40 · Words and actions of Jesus

The Wedding at Cana

John 2:1–11

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Jesus stands beside six large stone jars at a wedding in Cana while servants draw from them and wedding guests are visible in the background.

Jesus turns water into wine. John calls it the beginning of his signs.

Why does John call this event a sign?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: How does a miracle differ from a sign?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A follows John's own conclusion. The evangelist does not merely report that water became wine but calls the event a sēmeion, a sign, and tells us what it accomplishes: Jesus' glory is revealed and his disciples believe in him. C allows the symbolically suggestive details of the story to remain visible without turning one particular symbolic interpretation into something John explicitly states. The purification jars, abundance of wine, and Jesus' “hour” are relevant to a deeper reading of the Gospel, but the degree and exact meaning of the symbolism should be handled carefully.

40 · John 2:1–11

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Text & context

Full translation

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus' mother was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me and you? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone jars were standing there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding two or three measures. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the top. 8 Then he said, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” And they did. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, he did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine when people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this in Cana of Galilee as the beginning of his signs. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Jesus, his mother, and his disciples are at a wedding in Cana. When the wine runs out, Jesus' mother draws his attention to the problem. Jesus replies with the enigmatic statement that his “hour” has not yet come, yet his mother tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them. Jesus uses six large stone jars that John explicitly says are there for Jewish purification. The servants fill them to the top with water. When the contents are taken to the master of the feast, the water has become wine. The master of the feast does not know where the wine came from. The servants, however, know what they did and where the contents came from. The master then praises the bridegroom for keeping the good wine until last. John closes by interpreting the event himself: this is the beginning of Jesus' signs. Jesus reveals his glory, and his disciples believe in him.
Notice this

The master of the feast tastes the wine, but: he does not know where it came from. The servants: know. They have performed the simple but substantial work of filling the large stone jars with water and therefore become the people in the scene who know the concrete background of the sign. There is also an almost humorous detail: Jesus performs the sign. The servants know what happened. The bridegroom receives the compliment for the good wine. But John does not end with the bridegroom or even with the quality of the wine. He ends with: sign → glory → faith. That is the story's stated direction.

Language & translation

From the Greek

τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί – ti emoi kai soi

what does this have to do with me and you? A Semitic-style idiom whose exact tone is difficult to reproduce. It marks some form of distance or question of concern/relationship, but it should not automatically be read as crude or disrespectful.

γύναι – gynai

woman In modern English, direct address as “woman” can sound harsh. In ancient Greek it need not be insulting. Jesus uses the same address to his mother in John 19:26.

οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου – oupō hēkei hē hōra mou

my hour has not yet come Jesus' “hour” becomes an important motif throughout John and is later clearly connected with his glorification, death, and return to the Father.

κατὰ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων – kata ton katharismon tōn Ioudaiōn

for the Jewish rites of purification John explicitly tells us why the stone jars were there. That makes the detail relevant even though the evangelist does not immediately explain its symbolic meaning.

μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς – metrētas dyo ē treis

two or three measures Each vessel holds a substantial quantity. Exact modern liter conversions vary with reconstruction of the ancient measure, but together the jars represent a very large quantity of wine.

ἕως ἄνω – heōs anō

to the top The servants fill the jars completely, reinforcing the scale of what follows.

οἱ δὲ διάκονοι ᾔδεισαν – hoi de diakonoi ēdeisan

but the servants knew The master of the feast does not know the wine's origin, while the servants who drew the water do.

ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων – archēn tōn sēmeiōn

the beginning of the signs Sēmeion means sign. In John, Jesus' works are not merely demonstrations of power but acts that point toward who Jesus is.

ἐφανέρωσεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ – ephanerōsen tēn doxan autou

he revealed his glory John himself gives a theological interpretation of the sign.

ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ – episteusan eis auton hoi mathētai autou

his disciples believed in him The sign leads not merely to amazement but to faith directed toward Jesus.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read John 2:1–11 together with later passages about Jesus' “hour,” especially John 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, and 13:1. Pay particular attention to:

  • gynai
  • ti emoi kai soi
  • hōra
  • katharismos
  • diakonos
  • sēmeion
  • doxa
  • pisteuō

Also compare John 20:30–31, where the evangelist explains why Jesus' signs have been written down.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think John calls the event a “sign” rather than simply emphasizing the miracle?
  2. What might it mean that vessels for purification are used, and what can we say with confidence versus only suggest?
  3. Why do you think John notes that the servants know where the wine came from while the master of the feast does not?
  4. How does the story change when Jesus' words “my hour has not yet come” are read alongside the rest of John's Gospel?
  5. Can someone experience the result of a sign without understanding where it came from or what it points toward?
Parallel passages
  • John 7:30
  • John 8:20
  • John 12:23
  • John 13:1
  • John 19:26
  • John 20:30–31
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • John 2:1–11
  • John 20:30–31
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for gynē, hōra, katharismos, metretēs, diakonos, sēmeion, doxa, and pisteuō