John 2:1-11—Scripture Study
By Pastor Chris Simmons – Trinity Lutheran Church, Paso Robles CA
A reinforcement/supplement study to our Sunday service meant for “Building up the body of Christ… the manifold Wisdom of God made known” (Ephesians 4+3)
For the Week of January 19, 2025
Do you ever wear “different hats?” For example, I’m a dad, husband, pastor, brother, friend, cousin even more. At times, I’ll respond to my wife with “which hat do you want me to wear right now?” Yet, to add to that quote, I’ll say this “They may be different hats, but they’re all on the same head”. No matter where you are, what environment you’re in, there is a fundamental part of you that should never shift or sway. Luther mentions this in His writings on Vocation “These are the masks of God, behind which He wants to remain concealed and do all things.” Here Jesus demonstrates that for us. That even having fun at a wedding, the character of who Jesus is never shifts or changes. This reminds us as well, that no matter where we are, what we’ve done, and how we’ve sinned or strayed, regardless of circumstance, the loving nature of Jesus Christ never changes. Prayers for a blessed study!
—Pastor Chris Simmons
Discuss: What other hats do you wear? Roles you play in your life?? How did God work through those?
John 2:1-11
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
This text is very deep, and it’s easy to get lost and try to preach/teach everything going on here all at once. So for now, we’ll highlight just a few aspects of the text.
“1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.”
I tell people often… It was this episode of The Chosen that really opened my eyes to what the show can do for those who carry a sense of biblical literacy. To see Jesus and His disciples go to this wedding, really “fills in the blanks” in the circumstances of the story. You get a sense of the environment. The excitement and joy of the party, the cultural wedding practices of the time. In Jewish custom, the wedding feast would last typically seven days, and with a lot of people there, well that’s quite a bit of wine. During this episode of the Chosen, you witness the set up for the wedding, the dancing, the amount of wine that was actually being consumed, and a lot of other details. I highly recommend it. It’s season 1 episode 5. Or wait and watch it as part of our Chosen Class.
Discuss: What are some weddings you’ve attended (or maybe talk about your own if you are married)? What were they like? What were some of your favorite parts of the ceremony or reception?
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
Ever wonder why it was so important to have wine at the wedding? Now, Jesus' mother Mary was not concerned that “the party is going to be lame if there is no alcohol” ... Jewish culture and history attributed a lot to wine, mostly based upon Scriptures. Here’s a few examples.
Joel 2:18-19
Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
The Lord replied to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
Joel 2:23-24 - 23
Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
Amos 9:11-15 - 11
“In that day
I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.
13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.
“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
Within Scripture you see wine closely related to provision, future security, and hope from God. With this, you can understand why it was such a major social blunder, even shameful to run out of wine at a wedding… essentially it shows that the bridegroom is unable to provide a future, security or hope. Imagine if marriage vows said “I promise to take you for better or worse, in sickness and in health… but I can’t provide you with much hope, security, or much of a future”. That wouldn’t work out very well, would it? With all this in mind, it makes a lot more sense why Jesus mother is so concerned, and Jesus, even though it was “not yet His hour”, would still be willingly help.
Discuss: Have you ever been to a restaurant and they were “out of” a certain food? Maybe a store that ran out of an item on sale? What impression did that give you?
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
A famous moment here from Jesus, when He calls His own mother “Woman”. My momma would’ve slapped me (still would) if I tried that… but here this Greek word is γυνή- (guné)- which means a woman, wife, my lady. It was a more honorable title given to a lady.
The wedding is not the only time that Jesus addresses Mary as “woman”. Here near the end of John’s Gospel.
John 19:26-27
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Discuss: How does Jesus calling Mary “woman” from the cross enlighten your understanding of Him calling her “woman” at the wedding? How do they correlate?
Observe here the consistency of Jesus character. At the wedding to the cross, He calls His mother by the same honorable name. At the beginning and end of the story. In fact, that’s a major highlight of this story. Why was Jesus’ first sign be to turn water into wine? Seemingly, it doesn’t point to hope and looks like more of a “magic trick”. What it teaches however, is the consistency of character in Jesus. He didn’t just start doing “the good stuff” as self-promotion at the beginning of public ministry. No matter how big or small, God’s character is consistent. He may function in many ways, or wear different hats, but it’s the same Godhead that never changes. Here, He is a Son, yet also fully God. Honoring His mother and teaching about hope, provision, and the security of God.
Discuss: How does knowing the Old Testament Scriptures highlight the symbolism behind the wedding wine (there are even more than the sections I’ve listed)? In what ways does that change the way you see what Jesus did?
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Again, there is lots to study here. There’s the use of stone jars for purification washings, the reactions of the servants. You can compare filling the jars to the brim and Psalm 23 where David writes “my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,” Theologically rich with so many different studies and messages within. For now, let’s highlight the reason why John has written this Gospel:
John 20:31
but these are 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.
This includes John 2 and the Wedding at Cana. It’s recorded so we know God never stops providing hope, security, joy, and a future for His people. Jesus doesn’t sit ideally by as we’ve gotten ourselves into a bad circumstance. When everything is mismanaged in our lives, and we can’t supply, provide, or see a hopeful future… Jesus steps in and provides us one. Where we have fallen short in God’s Law, Jesus steps in to fulfill. He fulfills it, in a better way than we could’ve imagined.
John 2:9-10
…the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
You have saved the good wine till now… Where wine symbolized provision, joy and hope… God now provides the wine… provision, joy, and hope in an even greater way than before. A new creation, a new Exodus, a new King, a new Ruler, a new hope greater than anything previous. His very own Son, Jesus Christ.
The character of God never changes, we see throughout Scripture God’s persistence in the salvation of His people. These things are written that you may believe that God continues in His persistence. That His character never changes. Through Good, Bad, Small, or Large, God pursues you with His goodness even when it shouldn’t have been His time, it never should’ve been His problem, yet He still provides.
Discuss: Have you ever helped out at a party? Did you run out to get more food? Ice? Drinks? Even Wine? How grateful were the party hosts when you helped?
Ephesians 4:1-2
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…
This is a verse I live by. If I have a life verse it is Ephesians 4:1. It speaks to me so clearly “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. Sure, at times it means pastor, or dad, son, cousin, husband, and friend. It’s not my hats that are called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, it’s the head that wears them. Jesus always walked this way, humble and gentle with patience and bearing us in love.
Where He could’ve left us to our blunder and embarrassment, He steps in and fills us up with His greater goodness. Better than what was ever there before. And just like that feast, let us share from these vessels filled with the wine of Jesus. The wine that provides brings joy, security, and hope. To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Discuss: Do you have any life verses you live by? What are they? Please share if you have any and build up those around you.
Prayer
What large or small problems can you lay at the feet of Jesus today?
In what ways are you not the same person of character in all times and places? Do you intentionally or unintentionally hide your Christianity from others? Pray for encouragement, to be filled with good wine always, and eager to share it.
Lord God, we are grateful that in private and public, Jesus has always been for us. Even when you “change hats” your character never changes. Help us look to you aways, be vessels of your goodness, and live in your provision, hope, security, and joy now and always. Amen.