door, saying, "I'm God. Get me a drink." No, he is always at the door, waiting for us to knock, to invite him in. Sometimes he lets events occur so we will call him, but he never grabs us by the lapels and says, "Here I am." He treats us with a respect we so often fail to give him. But when you ask, he does enter your life.
3) Then the need for the miracle arises and his mother asks him for a favor. Nothing special, just save the wedding family's face by helping with the wine. These are the times I think he may have had relatives just like mine. Only I don't usually have a miracle to save the day. John never calls her Mary, one suspects because the name Mary was so prevalent in Christ's circle, confusing enough and because Mary Magdelane may have been a part of gnostic mistaken teaching by this time and John wanted no mistake made and that woman being given credit for the incident.
4) Jesus seems to play a little game with his mother. Pretending to be indignant at her request but doing it anyway. Sometimes God behaves like that. He seems to say "You DO realize I'M the one in charge?" He seems to accuse us of a presumption, and maybe we are guilty of that, but he knows the heart of the request is good. He always says, as Christ did: "Ask and it shall be given."
In the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, the reception proceeds as follows. Note that the bride and groom become a king and queen of the ceremony, It will aid in you understanding of the proceedings:
Now that the couple are married they are accompanied by dancing guests to the cheder yichud, "the room of privacy." They may now be alone in a closed room together, an intimacy reserved only for a married couple. In fact, according to many Jewish legal authorities, the very fact that they are alone together in a locked room, is a requirement of the legal act of marriage, and hence their entry into the room must be observed by the two witnesses of the marriage.
While the bride and groom are alone together (usually eating, after having fasted all day) the guests sit down to eat a festive meal. The meal is preceded by ritual washing of the hands, and the blessing over bread. At some point, the band announces the arrival "for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. _____!!!" and everyone joins in dancing around the bride and groom. The dancing, in accordance with Jewish law requires a separation between men and women for reasons of modesty, and hence there is a mechitzah, or partition between the men and women. The main focus of the dancing is to entertain and enhance the joy of the newlyweds, hence large circles are formed around the "king and queen," and different guests often perform in front of the seated couple. It is not unusual to see jugglers, fire eaters, and acrobats at a wedding (most of whom are guests, not professionals!) The meal ends with the Birchas Hamazon, Grace After Meals, and again the seven blessings are recited over wine, shared afterwards by the bride and groom.
From Ohr Somayach article by Rabbi Moredachai Becher
available online
5) So when Jesus commandeers the water pots, it might have raised an eyebrow. the wine was gone. Even if he blessed the water, no end ceremony could take place. It involved wine. He could have called for drinking water in pots and done the same things, but he takes an outward sign of man's action to temporarily wash away his own unholiness and uses them in an act of God's holiness: providing what is needed to the one who asks and in such a way that ONLY God could have provided it.
6) He never waves a hand, dances around, shouts at everyone to look at him doing this marvelous thing. He never sets up a tent and asks for money and demands that the onlookers have faith or it will fail. Likely his mother knew he wouldn't do any of those things which was why she told the servants to obey him. All they did was pour the water. Even today, all his servants do is pour the water. We just get caught up in thinking we are the ones turning the water into wine because Christ isn't standing there. Lots will give praise to the Holy Spirit and rightly so. But too many of us often think "It happened because I prayed." Forgetting it was God's answering that did the trick. It would be as if the servants thought water turned to wine because WE poured the water.
7) Not coincidentally, wine is, of course, the symbol of his blood with enough provided for everyone. Later, the same will be true of the bread. He says: "This is my blood which is given to permanently cleanse your sins. And there's enough for everyone!" Later: "This is my body. Take and eat, There's enough of me for everyone!" He turned the ordinary almost seawater in his veins into the sacred bath of sacrifice that washes over us in baptism and quenches the thirst of our soul.
8) I work for a living. I have a boss. I know there are sometimes thing the workers know that the boss doesn't. (Fewer today than in the past because of pervasive cameras, but still some things.) Usually unimportant, little things, little jokes about feet hurting and shoulders aching. Things people don't tell the man in charge.
It had to be funny to the workers to see the boss drink wine from the washing waters. The servants had to snicker a little when the big guy took a swig and then even more when he began to rave about how good it tasted. Jesus was always sharing secrets with the "little people." If you got calluses on your hands and feet from brutal labor or trying to get a business going or if you cared for sheep or fished, (neither one an honored place in Jewish society) Jesus talked to you. He looked you in the eye and you knew he felt those calluses, had some of his own from the rough wood and the hammer of his profession. He knew what it was to be hungry, to lose a loved one (Joseph was gone by then.), to bend under the Roman oppression, to see a false king ruling the country, to pay taxes. Yes, he even let the water tenders in on a little joke to let them see the hand of God purifies the water men only think is pure, transforms it for sanctified use.
9) And God always saves the best for the end. At the end of life's banquet, we go to be with him forever. Then we can all rave about the wine.
10) And the last verse touches on this blog's main theme, It's best read in the old King James version.
John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
J. Vernon McGee, in his Commentary on John 2, suggests this is Jesus' first public miracle and that it contradicts "those who teach that the Lord Jesus, as a little boy down in Egypt making clay pigeons with the other little boys, would touch the clay pigeons and they would fly away.' McGee concludes: "He did not perform miracles in Egypt." (A part of his Thru the Bible series, podcasts available on studylights.org.)
I tend to think was NOT his first miracle, and certainly the fact Nate took Jesus' vision of him under the tree as a miracle agrees with that idea. I do, however, agree with the gist of McGee's statement
Gnostics claim there are "Gnostic Gospels" which depict Jesus doing miracles as a child, the one J. Vernon mentions and another where Jesus is a youngster, gets mad and kills one of his friends then raises him from the dead. There exist 52 such "scriptures" that claim to be from apostles like Thomas
That claim ignored the fact of the Holy Spirit filling Christ at his Baptism and the fact that union was the start of the miraculous acts by Christ.
Here's the thing; the Nag Hammadi scrolls, the gnostic "gospels", all date from the SECOND century AD. None were written in the lifetime of the apostle they claim as author. Whereas John and Matthew are dated from the FIRST century AD. Luke and Mark, likely Peter's story told by John Mark, are from the FIRST Century AD. The entire New Testament is a 1st Century historical record. And all of it was extensively authenticated before inclusion. Anything that contradicts those Gospels is NOT a Christian Gospel, since it is really bad news. Gospel means good news, and the good news is that Jesus came to Earth to deliver us from sin and clean away our sins so we can once again be with the Father.
The next Failure of Myth: It has no good news.
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