John
2:1-25
Lesson 167
2:1-25
Lesson 167
John 2:1-25
Water into wine 1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. 13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. |
Margin notes:
"The third day." (2:1) - This could mean three days after Nathanael was called by Jesus (see lesson 166) or the third day of the week. "Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage." (2:2) - "Jesus was invited, with His disciples, to the wedding." "They wanted wine." (2:3) - "They ran out of wine." "Woman." (2:4) - A polite, respectful way to address your mother in Jesus' day. Jesus also called His mother "woman" as he was dying on the cross (John 19:26). "Mine hour is not yet come." (2:4) - "My time has not yet come." God's plan for salvation had a set timetable, and it was not yet time for Jesus to die. See also John 7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 12:27; 13:1; and 17:1. "Six waterpots of stone." (2:6) - These were used by Jews to ceremonially wash before meals (Mark 7:3). "Two or three firkins." (2:6) - A firkin is approximately nine gallons. "Knew not whence it was." (2:9) - "Didn't know where it came from." "This beginning of miracles." (2:11) - Turning water into wine was Jesus' first miracle. Despite claims to the contrary, Jesus did not perform miracles as a child. "Manifested forth his glory." (2:11) - "Revealed His glory." "They continued there." (2:12) - "They stayed there." "Passover." (2:13) - The annual Jewish holiday commemorating the night the angel of death passed harmlessly over the enslaved Israelites in Egypt while killing the firstborn of all Egyptians (Exodus 12:13-14). This fearsome miracle convinced the Egyptians to let the Israelites go free after four hundred years of slavery. To begin the Passover holiday, a sacrificial lamb was killed, and without breaking any of its bones (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12), was roasted. The Passover feast was then prepared with bitter herbs (representing the bitterness of slavery) and sweet spices (representing the sweetness of freedom) and was followed immediately by the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:15; Leviticus 23:5-8). The two eventually became one holiday (Mark 14:1) beginning on the fourteenth day of the seventh month (Abib) and lasting one week as prescribed in Deuteronomy 16:1-3. Jewish men were required to "appear before the Lord" (Exodus 23:17) on Passover, so thousands of Jews came to Jerusalem each year to celebrate their liberation and offer up a religious sacrifice. Passover is sometimes called simply the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:15; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1). Another interesting point is that Jesus was sacrificed on the cross the same day the Passover lambs were sacrificed in the Temple. Just like the sacrificial lambs, not a bone in Jesus' body was broken (John 19:36). To learn more about the Passover and its importance, read Exodus 12:1-30; 12:43-50; 13:1-22; and Deuteronomy 16:1-8. "Jesus went up to Jerusalem." (2:13) - This is the beginning of Jesus' early Judean Ministry. It lasted for about eight months. "Sold oxen and sheep and doves." (2:14) - With thousands of people visiting Jerusalem for Passover, merchants set up stalls in the Temple courtyard to sell the sacrificial animals necessary for atonement. "The changers of money." (2:14) - These were vendors who exchanged the foreign money of visitors into the local Jewish or Temple currency. The money changers charged a conversion fee of 10-12 percent. With so many visitors in Jerusalem for Passover, business was always brisk. "Made a scourge." (2:15) - "Made a whip." "Take these things hence." (2:16) - "Take these things away." "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." (2:17) - "The passion for God's house consumes me." The disciples were remembering Psalm 69:9. "The Jews." (2:18) - Jewish religious leaders. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (2:19) - The Temple being raised in three days is a metaphor for Jesus' body being resurrected. Jesus is predicting that He will die and rise again in three days. When He stands trial, false witnesses will misrepresent Jesus' words (Matthew 26:60-61). Later, while hanging on the cross, people will taunt Jesus with these words (Mark 15:29-31). "He spake of the temple of his body." (2:21) - The Bible repeatedly tells us that our body is God's Temple and that He lives within us (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). "Jesus did not commit himself unto them." (2:24) - "Jesus did not trust them." |