Reading the Word

John 2:1–11 (ESV)

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Jesus was attending a wedding in Cana. At some point during the celebration, Jesus’ mother went to him to tell him that the wine had run out. We are not told what Mary expected Jesus to do, but to run out of wine was a potential problem for the groom. It would have been an extreme embarrassment. In response, Jesus has the servants fill the jars with water and then serve it to the master of the feast. At that point, the water had been turned into wine of superior quality.

What are we to make of this episode? Some will scoff and say such a thing is not possible. However, the writer tells us that this was the “first of his signs.” Jesus turned the water into wine, but he also did many other things that we will soon read about. He did all of these things to prove to us that he was who he claimed to be. Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Skeptics often say, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Jesus turned water into wine and his disciples believed in him. What will you do?

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