42 TIME-LIFE MIRACLES OF FAITH
WATER&WINE
TURNING WATER
INTO WINE
At aweddingofoneofhisrelatives,Jesusperformshisfirst
public miracle and begins his work in the worldA
mong Jews in biblical times, it was com-
mon to celebrate marriages over seven
days, opening with an extravagant feast.
Invited to a relative’s wedding banquet
in Cana, a village in Galilee, Jesus arrives
with his mother, Mary, some other relatives, and his first
few disciples.
Mary goes to help out in the kitchen and learns that
there is no wine left, a shortage that’s sure to disgrace the
happy couple. She quickly informs Jesus, but he appears
untroubled. “What concern is that to you and to me? My
hour has not yet come,” he replies, perhaps suggesting that
such earthly and temporal concerns are not important
to him. Mary persists, and when Jesus agrees to solve the
problem, she instructs the servants to do exactly as he asks.
Nearby stand six large stone urns of holy water used for
ritual hand-washing. Jesus asks the servants to top off the
urns with water, then pour some into cups and take it to
“the chief steward,” or host. The steward tastes it, declares
it delicious, and summons the groom
to compliment him on his hospitality:
“Everyone serves the good wine first;
and then the inferior wine after the
guests have become drunk. But you have
kept the good wine until now.”
It soon becomes apparent that Jesushas created the wine from water. Each of the stone vessels
would have held 20 to 30 gallons, so Jesus made between
120 and 180 gallons of wine.
Not only are the wedding guests amazed by this mir-
acle, but by doing “this, the first of his signs,” he has “re-
vealed his glory.” The disciples, who had been uncertain of
his divinity, are now convinced he is the Messiah.
Biblical scholars still debate whether the story is meant
to be taken literally or allegorically, but they generally
agree on its meaning. The tale of the wedding at Cana is
not just an example of God’s supernatural dominion over
the earth; it’s a sign of Jesus’ divinity. He demonstrates his
own ability to mold the physical world.
In some allegorical interpretations, Jesus himself is
the “good wine” whose appearance signals the dawn of the
messianic age. The wine replaces the water in the stone
urns, just as the laws and beliefs of pre-messianic Juda-
ism are replaced by God’s grace under Christianity. When
the good wine is poured into the wedding cups, the joy of
eternal life in heaven is granted to those
who believe in Christ.
One of the remarkable things about
the story of Cana is the prominent role
played by Mary. Arguably if it were not
for Jesus’ mother, the miracle would not
have taken place. ▪THE GOOD WINE
What began as clear water
became a flavorful, rich
sign of divinity. Detail from
the chancel window in the
Church of St. Patrick, Bampton
Grange, Cumbria, U.K.NEW TESTAMENT