Commentary of John 2:1-11 - Weebly



Commentary of John 2:1-11

Kent Walkemeyer

Informed by N.T. Wright’s commentary, John for Everyone, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002

A Gospel Writer’s Perspective

John is one of the four books in the Bible we call gospels. Gospel means good news; the good news is that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah and the world’s one true God and king. All of the gospels together give us only a small bit of the entire life of Jesus. The last verse of John’s gospel says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I [John] suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Each of the gospel writers chose specific events from Jesus’ life to include in his gospel; events and teachings that highlight various facets of Jesus’ life. Each writer provides a unique texture to Jesus’ life that deepens and enriches our understanding of Jesus. Taken together, the four gospels reveal the fullest picture of Jesus we can have. This passage (2:1-11) from John’s gospel introduces two unique facets of Jesus’ life and teachings that John wanted to make sure his hearers understood.

The First Sign

Of the thousands of miracles that Jesus did on earth, the four gospels together tell us about a few more than thirty of them. John chooses to tell us about 8, including this one he calls the first. John is unique in referring to Jesus’ miracles as signs. A sign is like a clue, guiding us toward the answer. When we play a game with clues, the goal is not simply to gather clues, but to let them lead us to the answer. A sign is also like a signpost we might see along a road. The signpost points us to the place we are going. The sign is not our destination, but effectively leads us in the right direction. John calls Jesus’ miracles signs. They point us toward something else. According to verse 11, this sign – and I believe all Jesus’ signs – reveals to us something about Jesus’ glory.

By the way, as interesting as the conversation might be, I do not believe the point of this particular miracle is that Jesus attended weddings. Of course he would have attended weddings as a part of life in his community. Neither is the miracle a statement about alcohol. People, like me, who are concerned about the dangers of alcohol always struggle with this miracle. Neither is the point of this story Jesus’ interaction with his mother, as strange as it feels. It helps to consider that their interaction is similar to the other interactions of which we know. When Jesus was twelve and in the temple, his response to his mother and to Joseph was a bit unique, “I must be about my Father’s business.” And later, when he referred to an entire crowd as his mother and his brothers, that too was a bit strange. In this story, Mary’s response to Jesus reveals that she got the point. “Do whatever he tells you” reveals that Mary understood that Jesus is not working on her agenda but on a higher agenda. Her response here is also a reflection of her first response at the news of Jesus conception, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be according to your word.” Mary’s attitude of submission toward God’s purposes is a great example to us, “Do whatever he tells you.”

So what was Jesus’ point here at the wedding at Cana? And what did John want us to see about how this sign revealed Jesus’ glory?

He Came to Restore

Jesus’ work on earth, highlighted through the cross and empty tomb, was a work on behalf of the entire world. He came to the world, to redeem a sin-infected and defeated world, and to restore its relationship with God. God so loved the world that he came to save – another word for redeem or restore – the world. His work of restoring the world was initiated through his relationship with Israel. He came to Israel, to redeem a defeated and humiliated Israel, and restore her relationship with God and to her rightful role as the light to the world and the blessing to the nations. This was Israel’s original calling. She had wandered from it. Jesus came to restore her calling – actually to take that calling upon himself. So Jesus came to the world, he came to Israel, and he came to families and individuals like those we see here in John 2. He came to redeem a humiliated family and restore the family to the role it is intended to have in the community during a wedding. So Jesus’ work at this wedding is a sign of his work in Israel and to the whole world.

Out of Wine

What is the problem we discover at this wedding? They are out of wine. What does wine represent to an Israelite? Vineyards were important in Israel, and more importantly, the Hebrew scriptures referred to Israel as God’s vineyard. The vineyard would have been a symbol of national and religious identity, sort of like the Eagle or the Stars and Stripes would be a symbol of our national identity or like the Cross is symbol of our religious identity. Israel was God’s vineyard, and wine represented life, vitality, and hope. And they were out of wine.

Just as this family faced humiliation at being out of wine, Israel had been experiencing humiliation as a people. For hundreds of years, they had been humiliated, defeated, subject to other nations: Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and now the Romans. (The visions in the book of Daniel predicted this progression.) For hundreds of years, they had been holding on to the promises of God from the prophets, waiting for their Messiah, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” But hope had given way to despair. Where was God in all this? Why were they no longer in his favor? They had not had a prophet or a word from God in hundreds of years. They were out of wine.

Jars

What vessels did Jesus begin with? Ceremonial washing jars. Remember that this sign is a clue to something greater, deeper, something coming next. The Jews had relied on ceremony to try to bring the Messiah, to try to bring back God’s favor, to try to restore the vineyard and bring back the wine. Yes, God had given them some ceremonies as acts of worship in the law. He had showed them how to live in relationship with him in order to reveal his holiness and his glory to the nations around them. But the Jews had multiplied these ceremonies and rituals hundreds of times over. They had misplaced their focus from a relationship with God to ceremonies. Some Jews, especially the Pharisees, had taught that if they could just get enough obedience, work the ceremonies just right, then God’s Messiah would come and redeem Israel from their humiliation.

But the Messiah did not come because of their ceremonies; he came in spite of them. He came to transform them. He said that he did not come to abolish them but to reveal true fulfillment of them and to enable the people to truly fulfill them. The Pharisees had created unnecessary burdens, they had wearied the people. Jesus said he came to give rest to those burdened by the laws and ceremonies that had been bound up and placed on peoples’ shoulders.

So Jesus entered the experience of a humiliated Jewish family, a people whose wine had run out, and he transformed their ceremonial washing jars into what I believe was the best-tasting wine ever made…and John calls this a clue, or sign, to Jesus’ glory.

Glory

What do we mean when we talk about Jesus’ glory? I believe Jesus’ glory refers to both the present and the future. In the future, at Jesus’ appearing and at the creation of the new heavens and the new earth, we will see Jesus in all of his fullness of glory. That will be a marvelous experience. And it is interesting that one of the Biblical pictures that we have of this future experience is a wedding feast. At this wedding banquet in Cana, is Jesus giving a sign, a clue, about the experience we will have in the fullness of his glory at the new creation? Hmmm, I wonder.

But Jesus’ glory is not just about the future. He announced the present kingdom of God at hand. He revealed his glory to those living on the present earth. His glory is a revelation of his present power and holiness. His glory is a present reality to those who live in a responsive relationship with him. His Spirit fills our lives – our broken vessels – with his glory in order to reveal his glory to others and to the universe.

Faith

And when Jesus’ glory is revealed, when we begin to see and comprehend who he is, our faith is strengthened. At the end of this story, we are told that his disciples put their faith in him. We know that their faith was not yet complete; they would have more occasions of doubt – as will we. But the result of the revelation of Jesus’ glory to us and through us is faith. As the disciples witnessed more and more of Jesus’ glory – and the signs that revealed it – their faith was strengthened. The deeper our experience of Jesus’ glory, the deeper will be our experience of faith.

John tells us about only a few of the Jesus’ miracles, but he tells us about them in order that we might understand more about Jesus’ purpose on earth. Yes, he came to serve families who run out of wine. But he came to do so much more! He came to restore life, joy, vitality, and hope to the whole world. And as we begin to see, believe, understand, and experience the glory of Jesus, our faith becomes a vehicle for his glory to be further revealed in and through our lives.

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