John 2 "The Best for Last"
Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and 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. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
There are three things worth noting in this passage. First of all, I love the interaction between Jesus and his mother. Other than Jesus telling the disciple he loved to look after his mom when he was on the cross, this is one of the few stories we have of them interacting as a mother and a son. In this case Jesus seems to get a little bit testy with his mom when she asks him to do something about the bridegroom running out of wine at such an important event. Obviously she expected him to do something about it. But his mom wins the day and Jesus asks the servants to fill up up six ceremonial jars with water.
The other important aspect of this short parable is when the story ends with the saying, "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee is the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed himself." Whereas the first three gospels use the word "miracles", John uses the word "signs". By nature signs point to something beyond itself. Miracles point to the power Jesus possessed, but the signs revealed who he was. We will hear more about these signs as we go through John's gospel.
Finally, since John's gospel is also written to a Jewish audience, we see the significance of the ceremonial water, used for cleansing according to the Jewish law, being turned into wine. Later this wine would be the sign of a new covenant God was making with His people, which was ratified with Jesus' own innocent blood. When the wineservant says to the bridegroom, "you have saved the best for last", it is a foreshadowing that God saved the best for last in sending His own Son at just the right time.
So we see the humanness of Jesus being obedienct to his earthly mother, and then you see his divinity in his first sign when he turns water into wine. In my family at Christmas my parents saved the best present for my sister and I for the last. It was usually hidden and then my dad came out and gave it to us! We were excited each Christmas for this final gift. God saved his best gift for you when he sent His Son to show you the full extent of his love. Thank God today for the amazing gift he has given you which is yours forever.
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