Jesus Changes Cleansing Water Into Wine (J8)

Mary knew her Son possessed divine pow’r,
She went straight to Him when the wine ran out;
“Woman, why come to me? It’s not my hour!”
He thought, Is it wise, my power to flout?
Then He recalled, Nathanael did believe
Because I know all things, seen and unseen;
New faith could my disciples here receive,
If I make wine from water used to clean!
To show them He had pow’r to make ALL things,
He turned the cleansing water into wine;
Tasted by the host, its praises he sings;
Compared to the first, the last is more fine!
His disciples saw the glory of God
In the signs done by He with whom they trod!

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Dear woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews in ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first, and then the cheaper wine, after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.’ This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” (John 2:1-11)

John the apostle wrote this account of the gospel of Jesus Christ very selectively. He did not write it in chronological order, and he selected only seven of His miracles, which he called signs. He was making his book in such a way that it would prove that Jesus was divine; that He was not just the Son of God, but was God Himself. Then why did John choose this seemingly trivial use of divine power, changing water into wine to save embarrassment for the bridegroom at a wedding? He tells us in the last verse, number 11: To reveal His glory as Creator (See John 1:3) to His disciples, and to the millions who have read His part of the Bible since!.

Roman Catholics have used this miracle to vastly overrate Mary’s status. Her coming to Jesus, her Son who was also God of the universe, with the problem of no more wine, together with His eventual response, has signified to Catholic theologians that Mary in heaven is a great Mediatrix for Christians living on earth. We only have to pray to her with our problems, such as shortage of wine at a wedding, and she will intercede for us with God, her earthly son. But if you re-read the interchange between her and Jesus in the passage above, you cannot fail to feel His exasperation with her for involving Him before He was ready to reveal Himself to the world. He eventually did solve the problem, but not because Mary asked Him to do so; He performed the miracle because doing so revealed His glory to His disciples, who, in turn, revealed His glory to the world. John used the miracle as a sign that helped to prove his statement in John 1:3, which was that Jesus was the Creator. If He could turn dirty wash-water into the best-tasting wine ever, how small is the step from that visible feat to His invisible creation of the world? Another reason for His acceding to Mary's request is that doing so strengthened the disciples' faith in Him (v. 2:11).

“That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)