A Bible Story Summary Of Jesus Turning Water Into Wine

In John chapter 2 we read where Jesus turned water into wine. Here is the story with a commentary summarizing the occasion.

John 2:1-4 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

When Jesus calls His mother “woman” that is one of the greatest ways to show respect for her and for any woman in the Jewish culture. Jesus does this throughout the gospels. This might also be Jesus’ way of distancing Himself from her and the maternal relationship into one where He is God since He is about to perform a great miracle. Jesus must have been known to the family of the wedding party or He would’ve never been invited. When the wedding party ran out of wine, it’s interesting that Jesus’ mother came up to Him to tell Him that the wine is gone. Why did she tell Him that? Jesus didn’t carry around wine with Him so why did she even tell Him about it? It could have been because she knew that Jesus was both Man and God and that He could take care of any problem that arose and quite possibly, she thought He could miraculously produce wine out of water. The least likely scenario was that He could send His disciples to go and buy more wine but this seems hard to believe. I believe it was Mary’s expectation of Jesus’ miraculously making water into wine, otherwise why would Jesus say “Woman, why do you involve me?” and “My hour has not yet come.” What did He mean by saying His hour had not yet come? This could well mean that it wasn’t time for Him to perform miracles and wonders quite yet where people would know that He must have come from God. Remember that the author of this book (John) concluded his gospel by writing “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30) which were “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

John 2:5-7 “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.”

I like Mary’s statement “Do whatever he tells you.” Will I do whatever He tells me? What about you? The fact that there are six stone jars of water might be analogous to the Jews as they used them for their ceremonial washing and the number six in the Bible refers to humanity, the number of man (Rev 13:8)…to created things. And these were to be filled to the brim, as Jesus instructs. This is reflective of the abundance that if found only in Jesus Christ and He is the living water (John 4:10, 13-14).

John 5:8-9a “Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.”

At the moment that the jars were brought back in or perhaps even before this, the water had already been turned to wine as the master of the banquet tasted the wine. The master knew not where the wine had come from; possibly indicating that he too knew that the wine had run out. If Mary knew the wine was gone, so too must have the master…but the servants knew exactly where the wine had come from and how it came to be wine.

John 9b-10 “Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

The master of the banquet must have thought that the bridegroom was responsible for the wine because he said that on such occasions they bring out the finest wine first and only after the guests had too much to drink did they bring out the cheaper wine. The fact here is that after the guests had drunken much wine, they wouldn’t to be able to discriminate between the good and the bad so easily. Actually the bridegroom was responsible for the wine…as Jesus is known as the Bridegroom and even refers to Himself in scriptures as such (John 3:29; Rev 19:7-9, 21:1-2) and the Bridegroom is betrothed to His bride, the church (2nd Cor 11:2) and will come for her someday (soon?). The best was saved for last since the Bridegroom can only produce the best.

John 9:11 “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

This is Jesus’ first recorded miracle and the first evidence of His being God was at a wedding and again, someday, He will be the participant of another wedding and at this one, He will wed the church. This, the first of many signs, revealed His glory and thus, His disciples believed in Him which again speaks of the purpose of the Gospel of John as he concludes his gospel by writing, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

Conclusion

If you have repented, which means that you had a time in your life where you have turned away and forsaken your sins and then placed your trust in Christ, then you too will be in that great wedding feast in the kingdom of God. The conclusion will be in your witnessing this: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:1-4).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.