JOHN 2:1-11

(v. 1) “…there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee…”

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s saving action – salvation – is expressed through the image of a festive banquet teeming with people from everywhere, with fine wine and delicious food beyond imagining for all who have been invited to partake and celebrate.

The “messianic banquet” is known to all Jews of Jesus’ time when God will bring all people together and death will be conquered by the unequalled power of divine love and mercy.

Within the Jewish understanding of the time and Mary’s understanding of who Jesus is [from the Annunciation], we see how the action summarized as the “first of his [Jesus’] signs reveals the deeper meaning of God’s saving action – the messianic banquet – and Jesus is the Messiah.

(v. 3) “…the wine ran short”

In the time of Jesus, Jewish weddings lasted seven days.

(v.4) “Jesus said to her [his mother], ‘Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.’”

The original text literally reads, “”What to you and to me?” Jesus responds to Mary’s comment – they have no wine – by asking, how does this unfortunate occurrence affect us?

However, Jesus says something more: “My hour has not yet come.” For Jesus – and his mother – this moment publicly inaugurates his “hour”, indicating his purpose and mission. Given the Old Testament “banquet” image of God’s saving action, we now know this much more than a crisis due to wine shortage at a wedding. Jesus resolves the immediate problem and, in doing so, also performs a sign [read: miracle] that points forward to what he will accomplished for us and for our salvation when his hour is finished on the Cross.

(v. 5) “His mother said to the servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you.'”

The servers simply receive the simple instruction from Mary that they are to follow Jesus’ lead. Later in the Gospel, Jesus will explain that genuine love is displayed when God’s commandments are kept.