The wedding at Cana
John 2:1-11
This is the first of a series of signs that John uses to prove that this Jesus is the eternal God in the flesh revealing God unto mankind.
Weddings are “big dealsâ€. They are today and it was then also in the lives of those living in New Testament times. John is going to use the events at the wedding to set the tone for all the other sign that he will use to prove who Christ is. Namely by showing the inadequacy of the old and how Jesus will replace it with some thing better, both in quality and quantity.
Embarrassment looms for these newly weds and Jesus is asked to step in and do something. Now the dialogue between Mary and Jesus reveals two thoughts. First is that Jesus is very aware of God’s timetable for his life and does not want to deviate from God’s will, and we need to strive for this same commitment. Secondly we see an indication of what our attitude should be in our prayer life. Mary makes her request and then steps back confident that Jesus will do something about it, we need to exhibit that same confidence without trying to tell God how to handle the situation.
But this miracle primarily manifested the glory of God (v11), in two ways, by pointing out that the reality of God in the Old Testament is now being exhibited in Jesus. First by changing one element into another, it reveals his power and in effect states that he is the creator God, who in Genesis 1 did the very same thing. Secondly it shows grace, by his kindly act which resulted in joy. The empty jars would represent the inadequacy of Judaism and our dead works, unable to meet our salvation need. Filling the jars with water symbolizes the act of receiving Jesus by faith (John 4:13-14) and Jesus will turn that into wine, which symbolizes joy (Psalm 104:15). Wine also is a picture of the blood of Christ (I Cor 11:25), and it is only thru the blood of Christ that this can be possible in our lives.
The disciple’s faith was strengthened by this and they became more confident in Jesus. Our daily walk with Christ should become progressively stronger. The unbeliever, this Jesus is God who can meet your need. Turn and receive him as your Savior today.