Learn in this article about the history of the wedding at Cana that the Bible says was celebrated in Galilee. A biblical celebration of great importance, because in it the first miracle performed by Jesus of which there is a record took place.
The wedding at Cana
In the Gospel of John in the Bible there is an interesting and important story. Since in him, Jesus would perform what would be during his life on earth, the first miracle, that of transforming water into wine.
This passage can be read in the biblical quote: John 2:1-12 on the wedding at Cana, but the verse that immediately precedes it is relevant. Because in it, Jesus proclaims that the heavens would open and the angels of God would be serving him with only Him releasing the word:
John 1:51 (RVC): He also said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you will see heaven opened , and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man .”
Greater things will see
Such a proclamation was released by Jesus when he arrived with his disciples in the region of Galilee and met first with Philip and later with Nathanael. The latter is surprised to see that Jesus already knew him, with this knowledge Nathanael is the spirit of him perceives and says: You are the Son of God!, to which the Lord replies:
John 1:50 (RVC): -Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see even greater things than these!
This promise began to be fulfilled on the third day of arriving in the lands of Galilee, Jesus is invited with his mother and his disciples to the wedding in Cana. In this celebration Jesus carried out the first miracle recorded in the Bible.
With this first miracle, Jesus manifests his divine power by transforming water into wine, a pure and unmixed wine. And not only that, but with this act he announces that Jesus always brings with him the best at the end of any difficulty.
John 2:10b (TLA): But you have saved the best wine for last.
At the wedding of Cana Jesus manifests his Glory
Throughout Jesus' walk on earth, it can be seen that He taught through parables, symbolic actions, miracles or wonders, with which He made known the kingdom of God. Jesus used all these means, because that knowledge could only be perceived by revelation of the Holy Spirit, for the rest the kingdom of heaven would continue to be a mystery.
Matthew 13:10-11 (RVC): 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “ Why do you speak to them in parables ?” 11 He replied, “ Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them .”
Interested in learning more about why Jesus teaches with parables? Enter here and discover: The best parables of Jesus and their biblical meaning. With them, the Lord taught the people and his disciples so that they could understand the message of God and his Kingdom.
That is why it is not surprising that God in his perfect plan would use the wedding at Cana, so that his only begotten Son would perform what would be his first miracle. Thus stating that he possessed divine authority granted by his Father, his God:
John 2:11 (NIV): This, the first of his signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Information on the wedding at Cana
When the world talks about weddings, the information you want to know is who the bride and groom are, to which family they belong. As well as the decoration, the bride's dress, the menu and drinks served, who attended, etc.
But in the kingdom of heaven many of these things are trivial, moreover, God in these weddings reveals to us through the evangelist some of these data. He lets us know that Jesus, his mother and his disciples, who would notice the prodigy, and a few more servers at the event were invited; he also tells us that it was celebrated in Cana of Galilee and lets us see that Mary was close to her boyfriends, because she was aware of the wine.
But the main objective of God in the writing of John was that the glory that was in Jesus would be revealed, in addition to other signs and revelations that serve us for reflection today.
In this sense, we invite you to read about the teachings of Jesus of yesterday, today and forever, which manage to transform our hearts.
Jesus from son of Mary to teacher of the disciples
The wedding at Cana, in addition to being the framework for Jesus to perform his first miracle, also establishes an important point in his life. From this event the ministry of Jesus begins in a public way, he stops being the son of Mary to be the teacher of the disciples, the Rabbi whose prodigies make many foreigners and even Jews look for him.
The disciples decide to follow him by believing in divine power, the authority of God deposited in Jesus, they recognize from the wedding at Cana that Jesus is their Lord and begin to walk with him to receive his teachings. Teachings that will serve him later to carry out the great commission ordered by Christ to spread the gospel to the ends of the world.
To learn more about this command of Christ, you can read the article, " The Great Commission : What is it? Its Importance for Christians." This command can be found in Matthew 28:18-20.
Marriage and Christ
Although it is true that the biblical passage of the wedding at Cana does not mention the identification of the bride and groom or what their relationship with Jesus was. If it can be elucidated that Jesus was at least known by the bride and groom, perhaps because of how close his mother was to some of the spouses.
John 2:1-2 (NIV): On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee , and Jesus’ mother was there . 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
This is assumed because they were invited and also because María was paying attention to the guests, she was the one who noticed the lack of wine. Despite all this, you can also see the importance that marriage represents for God, when choosing a wedding for the first manifestation of the glory of his Son.
Marriage means the union of man and woman to form what should be for them their first ministry, the family. God from creation establishes the foundation of the family within his perfect plan for humanity.
With this we can reflect on the message that God wants to give us, which is the fact of how important it is, that in the conjugal union Christ is present, as the book of wisdom says:
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (TLA): One person can be defeated, but two can defend themselves ; and if three join forces, it is no longer easy to defeat them.
So that God tells us with this that it is important to invite Christ to our weddings, so that he lives in the new home and that he has the first place in it. This is the surest way to receive God's blessing in the family, the new wine.
At the wedding in Cana the wine runs out
The wedding at Cana takes place and Mary realizes that the hosts no longer have wine to offer their guests. Mary was aware of the divine power deposited in her son, her Jesus, so she goes to him and informs him:
John 2:3 (NIV): When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “ They have no more wine .”
The issue of wine is an issue that can generate controversy in the church regarding its consumption. So it is best to study it in the light of the scriptures:
TO says the Wine Bible
Let's pause on the subject of the wedding at Cana, to see what the scriptures consider wine. Here are some biblical quotes about wine:
-Symbolic representation of rejoicing and happiness:
Jeremiah 48:33 (TLA): There is no more celebration or joy in the fertile fields of Moab; there is no one pressing grapes or making wine ; I have put an end to that joy!
-Sometimes considered as food, some examples: Genesis 14:18, Deuteronomy 14:26, Nehemiah 5:18, and also:
Numbers 6:20 (TLA): -Then the priest will wave the ribs and thigh of the animal that are offered in my honor. These portions are sacred and are given only to the priest. After doing all this, the Nazirite may drink wine-.
-Sometimes in the scriptures they indicated it for medicinal purposes:
1 Timothy 5:23: Since you are almost always sick in the stomach , do not drink only water, but also a little wine.
-Due to its intoxicating effect, in the Mosaic law wine has its restrictions, for example in Leviticus 10:9, as well as during the exercise of some functions, for example in Proverbs 31: 4-5, the Bible also condemns its excessive use, examples in Ecclesiastes 10:17, 1 Timothy 3:8 and also in:
Isaiah 28:7 (RVC): Even the priests and the prophets erred when they were drunk with strong drink and wine ; they misjudged in vision and stumbled in judgment; they acted foolishly, bewildered by wine and strong drink.
In view of all this the Christian should consider the warnings regarding the intoxicating effect of wine. In function of always watching and not allowing the spiritual senses to be blinded and making room for the snares of the devil.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (RVC): Lest Satan outwit us , for we know his evil intentions.
At the wedding in Cana Jesus would solve the lack of wine
Returning to the passage of the wedding at Cana, it emphasizes an event that occurred during the celebration, and that was that the wine ran out. Perhaps this could have happened because the celebration was prolonged or more guests attended, the truth is that Mary realizes it and informs Jesus: -They no longer have wine.
Why does Mary go and inform Jesus specifically? The answer is that she was clear that the only one who could help with the lack of wine was her son. She knew of the divine power in Jesus, the angel of God had already revealed it to her at the moment of conceiving him:
Luke 1:35 (NIV): -The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you . So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
However, Jesus, who was also aware of his abilities, replies that this is none of his business. In addition to her, he does not call her mother but woman and not because he is rude to her, but because Jesus was already preparing Mary to see him now not only as her son, but as her Lord and Savior of her .
John 2:4 (NIV): 4 — Woman, what does this have to do with me? —Jesus replied— My hour has not yet come.
Also the fact that Jesus expresses himself towards his mother as "Woman", shows a hint of discomfort. Perhaps because Maria was using her relationship as her mother to meddle in the affairs of her ministry.
Jesus did and said what he heard from his Heavenly Father and not from Mary, which is perhaps why he indicates that the time has not yet come to start his work publicly.
Mary is not invested with any special authority
All of the above makes it very clear that Mary, being the mother of Jesus, does not give her the power or divine authority to solve the lack of wine and she has to turn to someone who does. It is not explained then why the religion of Catholicism attributes this power or some divine intercession to Mary.
At no point in this passage does Jesus grant authority to Mary to carry out what only He, the Heavenly Father, has given the power and authority to do. On the contrary, Mary is clear of her limitations and tells the wedding employees to follow Jesus' instructions:
John 2:4 (NIV): 4 5 His mother said to the servants, “ Do whatever he tells you .”
These words of Mary, however, should remain for the reflection of every Christian, doing everything according to what Christ demands of us. Finally, it is important to highlight that once his earthly ministry began, Jesus addresses Mary as one of his disciples with the term woman, without neglecting her family relationship.
The jars are filled to the brim
When Jesus prepares to perform what would be his first miracle while incarnated on earth, there were six jars with a capacity of some one hundred liters each. These jars were used for purification water in Jewish ceremonies:
John 2:6 (NIV): -8 Now there were six stone water jars there , the kind the Jews use for ceremonial washing , each holding about twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “ Fill the jars with water .” And they filled them up to the brim . 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so.
Two things should be highlighted in these verses besides Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine. The first thing that this miracle symbolically represents a purification ceremony and the second is that the containers are filled to the brim, that is, the purification is complete.
The message here is that we should see ourselves as those vessels, let us remember that we are earthen vessels in the hands of the potter:
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV): Yet you, Lord , are our Father . We are the clay, you are the potter ; we are all the work of your hand.
When we drink and eat of Christ our waters are completely transformed, there should be no empty space below the rim. So that there can be no room to re-deposit running water from the world that pollutes or produces a kind of mixture in our new life in Christ.
At the wedding in Cana: In the end the best wine
At the wedding in Cana, the miracle of the best wine takes place, as confirmed by the master of the room to the groom:
John 2:9-10 (NIV): 9 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 10 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 .”
Jesus Christ is the best and purest wine that we can drink in our lives and He serves it to us when we decide to establish an end with the world to start a new life in Christ, Amen!
