CHAPTER 2

(A.D. 30)

THE FIRST MIRACLE

¹And the third day (speaks of the amount of time which had lapsed since Jesus left the Wilderness Temptation to begin His public Ministry) there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee (occasions the site of His very First Miracle); and the mother of Jesus was there (indicates that she was already there when Jesus came):

²And both Jesus was called, and His Disciples, to the marriage (He may have only had some five Disciples this early in His Ministry).

³And when they wanted wine (they had run out of wine; the Greek word for wine, as used here, is oinos; it means either fermented or unfermented, according to how it is used; every indication is it was unfermented, i.e., grape juice), the mother of Jesus (Mary) said unto Him, They have no wine (there was an indication in her spirit, placed there by the Holy Spirit, that she should appeal to her Son).

⁴Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with you? (The term Woman, as then used, was basically the same as our present use of Madam. The language implies that the period of subjection to Mary [it is believed that Joseph was now dead] was now at an end.) My hour is not yet come (He is meaning that if this is the hour when He is to begin His Miracle Ministry, such direction would have to come from God, and God Alone! in other words, as it regards spiritual things, He was not there to do what His Mother wanted, but rather what God wanted; the Catholic Church should note this).

⁵His mother said unto the servants (indicates a Revelation to her by the Holy Spirit), Whatsoever He says unto you, do it(represents the last recorded words of Mary; with this word she stepped aside, in effect, telling the servants to turn from her to Him).

⁶And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews (six represents the number of man, and always falls short of perfection represented by the number 7, called Gods number), containing two or three firkins apiece (referred to 18 to 27 gallons each, depending on the size; as is obvious, they were quite large).

⁷Jesus said unto them, Fill the waterpots with water (means that His hour had come, and He had been given instructions from His Heavenly Father as to what He should do). And they filled them up to the brim (presented all that man could do; the balance was left up to our Lord).

⁸And He said unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the Governor of the feast (that was all that was said and done). And they bear it.

⁹When the Ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was (evidently, this scenario had taken place only in the presence of a few people): (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the Governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

¹⁰And said unto him, Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk (doesnt mean that they were intoxicated, as some suppose, but that they had already consumed a lot), then that which is worse: but you have kept the good wine until now (the best was saved until the last, but not intentionally!).

¹¹This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee (this was the First Miracle He performed; there would be many more!), and manifested forth His Glory (this type of miracle was performed first in order to show that He could change things, and do so miraculously); and His Disciples believed on Him (their faith increased due to the manifestation of His Glory in the changing of the water to wine).

¹²After this He went down to Capernaum (we arent told why, but quite possibly He was thinking now of making it His headquarters), He, and His mother, and His brethren (it seems that His brothers were not now opposed to Him, as they would later be; at least two of them, despite their former opposition, would become leaders in the Church; I speak of James and Jude; Joseph is not mentioned here, so he was possibly dead by now; as well, His sisters arent mentioned, so they were probably married, and at their own respective houses), and His Disciples (as stated, exactly how many He had at this time is not known): and they continued there not many days (has reference to the Passover, which was to commence shortly in Jerusalem).

THE TEMPLE

¹³And the Jews Passover was at hand (it had been Jehovahs Passover, but corruption had permeated it and now it was The Jews Passover), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem (proclaims Him making this trip, although as events will relate, not with enthusiasm),

¹⁴And found in the Temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting (probably refers to the Court of the Gentiles; it was not the selling of the animals to which Jesus objected, but where they were being sold; the same would go for the moneychangers):

¹⁵And when He had made a scourge of small cords (represents the Lords first cleansing of the Temple; the second and last cleansing was that of Mat. 21:12), He drove them all out of the Temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers money, and overthrew the tables (what He did was Scriptural [Ps. 69:9]; spiritually, I suspect the modern Church is guilty of the same sin);

¹⁶And said unto them who sold doves, Take these things hence (tradition says that He opened the cages, letting the doves loose, with them flying over the heads of the people, etc.); make not My Fathers House an house of merchandise (His statement in essence says that He is the Son of God Most High).

¹⁷And His Disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Your House has eaten Me up (this is a foreshadowing of the reproach and agony which will befall the Righteous Servant of God in His Passion for Gods Honor).

A SIGN

¹⁸Then answered the Jews and said unto Him (concerns itself with the opposition, which would only grow in intensity), What sign do You show us, seeing that You do these things? (The proper translation is, what sign do You show unto us that You are the Messiah, seeing that You do these things?)

¹⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this Temple (referred to His physical Body, not the structure built by Herod), and in three days I will raise it up (speaks of His Resurrection and exactly when it would be, three days after His Death).

²⁰Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this Temple in building, and will you rear it up in three days? (The last statement is spoken in sarcasm.)

²¹But He spoke of the Temple of His Body (this is said after the fact; however, when He originally made the statement, more than likely He pointed to His Body, but still they would have not understood His meaning).

²²When therefore He was risen from the dead, His Disciples remembered that He had said this unto them (realizing that it referred to His Death and Resurrection, and not the Temple built by Herod); and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said (perhaps they were referring here to Ps. 16:10; a Divine Faith is always based upon the Scriptures).

²³Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, on the Feast Day(speaks of the same time in which He had cleansed the Temple), many believed in His Name, when they saw the Miracles which He did.

²⁴But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them (means that He paid little attention to their praises, which were occasioned by the miracles; their faith was a shallow faith, and was rooted not necessarily in the Scriptures, but rather in outward observances), because He knew all men(refers to the fickleness of man, especially those whose faith is as misplaced as these),

²⁵And needed not that any should testify of man (means that He Alone properly discerned the true nature of man): for He knew what was in man (total depravity).