John 8 Water Into Wine
The First Sign
“1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him” (John 2:1-11).
The first sign Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee was turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). Jesus just promised Nathanael, "You will see greater things than these" (John 1:50), and He's about to start proving it.
We must remember when reading not only to see what literally happened but to search for the spiritual message behind it. This message might be overtly stated, or it may be left intentionally ambiguous as a challenge for the insightful reader to ponder and meditate.
There are usually clues in the text that help guide our thoughts and control our imagination to point us in the proper direction.
While the subjective nature of this study shouldn't be pushed too far, it can be a useful exercise, as those who have been born of God, to open our spiritual eyes to glimpse the deeper meaning of the signs. The Gospel of John specifically invites this kind of reflection.
Take, for example, the first sign in John. If you see the "water into wine" sign and solely think about a doctrinal study on the use of alcohol, you have missed the sign.
If you focus on the miracle and how it saved a family from social disaster and embarrassment, you've done well and noticed something important. However, you still may have missed the spiritual destination.
We certainly want to see the physical demonstration and the social ramifications, but we also must ponder how this spiritually points to the shocking identity of Jesus.
Water into Wine
This is where the fun really starts when studying John: digging into the signs and searching for clues. What could this be pointing towards? What could the spiritual message be? This is when you scour every word and ask yourself, "Why add that detail? Why word it this unique way? That phrase seems odd, why is it there?"
We believe the true spiritual meaning of this sign is summed up in the final phrase: "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" (John 2:10).
This is spoken by the master of the feast. This title appears to be an honor given to a trusted and beloved wedding guest. The master of the feast has the responsibility of making everything run smoothly.
There is a word of advice given to those called "master of the feast" in the Deuterocanonical book Ecclesiasticus (an uninspired ancient Jewish document, not to be confused with the Book of Ecclesiastes written by King Solomon):
"If they make you master of the feast, do not exalt yourself; be among them as one of their number. Take care of them first and then sit down; when you have fulfilled all your duties, take your place, so that you may be merry among them and receive a garland for your excellent leadership" (Ecclesiasticus 32:1-2).
This man was chosen by the family to make sure the wedding went smoothly. It's such an honor that Ecclesiasticus has to warn the master of the feast not to become arrogant but to work hard, enjoy the wedding, and receive a garland for his leadership.
The master of the feast in John is losing control of the wedding. First, the family runs out of wine. Then when more is brought out (he has no idea it was miraculously produced by Jesus), he notices the family served the wrong wine first (John 2:9). They should have used the good stuff first, but they messed up the order. This reversal of social protocol is significant. In fact, I think it's the whole point.
And through this point, the sign somehow "manifests His glory, and His disciples believed in Him" (John 2:11). So let's think: how could turning water into wine manifest the glory of Jesus?
Certainly, one way is that it was miraculous. Looking deeper, though, notice the small, easily overlooked detail about the waterpots: "there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification" (John 2:6). These waterpots are for Jewish customs and purity regulations, the primary conflict causing issues in the ministry of Jesus.
These Jewish pots were filled with unsatisfactory, celebration running water. No one gets excited about water at a party. It's only after the water for Jewish purification comes into contact with Jesus that it becomes "good wine" (John 2:10).
Wine as a Blessing from God
In the Bible, wine is often a symbol of God's blessing, a gift to mankind. God brings "forth food from the earth, and wine which makes man's heart glad" (Psalm 104:14-15). Abundance of new wine was one of the blessings of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 7:13; 11:14; 33:28).
In the book of the prophet Joel, God demonstrates His wrath through a locust plague (Joel 1:4). The "drunkards" and "wine drinkers" (Joel 1:5) mourn because the locusts destroy all the vines (Joel 1:7) and "the new wine dries up" (Joel 1:10).
After a call to repentance, God promises to "make up to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (Joel 2:25). God restores the "new wine and oil ... the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full ... And the vats will overflow with the new wine" (Joel 2:19, 22, 24).
Wine was part of Jewish celebrations (Deuteronomy 14:23-26). If you couldn't bring the tithe of your produce to Jerusalem because the journey was too long, you could sell your produce and "spend the money for whatever your heart desires; for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice" (Deuteronomy 14:26).
In fact, one of God's curses for disobedience, as in Joel, would be the removal of wine from the land (Deuteronomy 28:39, 51; Hosea 9:2; Amos 5:11; Zephaniah 1:13). Wine almost seems an essential element in celebration before God in the Old Testament.
Wine was also a symbol of the Messianic age (Mark 2:22). The book of Amos demonstrates the outpouring of God's wrath on unfaithful Israel. Almost every passage in Amos is a proclamation of judgment, but the final verses, flowing with optimism, look for future blessings from God for "all the nations called by my name" (Amos 9:12; quoted in Acts 15:16-18). In this hopeful passage, God promises to bless His people so "the mountains will drip with sweet wine ... They will plant vineyards and drink their wine" (Amos 9:13-14).
The Meaning of the Sign
Against this backdrop, perhaps this sign is meant to symbolize the time has come for God to bless His people. These waterpots, meant for Jewish purification, were filled with plain water. Apart from Jesus, the wedding is ruined, and the celebration is over. With Jesus, the blessing of "good wine" has arrived to save the day!
Perhaps it is also significant that the master of the feast, the one in charge of the wedding celebration, is the one who missed the sign entirely. Those in authority are usually the ones who miss what Jesus is doing, but "the servants who drew the water knew" (John 2:9).
With Jesus, the Samaritans, the lame, the blind, and the servants are usually several steps ahead of the powerful, wealthy, and healthy leaders.
Jewish customs and titles of honor apart from Jesus do not bring about God's presence and blessing.
With the coming of Jesus, a new and glorious age has arrived, a time of rejoicing and blessing from God. Perhaps that is the significance of the breach of custom, "you have kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10). Jesus did not come at the beginning. He came, as the very presence of God, to rescue and bless His people, transforming their water into good wine. In this, the glory of Jesus is made known (John 2:11).
Perhaps it is also of note this sign takes place "on the third day" (John 2:1). The "third day" is the day Jesus changes the world forever, ushering in a new Messianic age of hope and life (cf. John 2:19). Jesus' first sign, "water into wine," and His last sign, "Resurrection," each occur on "the third day" and give a hopeless people reason to celebrate.
Is this the precise symbolic meaning of the first sign in Cana of Galilee? We think so, but maybe not. The manner of Jesus' teaching and signs do invite this kind of thinking though. In John 6, Jesus performed the sign of miraculously multiplying bread.
The crowds only focused on the bread and their hunger and forgot to look for the spiritual "sign" behind it (John 6:26). Thus, they missed the point. Let's not be like them. In that case, Jesus explained the sign: "I am the bread of life...He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day..." (John 6:35, 54-56).
In this case, we are left to examine for ourselves, to open our eyes to see the spiritual possibilities. Perhaps in the way Jesus is "the bread of life," He is also "the good wine" who comes along, just in the nick of time, to usher in God's blessings and the Messianic Age. Like new wine bursting old wineskins, Jesus brings God's new age bursting into the world. What a great first message for an introductory sign.