Wedding at Cana 

John 2:1-11

Key verse 2:11

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

These days, “change” has become an important concept in public dialogue. President Obama can probably be credited with much of this. In his campaign for president, “change” was his message. Not just any change, but “change you can believe in.” His message brought hope to many people. People hoped to see a change in politics as usual; to see people working together for the common good. In response to doubters who said that the system could not be changed, Obama replied, “Yes, we can.” 

Recent events in North Africa and the Middle East have brought the hope of change to millions around the world--change from dictatorships to democracy. 

However, even if democracy spreads, the economy is fixed, and politicians are nice to each other, the world will remain, from God’s point of view, fundamentally unchanged by these things. People are still living under the power of sin; people are still separated from God. 

In this passage, however, we find true hope for change. Jesus changed water into wine. This gives us hope. Can Jesus change us? Yes, he can.  May God help us to open our hearts to this message. 

In this passage, Jesus reveals his glory for the first time. Up until this point in his life, he had not done any miraculous signs that would indicate his identity as the Son of God. 

Look at verse 1:

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.” 

The events of this passage take place on the third day since Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus had called his first disciples, and they followed him from Bethany to Cana--a distance of about seventy miles. 

After arriving in Cana, Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding. In those days, a wedding celebration was a big event for an entire community. 

Look at verse 3:

“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”” 

Jesus’ mother, Mary, was at the wedding. It seems that she may have been helping with the wedding, because she was one of the only people to know that the wine was gone. If this news got out, it would be a serious embarrassment to the bride and groom. Mary took responsibility for this problem, but there was nothing she could do on her own to solve it. So, she brought the problem to Jesus. 

Now let’s see how Jesus responded. Look at verse 4: 

“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

At first, it seemed that Jesus was saying that he could not do anything about this problem. Why not? Because his time had not yet come. The time Jesus was referring to was most likely the time for him to perform a miraculous sign and reveal himself as the Son of God. Jesus’ words reveal that he did not do things randomly. He didn’t act according to his feelings or based on the situation. He did everything according to God’s time. 

Look at verse 5: “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” 

Mary was not discouraged by Jesus’ words. She didn’t argue or plead with him. Instead, she simply turned to the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.” She believed that Jesus would be able to do something if servants were prepared to do whatever he said. 

How did Mary develop this faith? I think it may be from her own personal experience as a servant of God. Many years earlier, when she was a young woman, the angel Gabriel visited her and told her she would become pregnant as a virgin and give birth to the Son of God. This news meant that her whole life would change. How did she respond? In Luke 1:38, she said to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary offered herself to God as God’s servant, and God’s time to send the Christ came. In this passage, many years later, Mary does the same thing by preparing servants to do whatever Jesus says. 

Who knows what miracles will God do through us when we offer ourselves to Him as obedient servants? 

Look at verses 6-8:

“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

 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.””

After Mary provided Jesus with willing servants, he went to work. He told the servants to fill some very large, stone water jars with water. This was a lot of work. These jars were used to hold water for ceremonial washing, which included washing hands and feet. The servants obeyed. In fact, they filled the jars to the brim. 

Then Jesus told the servants to do something much more difficult—he told them to draw some of the water out and take it to the master of the banquet. That master of the banquet was expecting wine, not water. Would he be angry if they brought him water instead of wine? Probably. Yet they obeyed. 

Look at verses 9-10: 

“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.”

Not only did Jesus change water into wine, but the quality of the wine was exceptional. The master of the banquet thought that the bridegroom had saved the best wine to the end, but the truth is that the best wine had already been served. Jesus’ wine made the best wine in the house seem like cheep 99-Cent store wine. 

Look at verse 11a:

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.”

I believe it is not a coincidence that Jesus’ first miraculous sign was different from all his other miraculous signs. Jesus healed people, raised the dead, and even walked on water, but this is the only miracle recorded in the Bible in which Jesus changed one thing into another. He changed foot-washing water that was not fit to drink into the choicest of wines. He changed the worthless into the priceless. This is this miracle Jesus performs every day in the lives of people around the world. Jesus changes lost sinners into children of God. 

For many people, this is the first miracle Jesus performs in their lives. After hearing Jesus’ words and repenting of my sins, I was changed. I know so many people who were also completely changed by Jesus. This is indeed the first miracle many people experience--but it is not the last. As we offer our lives to God, we experience many more. 

Look at verse 11b:

“He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

Interestingly, the passage concludes by focusing on Jesus’ disciples. Through this miracle, Jesus revealed his glory  as the Son of God. His disciples were whiteness of this event, and through it they put their faith in him. 

In conclusion, through this passage we see that Jesus is the one whom God sent to change lives just like he changed water into wine. If we offer ourselves to God in humble obedience, we may not only see his glory but also experience his life-changing power. 

One word: Jesus revealed his glory 

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