Bible Commentaries
John 2

Verse 1

1 Third day means after the conversation with Nathanael in the preceding chapter. Cana was a town not far from Capernaum, and it was the home of the apostle Nathanael (chapter 21:2). The text does not state whether the mother of Jesus was there by personal invitation, or that she was a relative of the parties.

Verse 2

2 The disciples of Jesus would mean those he had made after entering upon his personal ministry. It was appropriate to invite the disciples along with the Master.

Verse 3

3 Wanted is from HUSTEREO, and Thayer defines it at this place, "To fail, be wanting." It indicates that they had wine provided in the beginning of the feast, but the supply had run out. The mother of Jesus very naturally appealed to her son to help them out of their embarrassment.

Verse 4

4 Such an appeal indicated that she expected Jesus to perform some kind of a miracle, since the occasion was too far advanced to go to a market. But Jesus had not intended launching upon his public miraculous works in full scale degree yet. Moffatt renders the question Jesus asked, "What have you to do with me?" It was a mild protest against her attempt to press Him into his work before he was ready.

Verse 5

5 The statement of Jesus to his mother must not have been very severe, and there was doubtless something in the conversation (not recorded) that indicated a willingness on the part of Jesus to help the group out of their difficulty. Mary instructed them to follow whatever directions He gave to them.

Verse 6

6 Moffatt says these waterpots could hold about twenty gallons each.

Verse 7

7 It required no miraculous power to fill the pots with water, hence Jesus bade the attendants do that. The lesson of human cooperation with the Lord is taught frequently throughout the Bible, showing that He will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from death, but commanded the people to feed her (Mar 5:43). He brought Lazarus from the grave, but told the people to remove the grave clothes (Joh 11:44).

Verse 8

8 Governor in this verse, and ruler in the next, are from ARCHITRIK-LINOS, and Thayer defines it," The superintendent of a dining-room, a table-master." He then explains it as follows: "It was his duty to place in order the tables and couches, arrange the courses, taste the food and wine beforehand, etc." That is why Jesus told them to bear this wine to the governor of the feast.

Verse 9

9 The foregoing information explains why the ruler of the feast tasted the wine. He thought it had been provided by the bridegroom for the use of his guests. He was so well pleased with it that he decided to compliment the host.

Verse 10

0 When a man is drunk, his mind is rendered dull so that his ability to make distinctions is weakened. Hence an entertainer would reserve his worst wine until the guests were drunk, after which they would not know the difference. Attempts have been made by some commentators to explain away the seeming objection to this circumstance, by referring to the various kinds of wine that were made in Palestine. They explain that some varieties were not as strong as others, and that when men are said to be drunk on it, it only means they are filled to the point of being stu-pified. But the theory does not agree with the original language. Drunk is from METHUSKO, which has some variety of forms in the Greek New Testament, but all have virtually the same meaning. Thayer defines the word, "To intoxicate, make drunk; to get drunk, become intoxicated." Strong defines it, "To drink to intoxication, 1. e., get drunk." Greenfield defines it, "To intoxicate, inebriate, make drunk; passively, to be intoxicated, make drunk." Good and worse wine are used in the sense of superior and inferior, meaning that after wine has been fully "aged," it is more satisfactory. Of course it would be no difficult task for Jesus to put this water through all the processes that nature does in bringing it to a state of clarification. The attempts of friends of the Bible to meet the so-called objection to this event by appealing to the meaning of the word "drunk," are not justified by the original Greek words. But the whole effort is unnecessary, for Jesus did not claim to be attempting a general reformation of the whole world all at once. (There is no evidence that the related guests were disciples either of John or Jesus.) He once told his disciples, even, that he had many things to say to them which they could not bear then (chapter 16:12), and certainly the world in general was not yet ready for the more advanced teaching on the subject of wine as a beverage. Another thing to note in the case, is that it does not say that a single person present had actually drunk enough to make him intoxicated. In those days, people did not have any process of preserving grape juice unfermented, hence the various passages on the subject only rule against drinking enough of the wine to become drunk. (See Eph 5:18; 1Ti 3:3; 1Ti 3:8; Tit 1:7.)

Verse 11

1 Jesus had not planned to open his public work of performing miracles yet (verse 4), but the appeal of his mother prompted him to act. It is noteworthy that the "beginning of miracles" was enacted in the district where he was brought up. Disciples believed on Him. This does not denote they did not believe previously, for they could not have become disciples of Jesus without first believing; but their faith grew.

Verse 12

2 Jesus went on down to the city that he had adopted as a residence (Mat 4:13), which was not far from Cana where he had performed his first miracle. Note that his brethren and disciples are mentioned in the same sentence, which refutes the Romish theory that the "brethren" of Christ always means his disciples. The doctrine is used to support their un-scriptural notion of the perpetual virginity of His mother.

Verse 13

3 John's record of the Gospel is the only one of the four that refers to all the passovers Jesus attended while on earth. These events give us the Biblical basis for saying that His earthly ministry lasted between three and four years. The present verse gives the first one, and the next is in chapter 5:1.

Verse 14

6 See notes on Mat 21:12-13.

Verse 17

7 The saying referred to is recorded in Psa 69:9. See my comments on that verse in volume 3 of the Old Testament Commentary.

Verse 18

8 The Jews were questioning the right of Jesus to "take the law into his own hands," so to speak, and inflict this physical punishment on the dealers in necessary articles for the service of God. They challenged Him to stake his standing as an unusual person by uttering some sign, which means some kind of event that was to come.

Verse 19

9 The Jews pretended to think Jesus meant the literal temple that was the capitol of their national service. But their conversation with Pilate, recorded in Mat 27:62-63, shows they fully understood what temple was meant.

Verse 20

0 Forty and six years was the length of time that Herod had used in building (remodeling) the temple. But even if Jesus had meant that structure, it would not have been any more difficult a task for him to have reconstructed it in three days, than to perform the other miracles recorded.

Verse 21

1 Jesus compared his fleshly body to a temple because it was the structure in which his spirit was dwelling. Paul makes the same comparison in 1Co 6:19; 1Co 12:12-26.

Verse 22

2 Believed the scripture refers to the prediction in the Old Testament that Jesus was to rise from the dead the third day. That prediction is recorded in Psa 16:9-10, and commented upon by Peter in his discourse in Act 2:25-27.

Verse 23

3 This is still the first pass-over, mentioned in verse 13. Believed when they saw the miracles. That was the primary reason why Jesus performed the miracles according to chapter 20:30, 31.

Verse 24

4 Commit is from PISTEUO, and as used in this verse, it means to put trust in another. Jesus did not put any confidence in mankind in general, and the reason is stated in the next verse.

Verse 25

5 Jesus knew all about the innermost thoughts of men, and regarded them as unreliable; he knew they were not to be trusted.