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Following the Christian Tradition: The First Miracle


(John 2:1-11)

On the third day that they were together, Jesus performed his first miracle. It took place at a wedding ceremony in Cana. When the party had run out of wine, Mary came to her son and told him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus responded by telling her that his time had not yet arrived. At Mary’s insistence, Jesus told the servants to fill the pots with water. The servants took a sampling to the master of the feast. At which point he exclaimed, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”


The Historical Jesus: The First Miracle

Whenever I happen across a tale that probably does not have a historically factual foundation, but is relayed through scripture, my focus turns from a ‘this is what happened—so what can I learn from it’-mindset, toward a ‘there is spiritual wisdom here—so what is it?-mindset’. For instance, I no longer believe, as I once did, that the Adam and Eve story happened exactly as described in Genesis. I do not believe that Eve magically appeared while Adam slept and awoke with one rib missing. Nor do I believe that a snake slithered up to Eve and convinced her to go eat an apple from a tree that was, for some unbeknownst reason, off limits. I do, however, take great meaning from the stories told in Genesis. For example, the “Eve and the Apple” story bears great meaning in terms of living in relationship with God versus living outside of God’s presence. The bottom line is simple: Much of what is found in the Bible bears great wisdom. That insight is not necessarily reliant upon it being historically factual.

This tact proves valuable when studying the first miracle of water-to-wine in John. The story is found only in John, which is a gospel known for its fictional approach to the life of Jesus which reveals a reflection of the Messiah as seen through the eyes of the early Christian movement. This story bears that reflection and serves that agenda. It is a metaphoric parable told by the writer(s) of John to make a point at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

In the story, Jesus attends a wedding. During the festivities, we learn that the groom had slipped up. He made the mistake of allowing the celebration to run out of wine. At the urging of his mother, Jesus, albeit reluctantly, steps forward to save the day. Six water pots of stone were then set before Jesus, similar to pots used in Jewish purification rituals. Jesus then instructed the servants to fill the pots with water.

With that, the pots were filled to the brim. Jesus then instructs the servants to take a sampling to the feast’s governor (i.e. wedding planner). After tasting the wine, the governor scolds the groom saying, “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.” The wedding planner is basically telling the groom, “Hey, don’t you know you’re supposed to put out the good wine first, and then, when everyone is a little tipsy, you put out the bad stuff because they don’t care what it tastes like then!” Of course, the planner didn’t know that it was Jesus who made the switch and saved the celebration in the process. With that, John tells us that this is the first of many miracles performed by Jesus and prompted his disciples to believe in him.

Significant messages and metaphoric elements are revealed throughout the story. The event takes place on the third day, which is symbolic of Jesus’ resurrection three days after the crucifixion. In the story, we see Jesus saving the day because of the failure of the groom (Jewish leaders). Jesus had six pots filled with water. The pots filled were used in Jewish cleansing rituals, which may be symbolically telling. In addition, the number of pots may bear significance as the number six is often used to symbolize man (God created man on the sixth day) in scriptural writing.

What John’s author(s) seem to be telling his readers with this story is: from the beginning Jesus is here to save the day; although perhaps not in the way that the Jewish leaders anticipated.



Following the Christian tradition: Early Judean Ministry

(John 2:13-4:3)

After a brief journey to Capernaum, Jesus began his public ministry in Judea. It began during the Passover of A.D. 27 in Jerusalem. It had been awhile since Jesus’ baptism and wilderness journey. Those events are commonly thought to have taken place during the late summer of A.D. 26. After being out of the public eye for several months, it was time for Jesus to officially begin his ministry. The Passover offered a perfect starting point for his initiative.

The Passover, also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, observed the Hebrew’s deliverance from Egyptian oppression and drew millions of Jews to Jerusalem. According to the Jewish tradition, the Passover was the last of ten plagues used by God to liberate the Jewish people from the Egyptians. The Egyptian Pharaoh refused to allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt at God’s request, which was presented by Moses and his brother, Aaron. Therefore, the plagues were sent to demonstrate God’s omnipotence. The tenth plague meant death to the firstborn (both man and animal) of the household. This could only be avoided by sacrificing a lamb and spreading its blood on each doorpost and the lintel. Then the family would eat a hastened meal in anticipation of the exodus from Egypt. The meal was so hurried that the bread used was not given time to rise; it was unleavened. The meal consisted of meat (the lamb), bread and a salad. Any home that did not hold to these directives would cost the firstborn their life. Death resulted for members of Pharaoh’s family, which compelled him to allow the Israelites their leave. From that point, the Jewish people have observed Passover.

The Passover was a weeklong celebration held every spring. It attracted people from all over the region to Jerusalem and the temple. In Jesus’ time, the Jews were expected to attend the event. It afforded people the opportunity to socialize and discuss the issues of the day. Roman oppression already weighed heavily on the minds of the Jewish people. This was an opportune event to use as the springboard to Jesus’ opposition of the temple system and spread word of his vision of God’s Kingdom. Jesus performed signs and miracles during the Passover. He knew word of the events would carry to other regions quickly. Those attending the Passover would share accounts of Jesus’ works, helping his legend to explode immediately.

Only John tells of the Early Judean Ministry (John 2:13- 4:3). John discusses two events: Jesus’ talk with Nicodemus, which eloquently reveals the thoughts of the early Christian movement toward Jesus; and, his ministry in the region of Lower Jordan.

Jesus traveled from Capernaum to Jerusalem for the annual feast. Although John doesn’t speak of miracles specifically, John 2:23 states, “…many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did.” Evidently, Jesus performed numerous healing miracles. He gained the beginning of his incredible following as people were beginning to wonder if Jesus might be the much-anticipated Messiah.

With Jesus’ popularity growing, Nicodemus, a Pharisee and an influential member of the Sanhedrin, sought him to inquire of his teachings. Jesus’ actions had caught the attention of Nicodemus, who sought a secret interview with Jesus. Seeking out Jesus in a more public forum was not feasible for Nicodemus. After all, Jesus was not a formally educated man but rather a tradesman from Nazareth. Nicodemus, however, recognized Jesus’ teachings and works to be from God.

“…we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him,” Nicodemus stated.

Jesus responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

This confused Nicodemus, who was most likely thinking of a worldly kingdom being established and an actual “re-birth” rather than a spiritual transformation. The idea of a spiritual birth was completely foreign to Nicodemus. He was mystified by the metaphorical teaching and perplexed that he, being such a highly esteemed leader of the Jews, would not have automatic acceptance into the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus was thinking in terms of the flesh, but Jesus was teaching in spiritual terms.

Jesus continued, saying, “No one has ascended to heaven but he who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (here the early Christian movement foreshadows Jesus’ death on the cross by comparing that death to how God saved lives with the use of the bronze serpent which was displayed for the Israelites to look at with faith in order to be saved from the fiery serpents (Numbers 21:9)). For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation: that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, unless his deeds should then be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”



Genuinely Jesus: Jesus and Nicodemus

This conversation as presented by John provides a tremendous reflection of how the early Christian movement viewed Jesus. Did Jesus have this exact dialogue with Nicodemus? In my opinion, probably not. Remember, John’s Gospel is commonly believed to be a faith-based account of Jesus’ earthly walk. However, with that taken into consideration, these words are quite compelling. After all, considering the group centered nature of the culture that existed in first century Palestine, much of that oration would have been thought to be absurd. Jesus would have been perceived to be a self-serving lunatic more so than all-saving. Jesus, whose radical wisdom moved his followers away from violent revolution and toward humility and meekness, would not have delivered a message with undertones of arrogance focusing squarely on him. Rather, this oration serves as a reflection from the early Christian movement which paints a picture of God’s love for mankind and the great adoration for the one who reveals that love. Jesus was an incredible spiritual leader to provoke such thoughts. In this context, these reflections become even more powerful than the belief that Jesus literally made these claims to Nicodemus.

Marcus Borg speaks to this issue and the “I AM…” reflections given in John (“I am the light of the world”; “I am the bread of life”, etc.). Borg states, “…if we think of these not as self-statement of Jesus but as the voice of the community, they become very powerful. If a community says about someone, ‘We have found in this person the light of the world who has shown us the way out of darkness,’ ‘We have found this person the way that leads from death to life,’ that is very impressive indeed.”*5-6