Reflection on John 2:1-11: Wedding at Cana

Gospel: John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. 

Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from  although the servers who had drawn the water knew-- the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory (honor), and his disciples began to believe in him.

John’s gospel is filled with rich symbolism that can be read on several different levels: concerning Jesus’ life; concerning the life of members in John the Evangelist’s community; concerning the life of the Church today and throughout history. The story of the Wedding at Cana includes the first of Jesus’ glory- filled signs and another of the Messiah’s epiphanies (revelation to the world). Jesus’ first sign, turning water into wine, reveals the glory of God, and as a result, Jesus’ disciples come to believe in him as the mediator of God’s graces.

In what sense does it reveal God’s glory? This is best understood by looking backward to the event. John the evangelist had a purpose in writing his gospel: his own community had been banished from the worshipping Jewish community, and he had to convince them to choose to remain followers of Jesus at the risk of losing their families, traditions, friends, etc. This was serious, literally a choice between life and death for many. Many were feeling forsaken, confused, angry, and/or desolate. John was trying to create a unique and attractive identity for his family of faith and so he wanted to show that Jesus was in fact “I AM” (the ancient name for Yahweh), that Jesus fulfilled and surpassed the Jewish laws, rituals, and traditions, and that the followers of Jesus were the new Chosen People, the new Israel living in God’s reign.

The water becoming wine incident is significant on several levels. When the mother of Jesus first approached him about the fact that the wine had run out, Jesus replied, “My hour has not yet come.” The “hour” that he is referring to is his revelation as the Messiah most profoundly expressed in the shedding of his blood on the cross and his subsequent resurrection. The fact that the wedding feast does in fact become the place of this miracle links the wine, the result of his spoken word, with the blood he shed on the cross. Both were done in response to the will of others: in this case, the command of his mother; later on, the demands of wicked men in the face of God’s love. In this way, the early Christians understood innately the use of wine in the Eucharistic meal as Jesus’ sacrificial blood shed for all and the inauguration of the messianic reign in God’s Kingdom. Those who participate in the new wine of Christ become the guests at God’s wedding banquet here and now. It was unthinkable that the sign of God’s Kingdom would “run out” and the deprived people be left to wander off in doubt or ponder another disappointment; the mother of Jesus would not allow it, nor would John.

Another powerful symbol John’s readers would have pondered was the jugs of water. These large stone jars held the water which faithful Jews used to wash their hands and faces before sitting down to the feast, and perhaps their feet after the dusty walk to the wedding. These acts were consistent with the purification rituals practiced by law-abiding Jews. The people around Cana were peasants, and water was not always in abundance. The fact that so much water was available at this wedding indicated the sizable invitation list and length of the feast (eight days). Weddings in this poverty stricken culture were truly signs of God’s blessing. Because the wine of Jesus’ glory came from these jars, John seems to have been suggesting that salvation through Christ expressed in baptism came out of Judaism, and at the same time, the new wine (Jesus’ wine: Christians) was better than the first wine (Judaism), as discovered and exclaimed by the steward (John). The new life brought about by belief in Jesus, who was himself fully Jewish, is superior to that available under the Jewish law. This idea was intended to soften the pain experienced by his community members cut off from their families because of their baptism into the family of Jesus and bring former enemies (Pharisees, Samaritans, Gentiles, followers of Jesus) together around the Eucharistic Table.

DID YOU KNOW: in Jesus’ time, the ideal spouse was a first cousin? The people of the Mediterranean cultures practiced arranged marriages for thousands of years in order to strengthen familial bonds. Most of the wedding guests were related. Jesus’ miracle “saved face” for the family in a society flush with criticism but also reinforced the celebration as a thanksgiving for God’s bringing these families together in prosperity.

Reflection by Rodney Bluml,
Pastoral Associate/Faith Formation Director
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Marion, IA