The Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-11)
When reading the New Testament, we can’t help but feel amazed at the many miracles of Jesus Christ. The Son of God impressed His contemporaries by demonstrating the glory of His Father. He purified the lepers, restored the sight of the blind, and healed all sorts of diseases and illnesses. He forgave the sins of humans and came to the rescue of the suffering. In the Acts of the Apostles, it is written: “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10: 38).
But how did it all happen? What was the first miracle of Jesus Christ? His first miracle is described in the second chapter of the Gospel of John, which tells the story of when Jesus turned water into wine. Let’s rediscover this episode of the Wedding at Cana, and learn about the power of the Lord.
The Wedding at Cana in the Gospel of John
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.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.”
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
The Bible tells us that Mary was also a guest at the wedding, and She was the one to ask Jesus about the wine. It shows the faith Mary had in Her son. She knew who was the right person to turn to among all the other guests: she believed Her son was the one who could resolve the situation. We can also see how compassionate She was towards the bride and groom, as She wanted the reception to continue on the most important day of their lives.
Nothing Is Impossible to Those Who Believe
With this miracle, the Lord Jesus teaches us that we must: “live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:17) When there is a gap between what our eyes see and what His Word says, we can be tempted to stop in our tracks and seek a more “logical” solution. The disciples could have done the same, but they chose to believe that the water they drew was wine, and they took it to the master to serve Him. Let us also believe in His Word: “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This way, we will be able to cultivate our kindness, our faithfulness, our joy… the most important virtues!
