The Best of John Chapter Two

 

Verse one. There was a timeline in the first chapter in which we saw Jesus on the first day at John's camp, on the second day when he left with two disciples (who stayed with him that night), and on the following day when Jesus headed out for Galilee.

That timeline is picked up in verse one of chapter two and it should be considered as a part of that complete scenario. It was as if Jesus had been tying up loose ends in preparation for the beginning of his ministry. The final loose end was the wedding at Cana. This specific event is tagged as “The third day.”

It is interesting to note the symmetry – Jesus had three days at both his ministry's beginning and end which are pointedly brought to our attention. Counting back, the second day involved Nathanael, the first day involved the apostles Philip, John, and Peter where Jesus spent the night – and the day Jesus arrived at the camp of the Baptist is not listed as part of that. Why?

Jesus, when he headed out for Galilee, may have specifically had the wedding at Cana as his goal – Nathanael was simply along the way. That invests a certain amount of importance in the Cana wedding. In other words, Jesus was not simply there; Jesus was deliberately and purposefully placing all his ducks in a row.

Notes on the Cana wedding. Here is something I found on GotQuestions?org that speaks of the family ties to said wedding.

“It seems that Jesus’ family had close connections to the event in Cana. The fact that Jesus’ mother, Mary, is concerned with the lack of wine (John 2:3) suggests that she was involved in the planning and organization of the wedding. The fact that after the wedding Jesus’ brothers travel with Him to Capernaum (John 2:13) indicates that Jesus’ whole family was present for the wedding. Could the wedding have been that of a relative of Jesus or a family friend? It is quite possible. Such a connection would explain Jesus’ presence at the wedding . . .

One consideration is that of honor. In those days, family honor was of vital importance. Weddings usually lasted for seven days, during which time food and wine supplied by the bride’s and groom’s families flowed freely. To run out of either implied a thoughtless or impoverished host. Running out of wine would bring dishonor upon the family name. As a personal favor, Mary turned to her divine Son for help. Her family was about to be shamed in the community, and she knew her Son could do something about it.”

We see, in verse two, that both Jesus and his disciples were called to the wedding. I take the word 'called' to mean invited. Weddings of those days were protracted events. There was up to a year between the betrothal contract and the consummation and following feast (which could go on for days.) It is not likely that they were walking past the event and someone called them in off the road. The invitation was long-standing. It was a matter of entire families coming together.

From an article written by Glenn Kay – “The coming of the Bridegroom and the Wedding Begins.

Since the time of his arrival was a surprise - the bride and her bridal party were always to be ready - this is the background of Yeshua's parable (Mat. 25:1-13). It was customary for one of the groom's party to go ahead of the bridegroom, leading the way to the bride's house - and shout - "Behold, the bridegroom comes." This would be followed by the sounding of the shofar. At the sounding of the shofar, the entire wedding processional would go through the streets of the city to the bride's house. The groomsmen would again set up the huppah:

• Again the couple would say a blessing over the cup of wine.

• The ceremony finalized the promises and vows.

The pinnacle of this joyful celebration was the marriage supper:

• It was much more than just a sit-down dinner for all the guests.

• It included seven full days of food, music, dance and celebration - (Jn. 14:10-12).

• After the festivities the husband was free to bring his bride to their new home to live together as husband and wife in the full covenant of marriage.”

Verse four. Jesus' mother was a major wedding organizer. She brought the problem about wine to her son, who had, seemingly only arrived at the seven-day feast. If they had run out, the feast had been ongoing when Jesus arrived. The fact that Mary asked Jesus for a miracle suggests that it was not his first. If the wine from water was not the first miracle, his response, “mine hour is not yet come” may not refer to his ministry as the son of God. The response may have been more of a personal reference. It almost seems that Jesus was annoyed by his mother's request. (It is as if Jesus was saying, 'I have something else to do', or as if he just wanted to get through the event and move on.)

If he did not want to do another miracle for Mom – then why did he? Was it for the sake of people getting to drink wine? Was it to quiet his mother? Was it for the honor of the family?

Verses nine and ten. It appears that the family of the bridegroom was responsible for the wine, as it was the bridegroom that was questioned by the governor of the feast. Does that make the governor a family member on the side of the bride's family? Or, did the governor serve as the head steward of the bridegroom,s family? In seven days of feasting, wine is not the most consumed product. How soon the bridegroom's store of wine runs out speaks of his ability to buy wine from the winemakers.

If the bridegroom was one of Jesus' brothers, and the family business was regular, they should have been able to purchase enough wine, even if it took two trips to the vineyards. Had they run out of money? Was the need for wine at that very moment so urgent that Mary asked a miracle from her son (whose ministry had not yet begun because he was still tying up loose ends?)

Who were the servants? Were they slaves? Were they hired workers? Mary seems an old hand at dispensing instructions. Are we actually looking at upper and lower classes within the society of that day?

A note on John two, verse eleven. “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him.” It appears that at least the author of the book believed Jesus' ministry had begun with the miracle of the wedding wine.

It is clear that Jesus did not. Return to verse four to see why – “mine hour is not yet come.” It appears that in Jesus' own words, he was not yet ready, he had not yet begun. Again, however, I think his response to his mother's request was not related to miracles or his public ministry but was in regard to something personal. Here is the reasoning: his ability to perform a miracle was not dependent upon the commencement of his ministry. That was already an established fact known between mother and son as evidenced by her request.

Verse eleven states, and it may be only the opinion of the author, that the disciples of Jesus believed on him. Remember that the wedding occurred on the 'third day'. In other words, Peter, Philip, John, and Nathanael knew Jesus for three days or less. They were more like new acquaintances. That is, of course, if they did not already have, like Jesus' cousin, the Baptist, a history.

At the end of the festivities, the man took the new wife to their new home. In verse twelve, Jesus and his mother, with all his brothers (and possibly, sisters) and his new disciples, leave the wedding and travel to Capernaum. Why? Didn't his family live in Nazareth? The answer might be that the wife was being taken to her new home in Capernaum. From Cana, one travels through a valley toward Magdala before turning up toward Capernaum. Jesus is traveling back the way he came, I think. It was about twelve miles to Magdala and another six to Capernaum. See the map.

Thoughts on verse twelve. So Jesus and his family went to Capernaum. All of them stayed there for a few days. The exact wording is “and they continued there not many days.” They stayed for a while but not overly long. Did they stay as long as a week? Did they stay because of the Sabbath which placed a legal limit on the miles they would be able to walk?

Was their lodging prearranged? All of them had a place to stay. Why was Jesus' whole family visiting this unnamed place in Capernaum? Was it a family matter? I get the sense that this was the final end that Jesus was tying up before the beginning of his public ministry.

Thoughts on the public ministry of Jesus. I take this from verse thirteen. The Passover was at hand. Jesus had to walk all the way to Jerusalem from Capernaum. That was an eighty-five-mile walk. The average person can walk about three miles in one hour. You are looking at a travel time of roughly twenty-eight hours. If Jesus headed out at dawn on Sunday, he would likely have reached Jerusalem around Thursday or Friday.

I made an earlier note about the three days at the beginning and end of Jesus' ministry. I compared three to three. Here is another comparison, and one I think that works into the thought of Jesus tying up loose ends before beginning his public ministry. Jerusalem to Jerusalem is that comparison. It seems likely to me that Jesus would begin and end his ministry in that city.

I would also bring your attention to a comparison of comments. In John 2:4 Jesus said to his mother, in front of his disciples, “mine hour is not yet come.” In John 17:1 Jesus said in the hearing of his gathered disciples, “the hour is now come.” I voiced my opinion that Jesus' comment to his mother was in regard to something personal. I submit here that it was Jesus' personal relationship to Jerusalem that he referenced. What we must see is both the temple in Jerusalem and the temple that is Jesus. One of the first things Jesus said when he began his ministry in Jerusalem (verse nineteen) was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Verse twenty-two clearly shows that the author of this book was writing after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Verse twenty-three shows us that by the time that the feast day rolled around, Jesus having been in Jerusalem from the onset of the Passover, he had performed miracles in Jerusalem which are not included in the writing. It is stated that through the miracles performed in Jerusalem before and on the feast day that many believed in his name. Jesus was a common name. The name they believed in had to be another name. Was he promoting himself as the son of God, the Christ?

Notes on verses twenty-four and twenty-five. The wording in these two verses often passes under the radar. Jesus did not commit himself to the people, even though they believed. It was like a test run. What is the whole point of stating that Jesus did not commit himself unto the men because he knew all men? Was the author saying that Jesus later committed himself unto the men? Was it a commentary on the inherent evil in man? That Jesus did not need or want the testimony of others if it was only about a man is the part many do not catch onto in the remark.

Was Jesus, who knew what was in man, still dealing with his own manhood, mortality, man-nature, etc? Was he dealing with the issue of his public image? Perhaps he wanted to be seen as more than just a good man, or a Rabbi, or a prophet, or any of the commonalities that other men normally reduced to the nature of the average man. The answer may lie in the beginning verses of chapter three.