2:1-11 The first sign

February 15, 2021

Read John 2:1-11

How did John go about showing his readers that by believing in Jesus they might have life in his name? He sees the miracles of Jesus as signs of who Jesus is and of the eternal life which he gives. So, out of the many miracles done by Jesus, John selected some (20:30-31) which he used to introduce the various sections in John 2-12. The changing of water into wine is the first of those signs (11). It points to the superiority of Jesus’s message over the existing Jewish religion, a theme which John will go on to illustrate in this opening section.

The water jars (6) provide the clue to the meaning of this sign because the water from these jars was used for Jewish ceremonial washing, and it is this water that Jesus changed into wine of the very best quality (10; 10:10). The water is a symbol of the limited blessings of the old religion and the wine is a symbol of the greater blessings that Jesus will bring. It is a contrast between the inadequacy of the Jewish religion and fullness of life through Jesus Christ. As Leon Morris summarises, “Jesus changes the water of Judaism into the wine of Christianity”.

The phrase “my time has not yet come” (4) was often used by Jesus about the time appointed for his death (7:6-8; 8:20; 13:1). So, at the very beginning of his ministry, the cross is pointed to. His death would be the supreme revelation of his glory (12:23-24; 17:1), but each of the miracles are signs of it too (11) because they point to who he is and what he has come to do. For those who have eyes to see, like the disciples here, the response to that will be “to put their faith in him”.

(Throughout Lent, the speaking team at Emmanuel Church is recording a weekly talk on the theme "Jesus, the Source of Life", based on the six sections in John 2-12. The first talk, "The new religion of Jesus" (2:1 - 4:42), by Rev. Adam Reed is now available. Click Talk 1 to listen to it.)