Page 23 - The Gospel of John - Student textbook

The miracles Jesus performed constitute
one of the most powerful and convincing
proofs of His deity (John 3:2; Matthew 11:1
– 5; Acts 2:22). In keeping with his theme of
presenting Jesus as the incarnate God –
man, John catalogs eight miraculous signs
that He performed. That list is, of course,
by no means exhaustive; there were
certainly many occasions when he did more
than eight miracles in one day. Out of the
countless miracles that Christ performed
(John 20:30; 21:25), John selected these
eight as examples that prove His deity.

Many commentaries call this division of
John “The Book of Signs”. (John 2:1 – 12:50)
Interspersed in and among these signs are The Wedding Church at Cana built in circa 1881
discourses calling people to a faith decision.
Sometimes these discourses are associated with a particular sign and at other times they stand alone. As this
large section unfolds, the Jewish leadership will grow in their hostility towards Jesus. They will interrogate Him
as to His identity, examine His signs, listen to His words, and ultimately find Him deserving of death (11:50).

The Scene
2:1 – 2
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1 On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His
disciples were invited to the wedding as well.

The phrase the third day refers to the call of Philip and Nathanael in the previous passage (1:43 – 51). It is the
last in a series of time indicators (1:29, 35, 43) that suggest the events from John the Baptist’s interview with the
Jewish authorities (1:19 – 28) to the wedding in Cana took place within the span of one week.

The mother of Jesus (John never refers to Mary by name in his gospel) was at this particular wedding. That both
she and Jesus attended suggest the wedding involve relatives or friends of the family. That would explain why
Mary seem to have been more than just a gest, but apparently had some responsibility for helping the groom's
family at the celebration. For example, she was aware of the situation regarding the lack of wine and took the
initiative to solve the serious problem. The different terminology used in regard to Mary (she was there) and
Jesus and his disciples (they were invited) also suggests that she had some role in serving at the event. Since
Joseph is not mentioned (the last time he appears in the Gospels is in the account of the journey to Jerusalem
when Jesus was 12, Luke 2:41 – 50), it may be that he was already dead. At the crucifixion Jesus committed
Mary into the care of the apostle John (John 19:26 – 27), so Joseph was certainly dead by then.

Jesus sanctified both the institution of marriage and the ceremony itself. Marriage is a sacred union of a man
and a woman whereby they become one in the sight of God. This ceremony is an essential element of that
union, because in it the couple publicly vow to remain faithful to each other. Both the Old Testament (Genesis
29:20 – 23; Judges 14:10; Ruth 4:10 – 13; Song of Solomon 3:11) and the New Testament (Matthew 22:2; 25:10;
Luke 12:36; 14:8) view the public ceremony as a necessary part of marriage.

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