John 2:1-5 1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2And Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3And when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he says to you.”
After the revelations of chapter 1, John records the first miracle Jesus performed. John records significant signs that demonstrate the claims and descriptions of Jesus in chapter 1 and confirm him to be the Son of God. This story describes the first “sign” (verse 11). With chapter 2, Jesus begins his public ministry that continues until 12:50. The next three chapters focus on the theme of how the old ways are replaced by a new and better way. Most of the passage is told simply as a story, with the explanation give in verse 11 and a transition in verse 12. The reader is left to think deeply about the power of Jesus and to make connections with the claims of chapter 1.
The chapter begins by giving the setting. John provides another time indicator that shows the events of chapter 1 moving quickly on to chapter 2 on the third day. It is possible that the mention of a third day has allusions to Jesus’ resurrection, but it seems more likely John was interested in showing the sequence of events since Jesus met Nathanael. The setting was a wedding feast in Cana, which is where Nathanael was from (see 21:2). The exact location of Cana is uncertain, but archaeologists have discovered a site called Khirbet Qana about nine miles north of Nazareth, which could easily be walked in one day. This may have been a family wedding since Mary was present. Mary the mother of Jesus is never named in John’s Gospel but only described. Wedding feasts at that time were attended by many people in the village or community. Jesus and his growing group of disciples were present. So far, five have been mentioned: Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and the unnamed disciple of 1:35. They were eyewitnesses of the miracle that took place. John does not mention how the others who were part of the twelve (6:67) were called to follow Jesus.
The plot of the story begins in verse 3 with the simple conflict of the wine running out. Wine was an important part of a wedding celebration and a special treat for the guests. Wedding feasts could last up to a week, so a lot of planning and expense went into them. To run out of wine would have been shameful for the host family. Mary takes on the role of host. This would be more of a possibility if this was a relative’s wedding. Wine of that time was usually diluted with water and not as strong as a typical wine is today.
The next stage of the story is Mary’s statement to Jesus. It implies that he could do something about it. Mary seems to know something about Jesus’ miraculous power, as verse 5 suggests. Either that, or it could simply be interpreted as a complaint about the situation, but that is an unlikely interpretation. Jesus’ response to his mother’s request appears rude from a simple reading without considering both the literary and theological context. Part of the challenge is how modern readers interpret Jesus addressing his mother as woman (gynai). The English word misses the implied closeness of the term. Jesus used the same word for his mother when he hung on the cross (19:26). The word could be interpreted like the English “ma’am” in the form of polite address to an older female. Many languages have similar expressions. Jesus seems to indicate that this was not his problem. He was not the host. The host should have done better planning. As the story goes on, Jesus intervenes to save the host from shame.
The theological significance appears in the last phrase of verse 4 when Jesus mentions that his hour had not come. The hour could refer to many things, but particularly his suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection (7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1). The theme of Jesus’ suffering will be developed later in the Gospel. The mention of a specific “time” right at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry prepares the reader for what will come later. This literary feature is called prolepses.
Mary may not have understood the significance of this point in Jesus’ life. If we read in between the lines of the accounts in the four Gospels, Jesus had remained at home in Nazareth, likely taking care of the family as the oldest son. Joseph is never mentioned again after the visit to the temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. Jesus’ responsibility was changing. It was time now for him to enter public ministry and for the family to take the back seat. Mary had full confidence in her eldest son, the special one born of the Holy Spirit. Neither John nor the other evangelists show concern or interest in earlier parts of Jesus’ life but only the significance of his public ministry. Their focus is on revealing Jesus as the divine Son of God, with the purpose of helping readers put their faith in him.
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