John 2:12

‘After this he went down to Capernaum, he and his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they remained there not many days.'

The writer now remembers vividly how, after this incident, they went to Capernaum for a few days, along with Jesus' mother and brothers, where they all stayed together, another evidence of an eyewitness. Note that John never mentions Mary by name. She is Jesus' mother, not someone important in her own right. So while respected she is made to fit into the scheme of things.

It will be noted that this comment has no significance for the story, and that elsewhere John has no difficulty in moving abruptly from one incident to another. Why then does he include it here? The only sensible reason is that he remembers clearly what they did after they had been at the wedding and so included it.

There are some who express surprise that Jesus should perform such a miracle when it seemed to have little purpose, but the fact is that it was an act typical of Jesus. When He wanted to impress on His disciples the bankruptcy and coming devastation of Jerusalem he cursed the fig tree, so that from it the disciples might learn a vivid message and recognise His power (Mark 11:12), and when He wanted to show them that their eyes were still only half open He healed the blind man in two stages (Mark 8:22). So here He turns water into wine in order to demonstrate that the days of spiritual prosperity and plenty are now here.

In John 4:46 He will come again to Cana. In between He will reveal:

· The true condition of the Temple and of those who seek after signs (John 2:14), who are like the old water of ritualism with nothing to warm men's hearts.

· The true condition of the hearts of men who seek after signs (John 2:23) as exemplified in a teacher of Israel, who was satisfied with the old waters of Judaism and was missing the water of the Spirit (John 3:1).

· A discussion about the old waters of purifying, in contrast with the new waters of John's baptism which pointed to the Spirit (John 3:25), which will be followed by the offer of living water to the Samaritans in place of the old water of Jacob (John 4:4 especially John 2:13).

Then He returns to Cana to perform His second sign and find a genuine faith that does not seek after signs (John 4:46). The miracle of the water turned into wine is to be seen in its full perspective.