Sequence in Chronology: 5 of 26
Topics Covered: Jesus travels back to Bethabara and is identified as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist, the Lord makes initial contact with some disciples (John, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael) and then performs his first public miracle by turning water into quality wine at a Cana wedding.
Bible References: John 1:28 - 2:12.
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Late October 26 A.D.
Back in Bethabara
In Bethabara (John 1:28), John the Baptist sees Jesus walking toward him and first proclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The next day, when two of his disciples (John and Andrew) are with him, the Baptist again verbally identifies the Messiah as the true Passover lamb.
On the next day, John was again standing there, and two of his disciples with him. And as he gazed upon Jesus walking, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:35 - 36, see also Revelation 5:6).
The two disciples talk with Jesus and spend the rest of the day with him.
Now when Jesus turned and saw them (John and Andrew) following, He said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, "Teacher"), where do You dwell?"
He said to them, "Come and see." They went and saw where He was dwelling, and they remained with Him that day . . . (John 1:38 - 40).
Andrew soon tells his brother Simon (Peter) that he has found the Messiah. Peter and Jesus then meet for the first time recorded in Scripture.
First, he (Andrew) found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is, being interpreted, "the Christ"). And he led him to Jesus. And when He saw him, Jesus said, "You are Simon, the son of Jona. You shall be called Cephas" (which is, being interpreted, "a stone"). (John 1:42 - 43).
The day after their meeting two more men, Philip and Nathanael, make an initial contact.
On the next day, Jesus desired to go into Galilee; and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." . . . Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of Whom Moses wrote in the Law, and also the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph; He is from Nazareth."
And Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said concerning him, "Behold, truly an Israelite in whom there is no guile (deceit or falsehood)." (John 1:44, 46 - 48).
November 26 A.D.
The First Public Miracle!
Jesus, on the third day after calling Nathanael, travels with his disciples to Cana to attend a wedding ceremony and the celebration that follows.
Now on the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the marriage feast. (John 2:1 - 2).
What occurs during the celebration in Cana will be the catalyst for Jesus' first public miracle!
While Jesus enjoyed the wedding party in Cana, the wine served to guests runs out. He is informed of this situation by his mother Mary, who gently presses him to do something about it. He initially seems to reject her appeal because his time to reveal himself has not yet arrived.
And when there was a shortage of wine, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no wine."
Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do you desire to have Me do? My time has not yet come." Then His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do." (John 2:3 - 5).
Jesus then, however, tells the servants to fill six large stone vessels, used for Jewish purification purposes, with water. This is in preparation for his first recorded miracle that only the gospel of John will write about.
Master of the Feast
Jesus then asks some servants to draw out some of the liquid in the vessels and give it to the "master of the feast" (John 2:8) who is the person responsible for overseeing the festivities. The celebration master, after drinking what was handed to him, is astonished and amazed!
Unaware that Jesus had performed a miracle (John 2:9), the celebration master exclaims to the bridegroom the following.
Every man serves the good wine first; and when the guests have drunk freely, then he serves the inferior wine. But you have kept the good wine until now (John 2:10).
The custom delineated by the feast master is easy to understand. Those attending a wedding party are first served the choicest and most expensive wines the celebration can offer. The guests, after imbibing some quality alcoholic beverages, are then offered wine that is inferior (which was cheaper and more plentiful) when they are less likely to notice (or care about) the difference!
Conclusions
We can draw the following reasonable conclusions regarding the celebration in Cana from the involvement of both Mary (John 2:3 - 5) and the feast master (verses 9 - 10). Whatever amount of quality wine was available was quickly consumed by the many folks who came to the celebration (Jesus brought at least five of his disciples, the Lord's four half-brothers and two half-sisters likely attended as well, etc.).
Additionally, we can conclude that the celebration did not have near enough cheap wine (or had none) to serve all the guests later in the festivities, as the feast master had only tasted the quality libation the celebration offered. He certainly was sober enough to tell, rather quickly, the difference between quality and cheap alcohol!
It also needs to be stated that it seems unlikely that the wedding celebration ran out of wine because the host was poor and could not afford much of it. The host not only had the means to afford servants (John 2:5, 9) but also lived in a home big enough for all the guests plus enough space to store six large stone vessels.
How Much Wine Was Made?
The question now becomes how much quality wine did Jesus create for his first recorded Biblical miracle (John 2:11). Commentaries vary regarding the total amount used to "reveal His glory" (John 2:11) since it is up for debate how much liquid was in a firkin.
According to John's account, the six vessels used to turn water into wine could contain two or three firkins of liquid each.
Now there were six water vessels of stone standing there, in accordance with the traditional purification of the Jews, each one having a capacity of two or three firkins (John 2:6).
New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, a Biblical commentary, states that a total of 120 gallons (about 454 liters) of water became wine. Though this seems like a large amount, it would have been necessary given the number of people attending the celebrations.
The Holy Bible, a Faithful Version, states that a firkin was equal to eight gallons (30.2 liters). If this estimation is true, this means Christ made anywhere from 96 gallons (363.4 liters) to 144 gallons (545 liters) of the intoxicating beverage!
Other reference works, like the Bible Knowledge Commentary, mention the amount of wine Jesus produced could have been as high as 180 gallons (about 681 liters)!
The spectacular first public miracle of Jesus produced real wine and not grape juice as some erroneously teach. The beverage he produced, which contained alcohol, was common in wedding celebrations.
Despite what some detractors might believe, the Lord was not encouraging drunkenness by provided excessive amounts of alcohol. He was merely providing, through miraculous means, the quantity of wine that was needed given the size, and other factors, of the wedding party.