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.