John 2:11, commentary and pictures

This beginning of miracles was the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, opening His public ministry. In it He manifested forth His glory by displaying miraculous power in an unassuming manner, and His disciples believed on Him with confirmed and strengthened faith in Him as the Saviour of the world. By attending the marriage festival and working His first miracle there He gave marriage His clear sanction as a divine and sacred institution He Himself had established. The wine He made was pure, unfermented juice of the grape with nothing intoxicating in it, giving no sanction for drinking fermented wine. The act showed His sympathy for people and desire to promote their happiness, sanctioning innocent social fellowship without self-indulgence or worldly levity. The provision symbolized salvation, with the water representing baptism into His death and the wine representing His blood shed to cleanse the world from sin.

Wedding Setting and Beginning

This beginning of miracles was the turning of water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, the first display of miraculous power and the opening of the public ministry. It stands as the beginning of signs, left on record to show divine power put forth in human perplexity. The wedding was at Cana, a town near Nazareth, among relatives of Joseph and Mary. Jesus went there with His newly made disciples after returning from the Jordan, gracing the feast with His presence by special invitation because many influential persons would be gathered there.

It took place after He had been separated from His widowed mother for about two months. During that time He had been baptized by John and had endured temptation in the wilderness. Marks of the fierce conflict remained upon His countenance, yet with holy expression and gentle dignity showing His high mission. His glory was seen in that changed countenance and presence. His disciples put faith in Him as young men who reverently called Him Master, telling Mary they had witnessed wonderful things at His baptism and afterward and declaring they had found Jesus of Nazareth, the long-looked-for Messiah written of by Moses in the law and the prophets.

He did not publicize the miracle but withdrew so quietly that even His disciples did not notice. Its knowledge spread when the guests marveled at the superiority of the new wine and were astonished by it. They asked about it and heard from the servants how it had been made, though at first they were too amazed to fix attention on Jesus Himself. In this quiet spreading of the knowledge His purpose was accomplished.

Miracle's Nature and Glory

At Cana Jesus changed the water in the jars into wine without touching it, meeting the need of the feast at the moment of perplexity. He supplied wine that was better and best, superior in quality to what had been served before, and He supplied it in abundance. By that ample, superior provision He preserved the household from the disgrace of failing to show hospitality and added to the happiness of the gathering. The servants' obedience to His instructions served the miracle, and Mary's trust in His wisdom and power was honored.

In that act He manifested forth His glory and first displayed His miraculous power. He did it in an unassuming manner, doing what no other man had done. The deed stands left on record for all ages to show that He does not fail even in such a perplexity. Yet He never worked a miracle to help Himself or to supply His own necessities, and He never used divine power to win popular favor.

Faith and Wider Response

The turning of water to wine at Cana manifested divine glory and confirmed and strengthened the faith of the humble fishermen disciples, increasing their confidence that the Saviour of the world, the world's Redeemer, was laying the foundation of His kingdom. Their belief on Him grew as they beheld what no other man had done. It gave them their first opportunity to acknowledge their faith openly and to tell others what they had seen and heard of Him at the Jordan. That strengthening honored Mary's trust in Him and fitted them to withstand the unbelief, prejudice, and hostility they would meet from religious leaders who rejected Him as the Messiah, while awakening hope that God had raised up a deliverer for His people.

The report spread through all that region even to Jerusalem and awakened interest throughout Palestine in Christ and His work. The priests and elders heard with wonder and searched with new interest and intense anxiety the prophecies of Christ's coming to learn the aim and mission of this new Teacher. Reports of the Cana miracle, joined with reports from the Passover of His cleansing of the desecrated temple and His healing of the sick and restoring of sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, prepared the way for His warm and cordial reception when He returned to Galilee. Many who lamented the abuse of the temple and the arrogance of the priests hoped that One with power to put the rulers to flight might be the looked-for Deliverer who could challenge the temple rulers.

That display of power in changing water into wine gave the Jewish nobleman in Capernaum reason to believe Jesus could heal his incurably sick, dying son even from the brink of the grave.

Symbol of Salvation

The provision at Cana was a symbol of salvation, in which the water stood for baptism into Christ's death and the wine stood for His blood shed to cleanse and purify the world from sin. The wine itself was pure grape juice, not intoxicating liquor. The ample supply pointed to the abundant provision made for blotting out sin.

His gifts remain fresh and satisfying, unlike worldly pleasures which end in weariness and bitterness. He performed the miracle to bring the governor's perverted taste toward a healthy condition by leading him to acknowledge that this wine was better than any he had tasted before. In this way the gift brought the taste into harmony with a healthful appetite.

Christ's power to turn the common water of life into the wine of heaven still works with a God-fearing mother who keeps close connection with Him. It transforms her loving ministry and service in the home into a ministry of lasting spiritual value. Her ministry of love makes the home a Bethel, because Christ works with her. His presence brings happiness and makes the home a place of heavenly joy, like Eden, and a symbol of the family in heaven.

Together with the feeding of the multitude, providing drink at the feast shows Jesus as the heavenly Provider who supplies human necessities. This lesson is applied to the preparation and provision of healthful food. The food business is one of the Lord's own instrumentalities to supply human necessity, and health-food work is one means God uses to supply these needs. As the heavenly Provider of all foods, God will not leave His people in ignorance but will teach them the preparation of the best foods for all times and occasions.

Marriage Honored and Restored

By attending the marriage festival at Cana and performing His first miracle there, Jesus gave marriage His clear sanction and high endorsement. He thereby honored it as a divine and sacred institution He Himself had established and formed, and He hallowed the relationships of human life. His presence and act showed that He would be present at marriage occasions. His respect for the marriage covenant continued throughout His ministry, and He used marriage to illustrate important truths.

He came not to forbid marriage, destroy family life, put a cloud over happiness, or enforce celibacy on any class. He came not to destroy the sacred relationship of marriage but to restore, elevate, purify, ennoble, and exalt it to its original sanctity. Marriage joined with purity, holiness, truth, and righteousness is a sacred blessing to the human family. It is to unite husband and wife in mutual respect, love, and care, and their belief in Christ is to make them one in Him as they learn from Jesus and grow in His Spirit.

The family on earth is to symbolize the family in heaven. God's grace in the Christian home is to transform human character so that the church becomes active and living. Christ looks with pleasure on the family where sacred and unselfish love rules.

Pure Wine and Temperance

The wine made at Cana was pure, clarified, refined juice of the grape, fresh and unfermented, wholesome and refreshing, with no fermentation, adulteration, or anything intoxicating in it. It was the new wine found in the cluster in which is blessing, the safe kind of drink to use. Its purity also brought the taste into harmony with a healthful appetite.

The miracle set an example of strict temperance rather than endorsing intoxicating wine, and gives no sanction for drinking fermented wine. Christ never by word or act approved the use of fermented wine, and the Bible nowhere sanctions intoxicating wine. He who warned in the Old Testament that wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging provided no such beverage at Cana and did not contradict His own teaching. He foresaw the harm wine would cause in every generation, and the miracle does not make fermented wine harmless or endorse its use.

He never places temptation before men but teaches the lower nature to be brought into subjection. His whole life was self-denial, and He came straight from His long fast and suffering in the wilderness to break the power of appetite over man including the free use of intoxicating liquor. What He gives is soul-refreshing and life-giving, with nothing connected with it that ministers to evil.

The same pure, unfermented juice was what He gave His disciples as a symbol of His own blood and what was used at the first communion. Just as there was to be no leaven in the Passover bread there was to be no fermentation in the wine. Only such wine should always be used on the communion table as a symbol of His blood, because the sacramental service is designed to be soul-refreshing and life-giving with nothing connected with it that could minister to evil. His use of unleavened bread and unfermented wine at the sacramental service proves the same temperance lesson.

His act requires keeping wine and liquor out of the house and using only unfermented grape juice, leaving the mind clear to honor God with full strength. It shows that God's people must be temperate in all things to be susceptible to the sanctifying influence of truth. The verse teaches true health reform by showing Jesus giving life and health to cure and prevent sickness. Its object is securing the highest possible development of mind and soul and body through obedience to nature's laws which are God's laws for good in this life and preparation for the life to come. This requires ministers to become intelligent on health reform and teach its principles by precept and by quiet, consistent example, with instruction at large gatherings to arouse the intellect and conscience.

Sympathy and Social Ministry

This beginning of miracles at Cana showed sympathy for people and a desire to promote their happiness, adding joy to the gathering by blessing the feast and sharing in human happiness. He welcomed innocent happiness and took part in ordinary human life, while rejecting intemperance, self-indulgence, and revelry. He came not to put a cloud over family happiness but was in full sympathy with pure joy. The miracle also displayed mercy and compassion and care for the needs of people who followed Him to hear His teaching.

By attending He sanctioned innocent social happiness and social fellowship without self-indulgence or worldly levity. He joined the mixed assembly of a festal gathering without any shadow of worldly levity, unlike the Pharisees and dignitaries who preserved an austere seclusion. His presence there proves His character was genial and beneficent rather than secluded, self-righteous, bigoted, and exclusive. His attendance was consistent with a generous, benevolent character.

His attendance does not justify theaters, parties, and dances or remove the call to practical godliness, and His presence was not worldly conformity. Through precious teachings and generous conduct He honored those who invited Him, enshrined Himself in their hearts, and gave them opportunity to become acquainted with Him and to know His character. In this He revealed the marked contrast between His life and teachings and those of the Pharisees, with their self-righteous, bigoted, exclusive and restrictive ideas.

His example gives a lesson for His disciples through all time not to exclude themselves from society or to preserve religion by hiding it within stone walls to escape contamination of the world. They are to break down icy reserve and social and religious divisions, bringing people together as members of one family. To reach all classes they must meet people where they are at their daily work and temporal affairs and show real interest in their lives, because people will seldom seek them on their own and hearts are not touched by divine truth from the pulpit alone. The Saviour sought men in the public streets, in private houses, on boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of lakes, and at marriage feasts, carrying instruction into households so whole families in their own homes came under the influence of His divine presence. Those who follow Him are to hold property, mental powers, and spiritual strength as lent to advance His cause, and not to shun the society of fellow men but to seek it with a kind, generous spirit toward the poor in order to bestow heavenly benefits upon others.

At such pleasant gatherings He revealed the way of salvation to hearts ready to receive it. Christ awakened interest by going among people as one who desired their good. The miracle helped break down Jewish prejudice, taught the disciples sympathy and humanity, and drew His relatives to Him with warm affection.