Feasting and Corruption (John 2:1-25)

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

John 2 (interlinear Greek) John 2 (KJV – NRSV)

Key verse (2:19): Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 

Meditation (1:10): thou hast kept the good wine until now.

The Good Wine

¹ And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: ² and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage. ³ And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. ⁴ And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. ⁵ His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. ⁶ Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews’ manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece. ⁷ Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it. ⁹ And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom, ¹⁰ and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now. ¹¹ This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days.

Now we are entertained with a story. Do not hesitate to find the humor intended in it. Not only did he replenish the wine so the party could go on, he did so with very fine wine. Providing wine was an important duty of hospitality. Clarke responds to the objections of some, “‘But did not our Lord by this miracle minister to vice, by producing an excess of inebriating liquor?’ No; for the following reasons: (1) The company was a select and holy company, where no excess could be permitted. And (2) our Lord does not appear to have furnished any extra quantity, but only what was necessary.”

John Spong claims that this is the marriage feast of Jesus with Mary Magdalene. Bede and Aquinas say it was the marriage of the apostle John. I rather like that. It must have been a friend. The way Jesus responds to his mother suggests that it was not his wedding, while her concern suggests it may have been a relative. Barnes confirms this supposition, “It is not improbable that she was a relative of the family where the marriage took place.” So does Clarke, “It is very likely the bride or bridegroom’s family were relatives of the blessed virgin; and she would naturally suppose that our Lord would feel interested for the honor and comfort of the family, and, knowing that he possessed extraordinary power, made this application to him to come forward to their assistance. Our Lord’s answer to his mother, if properly translated, is far from being disrespectful.”

Jesus reply to his mother sounds harsh to us, but “it was a mild reproof of Mary for attempting to control or direct him in his power of working miracles. Most of the ancients supposed this to be the intention of Jesus. The words sound to us harsh, but they might have been spoken in a tender manner, and not have been intended as a reproof.” (Barnes) In the end he obeyed his mother and did so in a very humble way. We might contrast this with the showy way many televangelists perform their supposed miracles.

If I were one of the servants, I would be very hesitant to take from the water jug a draught for the ruler of the feast to sample. Yet, these servants had great faith in Mary and her son, for “the readiness with which the servants obey him in all things shows us the great reverence and respect in which he was held by them.” (Calvin) Clearly, the servants were aware of the miracle and likely shared that knowledge with the disciples, who in turn believed.

Clarke maintains that not all of the wine in the purification jars was turned to wine, Rather, it was “changed into wine as it was drawn out, and not otherwise.” Matthew Henry looks at it differently. “We may be sure that it was not intended to be all drank at this feast, but for a further kindness to the new-married couple.” Given that Jesus asked the servants to fill the waterpots, I prefer to think the entirety was changed to good wine as an overabundant blessing to the couple, consistent with the nature of Christ.

That the ruler of the feast pronounced it good wine points to the better sacrifice of Jesus. His “wine” is much better than the water of purification available to the Jewish people before Christ. “Thus Christ came to bring in the grace of the gospel, which is as wine, that cheereth God and man (Jdg. 9:13), instead of the shadows of the law, which were as water, weak and beggarly elements.” (Matthew Henry)

This miracle at the wedding is considered to be the first of seven signs Jesus did as recorded in the Gospel of John. A sign points to the divine power of Christ.

• Turning Water into Wine (John 2:1-11)
• Healing the Official’s Son (John 4:46-54)
• Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)
• Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)
• Walking on Water (John 6:16-21)
• Healing the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-7)
• Raising Lazarus from the Dead (John 11:1-44)

Cleansing the Temple

¹³ And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: ¹⁵ and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables; ¹⁶ and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise. ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up. ¹⁸ The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? ¹⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. ²⁰ The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? ²¹ But he spake of the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Why did Jesus go up to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover? “Here were two reasons why he did so; for since the Son of God became subject to the Law on our account, he intended, by observing with exactness all the precepts of the Law, to present in his own person a pattern of entire subjection and obedience. Again, as he could do more good, when there was a multitude of people, he almost always availed himself of such an occasion.” (Calvin) And what was his objection? “That [the Temple] might continue to be devoted to God, it was necessary that it should be applied exclusively to spiritual purposes.” (Calvin) So too, our worship spaces should be set aside for good works. “We ought always, therefore, to keep before our eyes the majesty of God, which dwells in the Church, that it may not be defiled by any pollutions.” (Calvin)

What constitutes “pollutions” needs careful consideration. “The only way in which its holiness can remain unimpaired is, that nothing shall be admitted into it that is at variance with the word of God.” (Calvin) But he adds this cautionary note, “All of us ought to have zeal in common with the Son of God; but all are not at liberty to seize a whip, that we may correct vices with our hands; for we have not received the same power, nor have we been entrusted with the same commission.” My current take on this is that nothing should be done that offends the congregation in their worship of God in the place of meeting. Some churches are comfortable taking in coffee. Others are not, and their views should also be respected.

It was not wine drinking that bothered Jesus, it was the corruption of those selling in the Temple and cheating the common people. Jesus was angry when he saw what was going on in His Father’s temple. “‘Zeal’ is intense ardor in reference to any object. The ‘zeal of thine house’ means extraordinary concern for the temple of God; intense solicitude that the worship there should be pure, and such as God would approve.” (Barnes) Merriam-Webster defines zeal as “a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something.” What was wrong with selling sacrificial animals for the convenience of visitors who did not want to drive their animals for days to get to the temple? Matthew Henry explains in more modern terms. “Those make God’s house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when they are attending on religious exercises.”

“This temple – Doubtless pointing, while he spoke, to his body, the temple and habitation of the Godhead.” (Wesley) The true understanding of this awaited mature reflection by the Apostles on the death and resurrection of Christ. ” The disciples came to understand the meaning of what Christ did, by remembering the scriptures: They remembered now that it was written” in Psalm 69, a psalm of David. “See of what great use it is to the disciples of Christ to be ready and mighty in the scriptures, and to have their memories well stored with scripture truths, by which they will be furnished for every good work.” (Matthew Henry)

Many Believed

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, ²⁵ and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

That many believed on his name was here the result of observing the signs. “That faith depended solely on miracles, and had no root in the Gospel, and therefore could not be steady or permanent. Miracles do indeed assist the children of God in arriving at the truth; but it does not amount to actual believing, when they admire the power of God so as merely to believe that it is true, but not to subject themselves wholly to it.” (Calvin) We will see this type of faith again and again in response to the signs. We are to be cautious in our own witness here. Surely, the signs of faith (healing and other miracles) can awaken people to Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, but they must lead to a true faith of understanding and holy practice to be effective faith. “To believe in Christ is to commit ourselves to him and to his guidance.” (Matthew Henry)

The final verse nails us once again. Jesus knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Those intentions are what drive our behavior toward others. If our intentions can be conformed to the pure will of God, our behaviors will follow. To often, we struggle to directly control our behaviors, to make them conform to God’s standards by “following the rules.” That is not the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. He works at the level of our intentions, our desires, our inmost will to do. “Nothing is more dangerous than hypocrisy… There is scarcely any man who is not pleased with himself; and while we deceive ourselves by empty flatteries, we imagine that God is blind like ourselves.” (Calvin) It is God alone who knows the intentions of our hearts. We must exercise caution and not judge others. “We have no right to entertain unfavorable suspicions about men who are unknown to us.” (Calvin) “We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in them.” (Matthew Henry)

Videos

Seeing and Believing: John 2:1-11 (Colin Smith)

Zeal for God’s House: John 2:13-22 (Colin Smith)

A Wedding Party Encounters Jesus (Tim Keller)

The Beginning of Miracles: John 2:1-11 (John MacArthur)

Zeal for My Father’s House: John 2:12-17 (John MacArthur)