John 2:1

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: The time of this section is clearly expressed in the opening verse; and here, again, let the reader note the chronological precision of this Gospel. AND THE THIRD DAY THERE WAS A MARRIAGE IN CANA OF GALILEE. It would take two days to travel from the Judean valley of the Jordan, where He parted with John-never to meet again, so far as we are informed-to Cana; and this marriage-day was the day following, or the third. It is not called Cana in Galilee to distinguish it, as Eusebius and Jerome thought, from Kaneh in the tribe of Asher (), for that also would be reckoned to Galilee, according to the New Testament division of the country-but merely to note its geographical locality, and to let the reader know that Jesus had now returned to His own region, wh...

1._There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. _As this narrative contains the first miracle which Christ performed, it would be proper for us, were it on this ground alone, to consider the narrative attentively; though — as we shall afterwards see — there are other reasons which recommend it to our notice. But while we proceed, the various advantages arising from it will be more clearly seen. The Evangelist first mentions _Cana of Galilee, _not that which was situated towards Zare-phath (1 Kings 17:9; Obadiah 1:20; Luke 4:26) or Sarepta, between Tyre and Sidon, and was called the greater in comparison of this latter _Cana, _which is placed by some in the tribe of Zebulun, and by others in the tribe of Asher. For Jerome too assures us that, even in his time,

1-11 It is very desirable when there is a marriage, to have Christ own and bless it. Those that would have Christ with them at their marriage, must invite him by prayer, and he will come. While in this world we sometimes find ourselves in straits, even when we think ourselves in fulness. There was want at a marriage feast. Those who are come to care for the things of the world, must look for trouble, and count upon disappointment. In our addresses to Christ, we must humbly spread our case before him, and then refer ourselves to him to do as he pleases. In Christ's reply to his mother there was no disrespect. He used the same word when speaking to her with affection from the cross; yet it is a standing testimony against the idolatry of after-ages, in giving undue honours to his mother. His hour is come when we know not what to do. Delays of mercy are not denials of prayer. Those that exp...

CHAPTER II. _The miracle at Cana in Galilee, where our Lord changed water_ _into wine_, 1-11. _He goes to Capernaum_, 12. _He purges the temple at the feast of the passover_, 13-17. _The Jews require a miracle, as a proof that he had authority to_ _do these things_, 18. _In answer he refers to his own death and resurrection_, 19-22. _Many believe on him while at the feast of the passover, to whom_ _Jesus would not trust himself_, 23-25. NOTES ON CHAP. II. Verse...

AND THE THIRD DAY - On the third day after his conversation with Nathanael. CANA - This was a small town about 15 miles northwest of Tiberias and 6 miles northeast of Nazareth. It is now called Kerr Kenna, is under the government of a Turkish officer, and contains perhaps 300 inhabitants, chiefly Catholics. The natives still pretend to show the place where the water was turned into wine, and even one of the large stone water-pots. “A Greek church,” says Professor Hackett (‘Illustrations of Scripture,’ p. 322), “stands at the entrance of the town, deriving its special sanctity, as I understood, from its being supposed to occupy the site of the house in which the marriage was celebrated to which Jesus and his friends were invited. A priest to whom we were referred as the custodian soon arrived, in obedience to our call, and unlocked the doors of the church. It is a low stone building, pair...

EXPOSITION VERSES 2:1-3:4 _The testimony of signs to the glory of the Word made flesh._ JOHN 2:1 (1) _The first sign, the beginning of signs, Mastery over the old creation. Sign of love and power. _The description of the preceding narrative, given in John 2:11, is the true key to it. It is impressive on several accounts. Christ had not yet given any "sign" of the invisible and eternal glory which the evangelist in his prologue had claimed for him. He had not in his own person "manifested" the unique majesty of his will, nor revealed the direction in which the power he wielded would most freely move. John, by this statement, (1) puts down a positive disclaimer of the whole cycle of portents which, whe

AND THE THIRD DAY THERE WAS A MARRIAGE,.... Either from the second testimony bore by John the Baptist concerning Christ, and from the call of Simon Peter, which seem to be of the same date; see John 1:35, or from Christ's coming into Galilee; or from the conversation he had with Nathanael; from either of which the date is taken, it matters not; the first is as agreeable and plain, as any. There is much dispute, and many rules with the Jews about the times, and days of marriage: "a virgin, (they say z,) marries on the fourth day (of the week), and a widow on the fifth, because the sanhedrim sit in the cities twice in the week, on the second, and on the fifth days; so that if there is any dispute about virginity, he (the husband) may come betimes to the sanhedrim.'' This was a law that obtained since the times of Ezra; for it is said a, "before the order of Ezra

Our Saviour had lived on the earth for thirty years, and had worked no miracle. There was the hiding of his power. He had been subject unto his parents, and had lived in obscurity. Now he has broken through the obscurity, and he begins his public ministry by working a miracle. John 2:1. _And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;_ «The third day.» John keeps a kind of diary for Christ. In those first days there was something for every day, and they were a specimen of the whole life of the Saviour. He could never say, like Titus, «I have lost a day.» Every day had its deed, glorifying to God, and blessed to men. Let us also try to labour for Christ every day; let there be no day without its mark. May God grant that there may be something to make every day memorable! «And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.» The first miracle of our Lord was not

CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2:1-22 _ 1. The Marriage in Cana. (John 2:1 .)_ 2. The Temple Cleansed. (John 2:12 .) The second chapter gives the record of the first miracle reported in this Gospel. He manifested His omniscience in the previous chapter and here, in turning water into wine, He reveals Himself as the omnipotent Creator. What harmony there is between the opening of the first two Chapter s of the Gospel of John. The first chapter speaks of Him as the Creator of all things and in the second chapter He manifests the power of the Creator. He needed no wine, no grapes, no mellowing process, to furnish the best wine. He but commanded and it was so. This is omnipotence. In John 2:17 of the previous chapter there is a

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA. On the third day the promise to Nathanael of greater things to follow is fulfilled. Modern exploration has suggested three sites for Cana, all of them near Nazareth, and to the N. or NE. of that place (p. 29). In Mark 6:3 only the sisters are mentioned by the people of Nazareth as being with us. Zahn suggests that they had married and settled there, the family having moved to Cana. We mayat least notice the independence of the Synoptic narrative which the mention of the place shows. The mother of Jesus calls His attention to the failure of wine at a wedding feast to which He and His disciples had been invited. Jesus answers, in terms in which there is no trace of rebuke or disrespect [82] (_cf. John 19:26_), that the time has not come for Him to interfere. He has not yet received the Father's i