John 2

David H. Linden, Action International Ministries

In John 2 the Apostle John continued with a week in the early ministry of Jesus. (See the notes at 1:45 for A Week at the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry). This was the week in which Jesus was identified publicly, a time before His public preaching began. This ministry began in Galilee where Jesus spent most of His time (Isaiah 9:1). In Cana, a town not far from Nazareth, Jesus performed His first miracle. Later in John 2 Jesus made His first trip to Jerusalem during His public ministry at Passover time. (See Appendix 2A below.)

Four main things are presented in John 2:

Jesus turned water into wine, and His disciples believed in Him (2:1-11).
Jesus drove the merchants and their merchandise out of the Temple area (2:14-17).
Jesus predicted His death and resurrection (2:19-22).
Though some believed in Him, their faith was not genuine (2:23-25).

Themes that begin in John 2 but are expanded later in this Gospel:

His supernatural works increase. There are miracles in chapters 4,5,6,9, and 11.
The hostility of the leadership in Jerusalem later hardens into an official decision to murder Him (5:18; 11:53).
Jesus revealed that He would die at the hands of others. “Destroy this temple.” Later He says He will be lifted up to die (3:14; 8:28; 12:32 ).
Some who “believed” did not really believe; they were still children of the devil (8:31-47).

This Gospel emphasizes that Jesus was revealed by the signs, and that opposition would result in His crucifixion. The Apostle John never stops speaking about believing or rejecting Christ. It was his constant burden.

2:1-3 This wedding in Cana was about nine miles from Nazareth. Jesus was invited. His mother had more than the usual knowledge of what was going on in serving the guests. Perhaps the wedding was of a relative of hers. When the wine ran out, the guests did not know this but Mary did. (She is not mentioned by name in this Gospel.) We assume Mary was a widow, since there is never any mention of Joseph after Luke 2:41-52 when Jesus was 12 years old. It is natural that she should turn to Jesus as her eldest son for help. The text does not indicate that she knew what He would do, but she did not know what to do about a very embarrassing situation.

2:4 The Lord had already been baptized by John and announced as the Messiah. He had the five disciples with him mentioned in John 1. He was about to begin a public ministry. If He performed a miracle at the request of His mother, that would cause some kind of public response, and confusion on who gives direction to His work. It was His calling to do the will of His Father. God the Father set the agenda of His work, not His mother Mary on earth. In the wedding crisis He could not be viewed as a magic man who simply did what another person (even His mother) asked. The Savior came to do more than fix people’s temporary problems. It is very clear that Mary wanted the lack of wine solved, but v.11 shows that God had a greater purpose. In fulfilling the request, the miracle revealed the glory of God in human flesh (1:14) here on earth in a wedding in Cana. This was more than Mary expected or sought.

Jesus’ response to Mary was something like, “Why are you asking this of Me?” That is different from saying, “Yes, of course, I will do whatever you say.” It is difficult to give a translation that shows the exact meaning of Jesus’ words to His mother. It is not rude, but it was not a simple acceptance of her request. Jesus did not always fulfill the requests of others. Sometimes He resisted and sometimes gave more opportunity for the one requesting to show faith in Him, as in 4:46-50. When He said “woman” to her, we have no sound recording of His voice. We must not suppose a tone of contempt for one the Scripture said He was to honor. “Woman” is the same word Jesus used when He spoke to her from the cross. At that time He appointed a disciple to take responsibility for His mother (19:26).

2:5 Mary and her friends faced much difficulty. She left the matter with Jesus and instructed the servants to do whatever He said. (Many devotionals have been given from that sentence!) Her orders to the servants reveal her role in the workings of the wedding feast. Their weddings could go for a number of days.

2:6-10 The Miracle God has the power to make wine from shoelaces, but Jesus made it from water. All wine comes originally from water. In this miracle, the Lord did a supernatural work in a natural context. He speeded up the process of wine making as He bypassed rain in the soil and grapes on a vine. Thus His miracle was not weird.

Some unusual detail is given here. It does not just say that Jesus turned water into wine, as in 4:46. John gives the number of jars, what they were made of, how much they held and what they were used for. This might be provided to emphasize the amount of wine made. Probably there was a need for wine for a few more days. Then the report is about how good the wine was.

The stone jars were special; they were used for Jewish rites of purification. Jesus said to fill them. It appears that He told the servants to draw water out of those jars, but the word for draw is not a word for pour. This word as in 4:7,15 is used to draw water from a well with a bucket. Thus it is likely that the servants drew water from a well to fill the jars, and then did not use that water. The servants then drew more water from a well (not poured from the jars) and took that to the master of the feast. This then was the water that was turned to wine, and the other water remained just water.

If this interpretation is correct, it fits why John would include that the jars were used for ceremonial cleansing. It is significant that Jesus bypassed that water and created something new, but not from jars used for the Jewish rites. Jesus would teach that worship will not be centered at the mountain in Jerusalem where the Jews worship (4:21). Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, not with water. The law and its ceremonies were given through Moses, but something beyond the law (grace and truth) came through Jesus Christ (1:17). The ceremonies were passing away but the reality of salvation was appearing. The superior wine signified a new day brought in by Christ, something better than the old covenant.

The miracle was not as public as feeding the five thousand. The servants knew where the wine had come from but the master of the banquet did not. All the master knew was that it was better than what had been served before, so he complained about the order in which it was served. The Lord did not seek to gain maximum publicity from what He did. John wanted his readers to know that what Jesus made was better, and this is typical of all that Jesus does.

Was the Wine Jesus Made fermented? Yes it was. The Greek word for wine is the same as Paul used in Ephesians 5:18. In 2:10 the wedding master referred to wedding wine as a kind that could intoxicate. The Greek word in v.10 relates to drunkenness. The wedding master was not praising grape juice.

Some other factors are often overlooked. The Jews knew what too much wine would do, so in that day they often diluted it with water to avoid drunkenness. In our time wine often has its alcohol content increased above what natural fermentation can produce. This was not done in Bible times because the Arabs discovered distillation only after New Testament times. Thus the “strong drink” the Bible warns about is probably undiluted wine. It certainly has no reference to strong spirits like vodka and whisky, because such drinks did not exist then. Alcohol was not forbidden (Deuteronomy 14:25,26); it was regulated and the Scripture gives a number of warnings about it.

Jesus did not make anyone drunk. God has created all of nature with all its potential, including the making of strong drink, but God has never made anyone drunk. The Bible points to the sad moments such as the drunkenness of Noah and Lot, and warns that a man given to drink is not qualified for office in the church (1 Timothy 3:3).

2:11 This was the first of Jesus’ miracles. This fact shows that He performed none as a child. As the first sign, it shows a respect for the old creation while it demonstrated the new creation. It was done in a little village far from the headquarters of the Jewish religion. God is the God of the unexpected and He is the Lord of what is fresh and new. Later the Lord will refer to His renovation of all things by saying He makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). The disciples received a glimpse of the glory of Christ, and what they saw prompted them to believe. They would see much more and believe much more, but faith must begin somewhere. Maybe many at that wedding never knew what happened there, or if they did they learned only later. Jesus’ disciples did know. Though His own people would not receive Him, some did. The Apostle John constantly keeps that issue before his readers.

We often speak of Jesus’ miracles. The Apostle John prefers to call them signs. Other words in Greek are common for miracle in other NT books. A sign always points away from itself to a greater reality. A wedding ring signifies something greater: the marriage covenant. Jesus’ miracle signs pointed to such truth as Him being the Bread of Life. So the bread He multiplied was an indication of Who He is and the life He gives. Many could see only the signs and missed the realities they signified. (Note other words used for miracles in Acts 2:22 and Hebrews 2:4.)

2:12 Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth, but as an adult He moved to Capernaum (Matthew 4:13). Note the “after this.” (See also 3:22; 7:1; 21:1.) John uses: a) feasts (See Appendix 2A), b) “after this” or c) a new location (4:3) to mark beginnings of a new chapters or divisions.

2:13-16 Jesus Driving Merchants from the Temple

Jesus went up to Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was higher in elevation. For a Gentile not familiar with Jewish culture, calling this feast the “Passover of the Jews” made this Gospel easier to understand.

Those selling in the Temple were outside the main temple building but still in its outer courtyard. The leaders had permitted this to happen, and later in the Synoptics we see that it was a practice that continued. In John 2 the Lord did not condemn this because someone was making a profit, and it was not reported as selling on the Sabbath. The issue in John 2 was not dishonesty. The later temple cleansing in Mark 11:15-18 was a different occasion; there Jesus calls them robbers. The one reason the apostle has given why Jesus reacted as He did was that it was in the temple. The temple was His Father’s house. What was permitted in other places and other times was not appropriate in the temple. (I wish Christians would take this same approach to worship services, by leaving out entertainment, and limiting what is allowed in a worship service.)

It was actually a convenience to have animals available locally for sacrifice. To bring animals a great distance would be a hardship. But to have this business activity within the temple area was a great distraction from approaching the Lord. The temple was not Wal-Mart. The sounds of animals and the chatter at the money-changing tables should have been heard elsewhere. Jesus drove all the merchants and the animals and birds out of the temple. He even overturned the tables of the money-changers. Probably coins were rolling in all directions. The temple was to be a place for prayer (Matthew 21:13). Those who owned the animals could find them outside. Some had pigeons and doves. It does not say Jesus released them from cages so that they flew away. Perhaps this shows that Jesus did not intend that they should lose their property. He wanted them to do their business elsewhere. He wanted the temple to be a place of worship.

Jesus did not seek permission from the temple authorities before He acted. When He told the merchants what to do Talking like someone who owned the place, He ordered them. He believed He had the authority to act and speak this way. The matter of authority will come up in v.18.

Did the Old Testament Predict this Action by Christ? The Book of Malachi ends with a prophecy of John the Baptist; Zechariah ends with a prediction of pure worship: “There shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day,” (Zechariah 14:20,21). Jesus’ actions fit this prediction. Zechariah spoke of the final restoration that can only come with the Second Coming. What Jesus did in His first coming showed that He as Lord was moving closer to that day. Malachi 3:1-4 supports this. First John the Baptist would appear: “Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me,” (Malachi 3:1). Then “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple,” (Malachi 3:1). Malachi 3:2-4 predicts cleansing so that the worship of the Lord would again be pleasing to Him. Even though what Jesus did in the temple was not a miracle, it had such significance that some scholars consider it one of the signs John gave in testimony that Jesus is the Christ.

2:17 The disciples related Psalm 69:9 to what Jesus did. This understanding probably came to them after the death and resurrection of Christ. The Psalm says, “Zeal for God’s house has consumed me.” They looked on it as consistent with Jesus’ commitment to God’s house and read it as a prediction, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” That verse may mean much more than Jesus consumed with holy passion to cleanse the Temple. To save God’s house, and make His people to be His house (Hebrews 3:6), He needed to die for them. In the place of His people, Jesus was consumed under the wrath of God. He could take that wrath; we cannot. Without His sacrifice, we could never be His treasured possession, His spiritual house, His temple (1 Peter 2:4-10; Ephesians 2:19-22). Very early in Jesus’ ministry He cleansed the Temple; later, by being consumed for us on the cross, He cleansed us so we could become clean stones in His holy temple.

2:18,19 The Issue of Authority Jesus acted to restore the proper use of the temple. Whether God’s house was being abused by what they permitted was not the issue it should have been in the leaders’ minds. Their question was not, “Is it proper that we have been allowing this business to happen here?” but “Who authorized you to do this?” (We tend to avoid questions related to our conduct, but raise questions to others about theirs.)

It was reasonable for the leaders to ask by what authority Jesus put an end to commerce in the temple courts. However, they did not ask if He was the Christ according to the many predictions of the Scriptures. They must have wondered, because they expected that any prophet from God would perform miracles. They could point to Moses and Elijah as examples. But they could not point to miracles in the ministry of many prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, or Habakkuk. Years later Paul would say, “The Jews demand signs” (1 Corinthians 1:22). When people asked Jesus for a sign of Christ, He scolded them (Matthew 12:38,39). Often those asking for a sign had seen one already, as in John 6.

The sign Jesus pointed was the ultimate sign of His resurrection. (See Matthew 12.) By the resurrection God declared Christ to be His Son (Romans 1:4). It verified all His claims. His prediction was well publicized. In John 2, He made it at least two years before His crucifixion. He even predicted that it would be on the third day, a detail His enemies took seriously (Matthew 27:63,64).

2:19-21 The “forty-six years” refers to the time the temple was under construction. It was not finished till 63AD just seven years before the Romans destroyed it. When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple,” He was referring to His body. A Temple is a place where God dwells, such as the church (Ephesians 2:21,22; 1 Corinthians 3:16,17) or the body of a Christian (1 Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Who was God in human flesh spoke of His body as a temple, it was a truthful claim. When Jesus spoke, His body was the one thing on earth that was the visible manifestation of God. The leaders back then guarded the temple built with stones but were eager for the Romans to drive nails through the temple that was Jesus’ body. Jesus knew they would do that. He said to them, “Destroy” – a reference to their activity – and He would “raise it up” – a reference to His activity. (See notes of John 10:17,18.) When He was accused of saying He would destroy the Jerusalem temple in Matthew 26:59-63, it was a false charge. He had really spoken of them as the ones destroying, when they attempted to wipe out His life. The Apostle John gives a number of examples where Jesus words are misunderstood as in 3:4; 6:52 and 11:13.

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus’ resurrection was only a resurrection of His spirit, not His body. The Gospels make clear that Christ rose bodily and was not a ghost. Ghosts do not have flesh and bones, and they do not eat fish (Luke 24:37-43). Here is John 2 Jesus spoke clearly of raising up His BODY!

2:22 The disciples came to understand later. Faith is based on facts, and understanding is essential to faith, but faith does not come all at once. In 2:11 the disciples believed, but they believed more after the resurrection (2:22). Faith grows as more truth is received. I urge in teaching children that the facts should be taught to them, even though they will not understand all they hear, but this is true for adults as well. To have the words and then to grasp the meaning later is what happened with Jesus’ disciples. This is the common experience of all believers. In the disciples’ case there had been many occasions when the Lord spoke of His death. When He was crucified and rose from death, then they put the words and events together. The other factor was that their foolish hearts were slow to accept what they had trouble believing (Luke 24:25). God is greatly glorified when by faith we receive His words as truth (4:50), and believe before we see (John 20:29; 1 Peter 1:6-9).

The Lord often emphasized that the disciples’ faith should have been based on the Scriptures they already had. He took them through the Old Testament (Luke 24:27) and later this became the chief way that the apostles and evangelists proclaimed Christ in the Book of Acts. (See Acts 2,3,4,7,8,10,13, and more.) Surely it was how Saul argued in Acts 9:22. The chief way Christians witnessed in the first century, is still the chief way that we serve today.

2:23-25 A Shallow Faith and the Heart of Man This Gospel does not report what miracles Jesus did in Jerusalem. It only gives one result. Those signs were in some way convincing, because “many believed.” To believe in His Name is another way to say that they believed in Him. Often “the Name” is a way the Lord refers to Himself, as in Deuteronomy 12:10-18. (See 3 John 7 where the apostle calls the Lord “the Name.”) What they believed about Christ is not stated except that it was the result of seeing signs. We are not saved by believing a piece of truth. True faith does not resist that Jesus is the Christ Who must be accepted as the Lord He is. People could be vague and say that He must be someone who comes from God (like Nicodemus in 3:2), and still be persons who are not born from above. Many “believe” in God (James 2:19) who do not worship Him as God. Truth observed in a miracle, accepted in the mind, but resisted in what it implies about Christ as Lord, is not saving faith.

Jesus did not commit Himself to these “believers” the way He did to Nicodemus in John 3, to the Samaritan woman in John 4, and to the man blind from birth in John 9. Why did He not do this? He knew without being informed by others what was really in a man. God knows whenever a profession of faith is without sincerity. The heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9,10). We may fool ourselves but not God. The human heart may receive the word with joy, without that word taking root (Matthew 13:20,21). Imposters deceive themselves. They are not those who have firmly believed (2 Timothy 3:12-14; James 1:22). Such men never deceived Jesus. He knew the way sin affected the human heart. He knew what was in man! Later in this Gospel Jesus will warn that man cannot come (6:44) and cannot hear (8:43), even though no one can be saved without hearing (5:24) and coming (6:35). In John’s Gospel the problem of the heart receives much attention, so we can understand the difficulty and magnitude of salvation. Some will not receive; some will (1:11,12). We believe only if we are born of God (1:13). The Apostle John follows these sober words of what was in man with a major section on the new birth in John 3. It is a shame that often these words at the end of chapter 2 are not read as part of the context of John 3.

Appendix 2A

How Long Was the Public Ministry of Christ?

Only the Gospel of John gives a record of Jesus attending various feasts as part of His public ministry. All four Gospels mention that Jesus’ crucifixion was during the Passover Feast. Since Christmas is once a year, any story that tells what someone did for a number of Christmases, reveals that the time stretched over those years. John mentions three Passovers during Jesus ministry. Passover came each spring, the first feast in their year. The uncertainty about the length of Jesus’ ministry is that the feast in 5:1 is not specifically identified. John mentions the following feasts:

1. Passover, 2:13;	2. An unnamed feast, 5:1	3. Passover, 6:4
4. Tabernacles, 7:2	5. Dedication, 10:22	6. Passover, 11:55

From the first Passover to the second is one year and then there would be one more year to the third one. This means that the ministry of Jesus was at least two years plus whatever time preceded that first Passover. That period involved at least the week mentioned in John 1 & 2, plus the “few days” of 2:12. Jesus also remained among His disciples for forty days after His resurrection and ascended to heaven before the next feast, the Feast of Pentecost in Acts 2.

Where the record in unclear: If the feast in 5:1 is also a Passover, then there is another full year in the ministry of Christ, making it three years and a fraction. This is the traditional view, but I do not know if it is correct. Some think the feast in 5:1 is a Passover because in 4:35 Jesus indicated that the next (spring) harvest was four months away. If so, Jesus was speaking in Samaria in the late fall, and that would mean that the feast in 5:1 could be a Passover in the spring of the next year, or even another feast in that year. It means there would have to be another year in His ministry, because the Passover of 6:4 cannot be in the same year as any feast in 5:1. The Passover of 6:4 was in a later year than chapter 5. If all of this is proper reasoning, especially about what time it was in 4:35, and it is not clear, it means that the ministry of Christ on earth was three years plus a little. For sure it was at least two years.