John 1:14, 18; 2:1–11

Bible Studies for Life
Instructor of Church Music and Worship Leadership, School of the Arts, Samford University

Glory Revealed
John 1:14, 18; 2:1–11
This month’s studies will direct our attention to different miracles of Jesus Christ, what they reveal about the promised Messiah and the hope they offer us in our pursuit of God’s Kingdom. As we begin to examine these accounts of Christ’s work in Scripture, may we gain a deeper assurance and trust of Him and the good gifts He continues to offer us today.

Understand the Mission of Jesus (2:1–5)
In John’s account of the wedding at Cana, Christ executed His first miracle by turning water into wine, and it must be said that John wasted no time emphasizing Christ’s work in the world. John’s Gospel skips the birth, infancy and childhood narratives of Christ and immediately begins with signs that the long-awaited Messiah has come into the world. After the testimony of John the Baptist and the calling of the disciples in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 begins with Christ’s initial fulfillment of promised “greater things” (see John 1:50).

Cana is the setting for a wedding to which Jesus and His disciples had been invited (1–2). It is a small village or town north of Nazareth. The wedding hosts ran out of wine, a sure embarrassment in the midst of an otherwise festive occasion. When asked by His mother to help, Jesus responded, “My hour has not yet come” (4). In this statement, He was referring to the glory of His hour on the cross (see John 12:23).  

Jesus’ response illustrates the primacy of His mission on earth — not to give gifts like Santa Claus but to provide salvation for the world. Moreover this response illustrates that even Christ’s family did not receive priority over God’s work and Christ’s mission in the world. God’s timing and ways are not secondary thoughts and determinations; they are intentional.

Experience the Power of Jesus (2:6–10)
Jesus did turn a large amount of water into wine (6–10). One scholar estimates the total capacity of the six stone jars may have been between 96 and 144 gallons. In doing this, Jesus may have been fulfilling His obligation to provide a gift as a wedding guest. Another possibility is that the presence of Jesus and the disciples had been the cause of the wine shortage and He wanted to rectify the complication they had caused.

Both wine and the abundance of wine bore significance in the Jewish culture. Large amounts of wine (and oil and milk) represented the age of salvation and even foreshadowed the arrival of the Messianic age (see Amos 9:13–14 and Genesis 49:10–11). Not only was Christ providing immediate assistance to the wedding feast but He also was announcing that God’s Kingdom had arrived in Christ.

See the Glory of Jesus (2:11; 1:14, 18)
To fully understand this passage, it is necessary to examine the background of glory in the Old Testament. Glory (“doxa”) was frequently associated with God’s majesty and radiance. Although God could not be seen, His glory often shown forth in the form of a visible light or fire (Ex. 16:7; Deut. 5:24). God’s glory could also be lost (as in 1 Samuel 4:21–22), but prophecy proclaimed that His glory would come to earth and convert the Gentiles (Ezek. 39:21). In the signs of Christ, of which the miracle at Cana was one, the glory of the Lord had come as promised.
John’s Gospel is unique from the other three Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke often associate Christ’s glory with the future, but John always associates glory with Christ’s present actions and words. God’s glory is always something that is seen and not hidden.   

As we study Christ’s life, we, too, must deepen our trust that Christ the Messiah, the Word who became flesh and lived among us, was indeed the Son of God in whom we are to place our lives. When we do this, we will experience the glory of God, the long-awaited Messiah whose provisions for us exist in abundance.