John 2 — Water Into Wine, and a Temple Cleared
Two very different scenes, back to back. First, a wedding in Cana where Jesus turns water into wine at his mother's prompting — described as his first "sign," quiet and almost reluctant (v. 4). Then, without much transition, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for Passover and drives merchants out of the temple courts, the opposite of quiet. John groups these deliberately: one shows Jesus meeting an ordinary need at an ordinary celebration, the other shows him confronting religious commerce head-on in the most important building in Judaism.
- The wedding miracle is never called a miracle in the text — John's word is "sign" (v. 11), meaning it points to something about who Jesus is rather than being the point itself.
- Verse 4 — Jesus's response to his mother, "my hour has not yet come" — is the first of several times in John where "the hour" is mentioned before it finally arrives at the crucifixion (John 17:1).
- The temple-clearing appears here in John, early in Jesus's ministry, but in the other three Gospels it appears in the final week before the crucifixion — one of the clearest examples of the Gospels ordering material thematically rather than strictly chronologically.
John 2 (WEB)
1The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.
2Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage.
3When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
4Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.”
5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”
6Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.
7Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim.
8He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it.
9When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom,
10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.
15He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables.
16To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!”
17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
18The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?”
21But he spoke of the temple of his body.
22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
24But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them, because he knew everyone,
25and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.