John 2 · KJV
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John 2

Water into wine at Cana

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

At a wedding in the Galilean village of Cana, the wine runs out. Jesus' mother tells him, and though he answers that his hour has not yet come, he has servants fill six large stone jars with water, which becomes excellent wine. John calls this the first of Jesus' signs.

What does this mean?

Calling his mother "Woman" was not rude in Greek; Jesus addresses her the same way from the cross (19:26). "What have I to do with thee?" (KJV) is an idiom of distance, roughly "this is not our concern". "Firkins" (KJV) and "metretes" (WEB) are measures: each jar held roughly 75 to 115 litres (20 to 30 gallons). The "ruler" or "governor of the feast" was the master of ceremonies.

Historical context

Village weddings could last several days, and running out of wine would have shamed the hosts. Stone vessels were widely used by Jews in this period because stone was not considered to carry ritual impurity; archaeologists have found many in Galilee and Judea.

Why does it matter?

John calls Jesus' miracles "signs": acts that point beyond themselves to who he is. Jesus' "hour" becomes a running theme, finally arriving in chapter 12 as his death approaches. Many readers connect the abundance of wine with prophetic images of a joyful age to come, as in Amos 9:13.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Jesus clears the temple

And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

At Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus finds animal sellers and money changers in the temple courts. He drives them out with a whip of cords and overturns tables. Asked for a sign of his authority, he says, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

  • Scripture connection · Quotation

    John 2:17 quotes Psalm 69:9

    For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
    Psalm 69:9 · KJV

    The disciples connected this psalm of a righteous sufferer with Jesus clearing the temple. John does not say when they remembered it; the saying in 2:22 was recalled only after the resurrection.

What does this mean?

"Changers of money" exchanged pilgrims' coins for currency accepted for the temple tax. "Zeal" means passionate devotion. John's narrator explains that the "temple" Jesus meant was his own body, and says the disciples understood this only after the resurrection.

Historical context

Passover was the great spring festival remembering Israel's escape from Egypt, and pilgrims crowded Jerusalem. Animals for sacrifice were sold in the temple's outer court for their convenience. Herod the Great began rebuilding the temple around 20 BC, and work continued for decades, which fits the "forty-six years" of verse 20 and is often used to date this scene to around AD 27 to 28.

Why does it matter?

This Gospel mentions three Passovers during Jesus' ministry (2:13, 6:4, 11:55), the main reason for the common idea that it lasted about three years. The theme of Jesus replacing or fulfilling the temple recurs in chapter 4.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in all four Gospels

How John tells it

John mentions a whip of cords and driving out sheep and oxen; Jesus calls the temple "my Father's house" made a marketplace. Here Jesus himself speaks of destroying the temple and raising it in three days; in Matthew and Mark it surfaces only on others' lips, at his trial and as a taunt at the cross.

John places this event near the start of Jesus' ministry; Matthew, Mark and Luke place it in his final week. Whether these describe one event or two is debated.

Jesus knows what is in people

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

During the Passover festival, many in Jerusalem believe in Jesus because of the signs he performs. But Jesus does not entrust himself to them, because he knows what is in every person.

What does this mean?

There is a wordplay in Greek: many "believed" (pisteuo) in him, but he did not "entrust" (the same verb) himself to them. "Commit himself" (KJV) means entrust or rely on.

Why does it matter?

These verses introduce a question John's Gospel keeps raising: whether faith based on seeing miracles is enough. Nicodemus, in the next scene, is one of those impressed by the signs.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

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Reading

Translation

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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