John 2:1-25
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her,Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, 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 governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves,Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them,Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
1 Cana, in Hebrew, means "acquire". The marriage feast is a sign of the time when the Son acquires the kingdom, and as the bridegroom is elated over the bride, so will He be elated over Israel (Isa_62:3; Isa_62:5). So long as they trust in the law, which was graven on stone, they will be in want of the wine which gladdens the heart of God and mortals (Jud_9:13). When they are restored to Jehovah, He will write His laws on their hearts. This is the new covenant He will make with them in that day (Jer_31:31-33). Then He will perform the much greater miracle of turning right into rejoicing and justice into joy. The power to transmute water into wine was the sign that He is competent to fill their hearts with the joy and gladness which can come only with the kingdom. He is the true Vine. Hence He is the Messiah. In general, it reveals the principle that God has the best still in reserve for His creatures, and that their lack is a lesson to lead them into an appreciation of His goodness. Men put their best forward at first, but God leaves His for the last. His saints will be satisfied but never satiated with Him Who is the never-failing source of joy. The best is always on before. Yet the poor wine serves its purpose to commend the good.
13 As the Passover was at hand, and every Jewish family was preparing for it by banishing all leaven from their houses (Exo_12:15), the Lord went up to His Father's house to cleanse it from the leaven of covetousness (1Co_5:10). Little did the priests dream that the dreaded leaven was in the most sacred place in all the land! While the meanest house was being cleansed of literal leaven, the priests actually allowed spiritual leaven in the courts of Jehovah. More than this, covetousness is idolatry (Col_3:5). They boasted that they abhorred all idolatry, and here we find it in the very house of God! No wonder, when the Lord went up to Jerusalem, He found it necessary to cleanse His Father's house in preparation for the coming Passover. He drove out the beasts with a small whip, and ordered the culprits out of the temple precincts. Idolatry and leaven should find no harbor in the house of His Father!
18 The Jews ask for a sign. But if they have become so dense that they utterly fail to read the significance of His act in cleansing the temple of its spiritual leaven, how can they understand when He reveals its end ? Priesthood had apostatized, sacrifice had failed, the temple was doomed. Hence He points them away from the type to the Antitype. The temple was defiled, but He was holy. God had deserted it, but now He dwelt in His Son. The sacrifices were of no avail, they only wearied Jehovah. Then it was that He came to do God's will (Heb_10:5-10). They would shudder at the thought of razing Herod's temple. They would never be guilty of such an awful crime against God! Yet their very zeal for Jehovah led them to destroy the true temple, His body. Mere religion, even if it is divine, only darkens the mind and hardens the heart. Forms are futile; it is the spirit that gives life. The very priests are ignorant of sacrifice.
They not only defile the literal temple with leaven, but are absolutely blind to the true temple of God when He appears in their midst. Even when He speaks of it they fail to find the force of the figure.
24 Our Lord's intimate insight into humanity is fully illustrated in this very evangel. No matter of what class or spiritual condition, all hearts were open to His gaze. He discovered the spjritual ignorance of Nicodemus, the teacher in Israel (Joh_3:10), yet recognized in Peter, the fellaheen fisherman, a spiritual (Joh_14:2) and a fond and faithful friend (Joh_21:17). Guileless Nathallael is amazed at His acumen (Joh_1:47), while Judas' treachery was ever before Him from the very first (Joh_13:11). The woman of Samaria concluded that He knew all her past (Joh_4:17), and the impotent man at Bethesda found that He fully understood his former failure (Joh_5:6). The applause of the crowd did not blind Him to the motive which prompted it. He knew that they had no hunger for spiritual food. He is aware of all things (Joh_21:17). Our character, our conduct, our condition, our inmost motives are transparent to His view. No wonder He did not entrust
Himself to faith secured by signs!