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On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 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. 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!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
- John 2:1-12
Yesterday, we read that on the day following the choosing of Jesus' first disciples (see Behold, the Lamb of God!), Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
On the third day . . . We recall from earlier commentaries on the readings we've begun in John's Gospel that the Evangelist sets out seven days in the creation of Jesus' ministry (after the Prologue), and that these seven days mirror the seven days of Creation in Genesis, just as this Gospel begins with the words in the beginning. This "third day" is two days after the events of yesterday's reading (in the terminology of the Gospel, it counts "three" including the day Jesus called Philip and Nathanael to become disciples). Therefore in the series of seven days we're given, the fifth isn't mentioned (presumably a day of travel to Galilee), and the sixth is the day on which the events of the wedding at Cana take place. Verse 12 in today's reading tells us about the seventh day, in which all of them rest at Capernaum. Commentaries suggest that the wedding at Cana parallels the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31. That He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples rest at Capernaum parallels God resting on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3.
. . . there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. In the powerful parallels in this Gospel, we begin another set of seven. My study bible notes that the wedding in Cana is the setting for the first of seven signs (v. 11) which Jesus performs in this Gospel. It says, "John uses the term signs to show that these miraculous actions point beyond themselves to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ." These seven signs will consist of this first one at the wedding (transformation of water into wine), and also events of curing illness, healing infirmities, feeding thousands, walking on water, opening the eyes of a blind man, and raising Lazarus from the dead. As for today's setting at a wedding, it is of great significance. My study bible suggests, "In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with His Bride, Israel. Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population; this was a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world. That this wedding took place on the third day sets a resurrectional tone, showing that the marriage of God and His Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection. Other parallels between the marriage here and the Resurrection account in 20:1-18 are that both involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event. Furthermore, the Resurrection account (20:11-18) has a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, again showing the unity between marriage and our Lord's Resurrection. By His presence at this wedding, Jesus further declares marriage to be holy and honorable." These passages therefore are part of wedding services, and their images are part of prayers on those occasions.
Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Another note tells us that this is an example of Mary's gift of intercession, as Jesus grants her request here. It notes that in this passage, wine is symbolic of life. Therefore there are two levels of meaning to the statement by Mary that "they have no wine." (1) A marriage is not complete without the presence of Christ; and (2) the old covenant was unable to bestow life even on the most faithful people. Contrary to modern perceptions, my study bible says that "Woman is a sacred title in Scripture, an address conveying deep respect and distinction (4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23). When Jesus asks what her concern has to do with Him, a more literal reading is, "What is that to Me and to you?" My study bible says that this isn't a refusal of Mary's intercession, but a declaration that the time had not yet come for Christ to be revealed. That Christ fulfills Mary's request teaches several things: (1) Christ is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them. (2) The wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs. (3) We need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matt. 15:21-28). (4) The intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16).
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. According to rabbinical teaching, waterpots were made of stone because this material would not contract ritual impurity. There were six here (one less than the "perfect" seven). My study bible suggests that this indicates the Law was incomplete, imperfect, unable to bestow life. These pots reserved for water for purification in some sense are like the baptism of John the Baptist: meant for purification but lacking the capability to bestow life. A note reads, "This water is changed into wine, symbolizing the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life. The overabundant gallons of wine illustrate the overflowing grace Christ grants to all."
And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 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. 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!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. My study bible says that "the Fathers see this transformation as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist."
We begin to have some insight into this Gospel when we realize that it works on so many levels. There is an extraordinary amount of symbolism in this text, and each one of the ways in which symbols are used here tells us something important. The symbols tell us messages about Christ, about God the Trinity, our cosmos, and about ourselves. Certainly today's reading about a wedding, with all its symbolism, tells us about our own destinies and relationship to the Bridegroom. What does it mean to have a wedding with the Church? How does Song of Solomon teach us about the desire for the Lord? It's a city in a place of both Jews and Gentiles, the purified water is transformed with new life into a symbol of covenant, and a woman initiates everything that happens here with a request, an intercession for all of us. There is so much to take in. But signs and symbols are everywhere. A sign is given us today in this passage, something -- as my study bible said -- that points beyond itself to something more. We're supposed to see both as valid, at the same time. It's not an either/or. And this is the way that Scripture works, it's the way Jesus' ministry works, it's how the Gospels work in us. Scripture is true on many levels. And while it may be perfectly true, for example, that Jesus transformed water into wine at a wedding, it's equally true that this is a sign of something much greater than the events themselves. A man may be healed of his blindness by Christ -- and it is still true at the same time that our own blindness, in so many possible forms, also needs His healing in whatever way that takes place in us. As we read through the Scriptures, let us recall that for the earliest Church Fathers, there was no question that each of these things may be true at once, and that we are in the realm of creation, of life, of the holy -- so there are no limits to the poetry that is here. There are no limits to the ways that this wedding in Cana, for example, may inform you via its sign about the call of Christ in your own life. It's up to us to try to use the sight He gives us, to be grateful for each grace, and to accept the process that His life bestows in us. For today, let us ponder on that which turns purified water into life itself, into the wine of a covenant -- even at the request of a woman.
