On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee…”
This is how the first of Jesus’ miracles begin. We’re probably all familiar with it, water into wine. But have we stopped to think about it? Most of Jesus’ miracles either fixed a problem beyond the help of any human or were foretold by a prophet. Here, we see a seemingly simple problem fixed. But this miracle has a lot more beauty than meets the eye.
The Entrance
One Google search would tell you how important hospitality is in the Middle East. It’s a huge part of their culture and tradition. To not be hospitable would be a slap in the face culturally and greatly looked down upon. A wedding, then, was a deeply important event.
In Jewish culture, weddings were often broken into three parts, the shiddukhin (arrangements made before the legal betrothal), erusin or kiddushin (the betrothal, a period of sanctification or being “set apart”), and nissuin (marriage). Basically, as in many cultures, it’s a very big party. What’s important at big parties that involve your entire community? Hospitality. And what’s important for hospitality and showing your generosity? Food and drink.
So now imagine yourself getting married. It’s the biggest party you’ve ever thrown. Your whole family, your friends, your community are all there. This is it. This is where you show your maturity. This is where you show your generosity. This is where you thank everyone who poured into you and helped you get where you are now. Succeed and everyone will talk about this for weeks.
And then… you run out of wine. Uh oh.
As soon as everyone finds out, they’ll certainly talk for weeks – but in a different way. Cheap, inhospitable, ungrateful may be just a few words that’ll be used to describe you. And while it may not all end in physical death, it will certainly feel like a social one. Embarrassment doesn’t feel like a strong enough word to describe it.
Well, this is what takes place in John 2. Right in the middle of a great wedding celebration in Cana, all the wine runs out.
And what’s interesting about the story is that it is unclear whether the bride and groom were yet aware that their social status was on the brink of social ruin. However, Jesus’ mother, Mary, takes notice and up to Jesus she goes, stating the issue (John 2:3). To this, Jesus replies that the time for His ministry to begin has not yet come. She didn’t push after Jesus corrected her (2:4). She leaves servants with Him and His disciples with these simple instructions, “Do whatever He tells you” (2:5).
And what He does is produce an abundance of amazing tasting wine (2:10).
And that’s Jesus’ first miracle in a nutshell. No intense promptings, no healings, no big display of glory, just really good wine for a couple to save them from social embarrassment.
The Grand Ceremony
Isn’t that strange to you? It was to me. I’m so used to seeing Jesus’ miracles as “accomplishing” something big or critical. I always picture Jesus as providing healing or feeding a crowd or doing an action that is more important in my mind. But giving wine to a couple? I mean that’s not anything serious. They wouldn’t have died without it. Instead of feeling like a necessary good, it just feels kind. It feels like an extra act of goodness, a simple “just because.”
So why did Jesus do this act of kindness? Sure, it displays His nature but for His first miracle why did He choose this one? Verse 11 might give us an idea,
“This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.”
He manifested – or displayed – His glory. How? As far as we know, only His disciples, the servants, and maybe Mary knew where the wine came from. He didn’t stop the celebrating, declare the wine had run out, and show He could produce more. Jesus quietly provided in front of a small group. While the bride and groom and the guests may have never known where the wine came from, they knew that it was present and available to them in overflowing amounts. Jesus reveals His glory in this reality. That His love, grace, and tender care is sufficient to cover and answer our needs. Even before we are fully aware of them. He’s not looking for applause or a pat on the back here. For most of us, that would be in our nature to look for after doing something as cool as turning water into wine. But Jesus reveals something else about His nature in this first miracle.
Look at Matthew 11:28-29,
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
He is gentle and lowly. Not seeking attention. Not boasting and barging through expecting to be served. No, instead He seeks to serve humbly and quietly. And it’s with this heart that He invites us to experience something far greater than the fulfillment of our needs. He finds glory when we find care from Him.
An Eternal Reception
This first miracle highlights Jesus’ compassion and care in personal, practical ways. But it also highlights that His heart for us is far beyond wedding parties and our lives here on earth. .
Read back through John 2:1-11 again. Notice how it begins with “On the third day.” Many times Jewish weddings are held on the third day as a symbol of the creation story when God pronounced a double “it was good” over His creation (Genesis 1:9-13). But what else happens on the third day in scripture?
Jesus’ rise – or resurrection – from death to life.
In John 2:11, the word “sign” is used and more specifically means “an outward indication of secret power or truth.” What truth was revealed, you may wonder. The truth that Jesus alone can produce new wine, better than the old.
This first sign points to the greatest display of personal, intentional love. Wine which represents Jesus’ blood poured out to cover every one of our mistakes flows freely from Him. It’s not like the wine of the Old Covenant, lasting only as long as our own ability to remain faithful (which is not long). It’s an everlasting and abundant wine. Like His first miracle – Jesus didn’t require promptings nor did He require a big display. He simply required a need.
Because of the sacrifice He would later go on to make on the cross, Jesus gives us an even more glorious invitation — a seat at His table, drinking wine with Him forever in heaven. It’s no coincidence that this first miracle takes place at a wedding because one day we will be at a wedding to Him (Revelation 21:2). What a joyous gift to behold and wait for…that one day we will be drinking the best wine with the Gentle and Lowly One who loves intentionally.
Resources
- “Now That’s Better” by Sinclair Ferguson
- “What Was Jesus’ First Miracle” by Bethany Verrett
- “Water into Wine: The Hidden Lesson in Jesus’ First Miracle” by Rabbi Jason Sobel
- “Jesus Will Provide the Wine” by Jon Bloom
