The Wedding

In this blog we visit a wedding, a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Un-named at this wedding are the Groom and the Bride. Some say this is Jesus and the Church. Others indicate the groom is one of the disciples. This is not explained in the story.

What is shared is that Jesus, his mother and his disciples are invited guests. They were in some way related to the bride or the groom. The bride could be a member of Jesus family. It is know n that Jesus had brothers (James, Joseph, Judas and Simon) and sisters. (Mark 6:3) These relatives would have been present at the wedding.

Jesus’ mother Mary was there, along with her sister Salome and her husband Zebedee and their sons James and John. Peter and Andrew were there. Nathaniel (Bartholomew) who was from Cana (John 21:2), as was Philip who was from the same town as Peter and Andrew. Philip was also a friend of Nathaniel of Cana. Jesus’ disciples thought he was a normal teacher, and they were committed to Him.

According to the tradition of the time, the groom’s family threw a party and fed the wedding guests. The Mishnah tells us, “If a man bought a Firstling for his son’s wedding feast or for a Feast, and he does not need it, he may sell it.” (Shebiith7.4, see also Hallah 2.7 and Matthew 22:2).

During the wedding the wine ran out. This could have been a great embarrassment to the groom’s parents, except that Mary was close enough to the family to discover this fact. She asked Jesus to make new wine. While it is clear that Jesus was not yet ready to show public miracles, He was obedient to his mother. Jesus told the servants to fill six jars full of water. Normally jars were filled 2/3 full of water, and then wine was added. The Mishnah says, “They may pour water over wine-dregs to dilute them, and strain wine through a napkin or Egyptian basket; they may put an egg in a mustard- strainer’ and prepare honeyed wine … All depends on the number of the guests.” (Sabbath 20.2)

After the jars were filled Jesus said, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” The wine Jesus drew out turned out to be better than the wine which was served at the beginning. The disciples saw this and remembered. When this sign was performed the disciples began to understand.

Jesus said, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) Something new was beginning. This was Jesus’ first miracle.

Jesus’ second miracle was also in Cana. This miracle is related in John 4:46-54, where he heals the son of a royal official. Jesus third miracle, also in Galilee, was to multiply fish and loaves to feed 5,000 people. The disciples were learning among them stood one they did not fully know. (John 1:26)

John the Baptist said, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. …The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine ... Jesus must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30)