John 2:6-11

THE MIRACLE PERFORMED

Text 2:6-11

6

Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews-' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.

7

Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8

And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it.

9

And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom,

10

and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now.

11

This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Queries

a.

What is the Jews-' manner of purifying?

b.

Was this a drunken feast?

c.

Is this Jesus-' first miracle?

Paraphrase

Now there were six stone water-jars which had been set there for purifying purposes (Jewish ceremonial purification) and they were capable of containing about 20 gallons apiece. Jesus commanded the servants, saying, Fill the water-jugs with water, The servants then filled the jars full to the brim. Jesus next commanded the servants, saying, Draw out a portion and carry it to the ruler of the feast. The servants carried a portion to the ruler and when he tasted the water which had been made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom and said, You know the proverb that says, A man sets his good wine out first then when the taste is blunted, he sets out the poor wine, but you have kept the good wine until last. This is the first sign that Jesus did and He did it in Cana of Galilee, and He manifested His glory and His disciples believed on Him.

Summary

Jesus miraculously changes water into wine, primarily to manifest His divine glory. His disciples believed on Him as a result.

Comment

Six 20-gallon water-jugs, set aside for purification rites, indicates a large crowd. John, writing for Gentile readers, feels it necessary to note that the jars were there according to the Jews-' manner of purifying. The Jews washed their hands and their pots and pans before and after eating to cleanse themselves ceremonially, (Matthew 15:1-11). This was one of their traditions added to the law of Moses (cf. Mark 7:1-9; Luke 11:37-41). The Jews were very careful to wash before meals in case they had touched a Gentile, or rubbed against a publican or a harlot in the marketplace.

What would be the thoughts of the servants and Mary when Jesus commanded that the jars be filled with water? It would be fruitless to speculate. Just as it is pointless to speculate about the extent of the miracle, i.e., whether the water became wine only when they drew it out of the jars, or, whether all the water in each jar became wine and remained so. The point is, Jesus performed a miracle! The radical critics claim this miracle runs counter to the laws of nature; therefore, they attack the credibility of the account.
Trench, in his Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord, page 116, explains it this way: He who each year prepares the wine in the grape, causing it to absorb, and swell with, the moisture of earth and heaven, to transmute this into nobler juices of its own, did now concentrate all those slower processes into a single moment, and accomplish in an instant what usually He takes many months to accomplish. He was working in the line of His more ordinary operations, the unnoticed miracles of everyday nature.

We cannot doubt the miracle of the grape as it grows through the slower processes before our very eyes though we cannot explain it, We ought not to doubt the same result attained in an instant by your Lord when the record rests upon irrefutable testimony of eyewitnesses.
The skeptics and the sensualists consider this miracle to be ammunition for their attacks upon the Bible along another line. They charge Jesus with immoral action, and claim that He made intoxicating wine. The burden of proving that Jesus did make intoxicating wine is with those who make the accusations. They are the ones who say the wine was intoxicating. John does not say so! It is a prejudiced and unscholarly determination that says the Greek word oinos (the word used here) must always mean intoxicating wine wherever the word is used. In fact, New Testament and classical usage show that the word may mean a number of things. Thayer shows that oinos is even used of the vine itself (cf. Revelation 6:6) rather than the juice. In classical Greek, usage may be cited to show oinos designating the grape itself, the juice still within the grape, the fresh pressed juice, and unintoxicating drinks. A corresponding word in the Hebrew language is yayin. When Hebrew scholars translated the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language (known as the Septuagint), they used the Greek word oinos to express the meaning of their word yayin. The word oinos is used in the Septuagint as a generic term for winefresh, cooked, fermented juices alike. (Cf. Numbers 6:4; Judges 13:4 where wine is used for the grape itself).

Aristotle, Pliny and Nicander speak of oinos that does not intoxicate. Classical writings could be cited to show that the ancients knew of five ways of keeping grape juice from fermentation, and they called such preserved juice oinos. No one should use this instance to justify drinking today unless he can prove absolutely that the wine Jesus made is just like the wine they propose to drink!

Of course, the question is always posed as to what the ruler of the feast meant by his speech in John 2:10. The ruler seems to be chiding his host in John 2:10 by reminding the bridegroom of a well known custom. It was, and is, a common practice to pass off an inferior wine when men's taste becomes blunted by even a small amount of drinking. It is obvious that the ruler was not drunk. He recognized the difference in the juice instantly. It is only the perverse mind that could imagine Jesus condoning drunken revelry, let alone using His power to furnish men something destructive to their physical and spiritual well-being.

Modern man cannot possibly use the Cana miracle to justify indulgence in any of the detestable liquor of today (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:13; 1 Corinthians 10:31-33; Romans 14:15-17; Romans 14:21). Those who buy from liquor manufacturers today are supporting an industry which has contributed to the loss of thousands of lives physically, and the eternal damnation of thousands of souls spiritually.

In John 2:11 we learn that this is the first miracle Jesus performed. His second was the cure of the nobleman's son (cf. John 4:54). One commentator defines sign as a miracle viewed as proof of divine authority and majesty. A sign points to the divine Doer instead of the deed. This seems to be the very purpose of the miracleto point His disciples to the divine Son. Note how John, one of the eyewitnesses of this miracle, puts everything else secondary to the manifestation of Jesus-' deity.

It would be well to here define the word disciple. Disciple comes from the word manthano, which means I learn. A disciple then is one who learns, a pupil, a follower. It is best defined as a learner, one who accepts the instruction of his teacher and makes it his way of life. The miracle at Cana shows us that Jesus did not require His disciples to have perfect knowledge or perfect faith in order to begin following Him. What the Lord wants is a disciple with a willing mind and an honest heartwilling to learn and honest enough to apply the lesson to his own life!

Quiz

1.

Why did the Jews purify themselves before meals? Was this a law of Moses?

2.

Why should we believe miracles recorded in the Bible when we cannot understand them or explain them?

3.

Name three things that the Greek word oinos (wine) may mean other than intoxicating wine.

4.

Give two reasons why men today may not use this miracle to justify drinking intoxicating beverages.

5.

Is this Jesus-' first miracle? Explain.

6.

Give a good definition of the word disciple.

7.

What was the primary purpose of this miracle?