(John 2:1-11.)
1 “AND the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also was bidden, and His disciples, to the marriage. And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine. 4 And 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 Now there were six water-pots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water-pots 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 which 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 11 now. This beginning of His signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.”
NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
1. On the third day following the last events studied, what took place in Cana of Galilee? John 2:1.
2. Who is mentioned as being present at the wedding? Verse 2. Note 1.
3. What threatened to mar the pleasure of the occasion? Verse 3. Note 2. (Judges 9:13; Ps. 104:15.)
4. Who was appealed to for a remedy? and by whom?
5. In reply, how did Jesus address His mother? Verse 4. Note 3. (John 19:26; 20:15.)
6. What reason did Christ give for thus checking His mother's interference? Note 4.
7. Notwithstanding these words of Christ to His mother, what did she order the servants to do? Verse 5.
8. What sort of vessels, and how many, were standing near? Verse 6. Note 5. (Mark 7:3.)
9. What order did Christ give the servants? Verse 7.
10. Having filled the jars, what did He then tell them to do? Verse 8.
11. Did the conductor of ceremonies know where the new supply of wine came from? Verse 9. Note 6.
12. Upon tasting the wine, what did the master of ceremonies do?
13. How did he congratulate the bridegroom concerning the acquisition of wine? Verse 10.
14. What is the work of Christ called by the evangelist? Verse 11. (John 1:14; Isa. 40:5; John 11:40.)
15. What effect did it work upon His disciples? Note 7.
16. Where did Jesus next go? and who went with Him? Verse 12. (Matt. 12:46; 13:55; John 7:3, 5.)
Side Lights.—“Desire of Ages,” pp. 144-153; “Spirit of Prophecy,” vol. 2, pp. 98-115.
NOTES.
1. Cana.—“The reedy place,” so called from the thick jungles originally found in its immediate neighborhood; was situated on a hill which rises from the plain of El Battauf. It is supposed to have been nine miles north of Nazareth, the home of Jesus, which was the first objective point of the journey. Arriving there, and finding no one to receive them, Jesus and His disciples accepted an invitation to be present at the wedding, which from attending circumstances seems to have been that of some relative of Christ, judging from the prominent part his mother was acting in connection with it.
2. Wine failed.—Fresh juice of the grape was considered indispensable at a Jewish wedding, while the fermented variety was forbidden. Prov. 20:1. It is not known how long the festivities had been going on before the wine gave out, but such a failure was a disgrace to those making a feast, and so the extremity on that occasion was one to be deplored.
3. Woman.—He no longer calls her “mother,” but uses a familiar Hebrew expression, the common form of address to all women. He wishes her to understand that she no longer controls Him, but that He is under the sole guidance of His Father above. Her interference in His work, on the ground of her fleshly relationship, was repudiated. There was danger of her forgetting His changed relation to her. While the address now seems harsh, it was not then so considered, as will be seen by His last tender words to her, when He was expiring on the cross. John 19:26.
4. Mine hour.—The hour is not Mine in which to be glorified; the time has not yet come for Me to be exalted. God fixes My hour and work; I must now glorify Him alone.
5. Manner of purifying.—The sanitary precautions of the Old Testament had been so distorted by the Jews of that day that before every meal each person must wash his hands. No one came from the market and neglected the prescribed ablution. Every guest must have his feet washed upon arrival, and leave his sandals outside of the door. For these purposes, and countless other washings, great stone jars were by the doorway. At this place there were six of these, each holding about ten gallons. This is the lowest estimate of their capacity made by any author. To fill all these with wine showed overflowing generosity, which is characteristic of the Lord in answering our requests for spiritual blessings.
6. Knew not whence it was.—This was a great miracle. As said by Milton, “The conscious water saw its God and blushed.” The difference between this miracle and the regular operation of nature was only in the matter of time taken to obtain the result. In the operation, one is as much a miracle as the other, since it requires the power of God to accomplish the result in either case. The miracle did not break the order of nature's laws, but only hastened it.
7. Believed.—Without doubt, as the guests remarked on the quality of the wine set before them, inquiries were raised as to where it was procured. The servants, of course, related the whole proceeding. Jesus was then sought for. Anticipating this, in His great modesty He retired, and this act on His part gave opportunity for His disciples to proclaim Him as the Son of God, the Messiah. Quickly the news of the event spread until it reached even Judea, and so Christ sought retirement for a few days.
