John 2:1-11...1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.


5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.




This is the first of seven major "signs" or miracles in the book of John. This one has frustrated interpreters over the years because it creates some unresolved questions: why is Jesus' mother not named in this text or any other text in John?

Why does Jesus' response to Mary seem so sharply worded? What does Jesus mean by "my hour has not yet come"?

Why is Jesus at a party where the guests are obviously drunk with wine? What is meant by the symbolism of the empty jugs reserved for Jewish purification rites?

From my own perspective, I have wondered why John gives so much attention to a seemingly unimportant miracle. I mean to say that there are people to heal and feed; sermons to be given; and poor to be taken care of... why waste a miracle on a making wine for a bunch of drunks?

There have been many interpretations given; the following is one of those.

Water is a very common, available, ordinary, and yet, life sustaining commodity. Although it was used for Jewish rituals, washing feet, drinking, and baptism, water is a very ordinary commodity.

Wine, on the other hand symbolizes something very special that is mentioned throughout scripture (about 195 times in the Old Testament). Sometimes it is mentioned in a pejorative sense as in the stories of Noah and Lot and the Nazirite instructions.

Other times it is mentioned in a very positive sense as a means of celebration (check out Psalm 104:15) such as this wedding celebration. Of course, we also know it as one of the key elements (along with bread) used in Holy Communion.

Whatever, water is readily available without any further treatment (yes, today we have water purification, chlorination, and the like... they did not).

Wine, on the other hand, was labor intensive.

One must culture and grow grapes, harvest, operate a wine press, bottle (add to wineskins), ferment, and age.

Sometimes that works well, and sometimes you get vinegar or bad wine. What Jesus did was take something very ordinary and transform it into a rich, fine wine that the wine steward recognized as an extraordinary wine! Jesus transformed the ordinary into something extraordinary.

He could have created wine out of nothing, but he decided to start with something very ordinary.

Why do I choose such an interpretation?

Reread verse 11. We know from all four Gospel accounts that the disciples were very ordinary people. Sometimes they were very ordinary.

Apparently, Jesus did not select and call them for the abundance of their talents. Yet, through this sign of ordinary being transformed into extraordinary, these very ordinary people are transformed into something extraordinary; that is, through the revelation of his glory they were transformed into believers... those who fully entrusted themselves into Jesus Christ.

Christians are extraordinary people, the Children of God; not because they are something extraordinary but because through the power of Christ given to all believers, they are transformed into extraordinary. Seemingly ordinary churches are extraordinary through the same power.

Believe into him!Pastor Joe Miller Jr. serves at First United Methodist in Newton