The Beginning Of Jesus' Ministry
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First Miracle
Three days after Jesus called Philip to follow him, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee that was being attended by Mary, the mother of Jesus. Jesus had also been invited, and his disciples were in attendance as well.
Before the marriage festivities were over, they ran out of wine. Mary came to Jesus and told him that they had no more wine.
Jesus said to her:
Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come.
Note: Many people have misunderstood this part of the story of Jesus and have wondered why Jesus rebuked Mary.
But notice that Jesus did not call Mary his mother. Instead he called her ‘Woman,’ a term of courteous respect. Jesus was simply making the point that when it came to miracles, he was not acting under the authority of his mother and would not submit in the spirit of obedience.
This mild retort was meant to point us to the fact that Jesus operates under the authority of his Father in heaven and that his duties as a son of Mary and Joseph were subordinate to divine duties.
Jesus made the same point with Mary when he was only 12 years old when he stayed in Jerusalem to be about his father’s business in the temple, absent from the group returning to Nazareth.
It seems obvious that Mary had more in mind than just the gift of wine. She apparently wanted Jesus to reveal himself as the Messiah. His primary manifestation of himself as the Messiah was in his Passion. The time for this manifestation was yet to come. End note.
His mother said to the servants:
Do whatever he tells you to do.
There were six stone water pots that the Jews used for ceremonial washing of hands before they ate. Each water pot held between 18 and 27 gallons of water.
Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water. They filled them to the brim. Jesus then told the servants to fill a cup from the water pot and take it to the ruler of the feast. They did as Jesus said.
When the ruler of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, not knowing where it came from, he called the bridegroom and said:
Usually the good wine is brought out first, and then after everyone has had a chance to drink freely, the poorer quality wine is brought out. But you have kept the good wine for last.
This is the beginning of the signs that Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. The signs and wonders he did manifested his glory. And Jesus’ disciples believed in him.