John's Gospel

Jesus turns water into wine

(The Wedding at Cana) - John 2:1-11

As was the Jewish custom, the wedding took place on the third day (Tuesday). In Jewish tradition, this is considered to be a blessed day, because on the third day of creation God declares this day to be "good" - Genesis 1:10

However, Mary (who is not mentioned by name here) alerts Jesus to the fact that the feast has run out of wine. Christ then calls for some empty waterpots to be filled with water and miraculously it is turned into the finest of wine (John 2:9).

Some important observations:-

1. Jesus endorses marriage. He both attends the ceremony and physically provides for the celebrations. This counterbalances some Pauline teaching on marriage and singleness. (such as in 1 Corinthians 7)

2. Jesus celebrates physical life - eating, drinking, and feasting. Notably he provides wine for others to drink. This passage is often cited as an argument against Christian teetotalism (abstinence from alcohol).

3. The use of the waterpots by Jesus mirrors the transformation from the Old to the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, water is used as means of symbolically cleansing people from sin (stone jars such as these were usually positioned at the entrance to a house, so people could symbolically wash themselves clean of sin before entering). However, Jesus turns this water into wine - the new symbol of the forgiveness of sins through His blood. (see Luke 22:20).

John Calvin (1509-1564) explores this chapter in greater detail, dividing his commentary into four sections: the marriage at Cana - John 2:1-11 (where he notes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is in a subordinate position to Christ), commentary on John 2:12-17 (where Jesus asserts His authority in the Temple), an analysis by Calvin on John 2:18-22, and finally a commentary on verses 23-25.

Below this is a commentary section by Matthew Henry on John Chapter, with a detailed analysis of Jesus turning the water into wine at Cana. There is also Henry's interpretation of the events at the Temple in John 2:12-22, and an explanation of John 2:23-25. Further down the site navigation on the left are bible notes on John 2 by John Wesley (1703-91), as well as sermons by Charles Spurgeon, including a useful exposition on the chapter.

At the bottom of the left-hand navigation there are links to several bible versions of the chapter, including John 2 in the King James Version, as well as the scripture in the ASV and the words from the Websters Bible. There's also John 2 in a number of languages, including Spanish, Latin, German and the original Greek of the New Testament.