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.[a] 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.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
The stone pitchers were those used by the Jews in their ceremonial washings, that is, to hold the water that they would use to perform the rights of cleansing both those commanded to Moses and those they had made up themselves…the cleansings that were to make them right with God and now Jesus takes them, to do something unique, something wonderful.
Think about this. That was the picture in the old administration, sacrifice and sacred ceremony, over and over again, filled with water, over and over again, to perform ceremonial washings, over and over again. And Jesus takes these pitchers that represent the old and he fills them with new wine.
What is He doing but subtly turning the attention of the disciples away from types and shadows and, not even the wine itself becomes the point…HE becomes the point…HE is the one who gives new life, and the new wine is that which HE alone can give!
The signs that Jesus did were not to ooh and awe the people, they are not circus acts to get attention, although they do command attention. In the bible, a sign is in relation to the events by which this world shall conclude…the sign speaks to ultimate things, real things…eternal things…all the signs pointed to the Messiah.
Even the Pharisees and Sadducees knew this. That is why they said to Jesus, “What sign will you do, what are you going to show us, what sign, that we might believe you that you are the Messiah?”They taunt him, “if you are the Messiah, bring us the kingdom of heaven, bring us a sign that shows us the end is here and the consummation has come.” Prove it to us, if you are really the Messiah. And remember, He had been doing all kinds of miracles and yet they want a really big one, to prove who He is.
Jesus answered and told them that no sign would be given except the sign of Jonah, that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days so shall the son of man be in the belly of the earth for three days. Jesus points them to the great sign of the resurrection, that great event to which all signs point. Jesus says that Jonah was to prepare the people for the resurrection!
The signs always lead the attention of those who witness, or those who hear of it, away from the deed or better put, away from the sign itself…to the one doing the sign. The signs are illustrations in the physical world of that which is operative in the spiritual realm, there is a connection between what is seen upon the earth, and what, who and where the sign focuses our attention.
With that in mind, let’s dig a bit deeper.
In the Bible, wine is symbolic of God’s gift and our joy (cf. Deut. 7:1–13; Jer. 31:5–12; Isa. 25:6–9; Joel 3:18). Unlike water, wine is not necessary for us to live. But it is a picture of God’s superabundant grace. That is to say, our Lord is the kind of God who loves to give good things to those who don’t deserve them, superfluous gifts like “wine to gladden the heart of man” (Ps. 104:15).
Yet the great problem is found in our idolatrous attempts to enjoy God’s gifts “apart from him” (Eccl. 2:25), which even we Christians fall into. We do this too…we attempt to get from God’s world what can only be found in God Himself. It is a wine glass too soon empty and it leads to a party that runs out of joy (John 2:3).
We should take notice at the generosity of Jesus’ provision, seen in the conversion of six full containers of “twenty to thirty gallons each”. That is about 120 to 180 gallons of wine or, the equivalent of between 605 to 908 standard-sized bottles of wine today…a perfect picture of the benevolence of God…not just enough, but a super-abundance! God prepares a table for us…but what a table it is…what a banquet that will be!
John also tells us that the wine was drawn from stone jars…why does he mention this? Could it be that Jesus’ miracle involves bringing forth wine from rock, revealing Christ to be the true fulfillment of Moses, for Moses brought forth only water from the rock? Isn’t this pattern in keeping with what John has already told us? The water of the law was given through Moses, but the wine of grace came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).
It is no accident that the miracle takes place at a wedding, one of God’s favorite symbols for the covenant He has made with His people. Yet are we justified in seeing anything of significance in John’s mention of the third day?
The third day imagery in the Bible is quite interesting. It is on the third day when Abraham sees the place where the Lord provides the sacrifice instead of Isaac. It is on the third day when God meets His people at Sinai in Exodus 19.
It is on the third day when the Lord revives His fallen people (Hos. 6), and the third day when Jonah’s life is brought up from the pit (Jonah 2:3–6; Matt. 12:40). It is even on the third day of creation when the plants that make wine possible were first brought forth from the earth (Gen. 1:11–13).
To be continued…
Prayer: Father, the temptations to seek my own pleasure and to set myself up as sovereign seem so foolish and yet so real. Forgive me for thinking that I can find peace, joy and any kind of happiness apart from You and Your Word. Help me to see all that gifts You have given to be used for Your Glory and not my own selfish desires. Give me true faith and trust in You. So that I might please You with my mind, heart and actions, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Gospel Song: Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow