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The wedding at Cana

The wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11) constitutes Jesus’ first sign: he turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana in Galilee, in November 29. Only John reports this episode. The article explores possible reasons for Jesus’ family’s presence, tentatively identifies Nathanael as the bridegroom, and emphasises that this miracle strengthens the disciples’ faith by revealing the Messiah’s glory.

4 min wedding at Cana miracle of Jesus water turned into wine John 2 first sign 4 verses 3 books

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Biblical texts

Matthew

Matthew (King James Version) not cited in the book

Mark

Mark (King James Version) not cited in the book

Luke

Luke (King James Version) not cited in the book

John

John 2.1-11 (King James Version)

And the third day there was a marriage in of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Technical details

Location: The village of in Galilee

Date: From Sunday, 25 November to Saturday, 1 December 29

Method: We continue with John

Note on the method: John alone gives us information about this period of Jesus the Messiah’s life before John the Baptist’s arrest

Jesus the Messiah must travel about fourteen kilometres to in Galilee to attend a wedding.

The wedding at Cana

Comments

Jesus the Messiah and his family had therefore been invited, and John specifies that they afterwards went to Capernaum, where they stayed a few days. Although the sisters are not mentioned, we assume they were also present.

Adding Jesus the Messiah’s disciples to the invitation may have contributed to the shortage of wine, although most were Nathanael’s friends and therefore probably already invited.

It seems, then, that Jesus returned to Nazareth with his friends to join his family. They remained there the next day, the , and set out on Sunday for , about fourteen kilometres away, thus beginning the great celebration three days after the meeting with Nathanael, as John 2.1 specifies.

In our interpretation, this is the wedding procession: Nathanael comes to fetch his bride, a half-sister of Jesus the Messiah, to take her to his father’s house (Matthew 25.1).

According to John 2.11, the miracle of water turned into wine is highly significant, for he specifies: ‘He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.’ It would therefore be more accurate to say that this first miracle strengthened his disciples’ faith.

Mary’s intervention would be hard to understand if she were merely a guest. Her presence and that of her children would be difficult to explain. They do not live in , so there would have been no reason to invite them unless they belonged to the bride’s family.

John enriches his friends’ accounts with information crucial to understanding these men’s later decisions. A Jewish wedding at that time lasted about seven days and was a great celebration.

Les noces de Cana. Les noces de Cana (Jean 2.1-11) constituent le premier signe accompli par Jésus, qui transforme l'eau en vin lors d'un mariage à Cana en Galilée, en novembre de l'an 29. Seul Jean rapporte cet épisode. L'article explore les hypothèses sur la présence de la famille de Jésus, identifie peut-être Nathanaël comme le marié, et souligne que ce miracle renforce la foi des disciples en manifestant la gloire du Messie. Commentaires. Le Messie Jésus et sa famille ont donc été invités et Jean précise qu'ils sont allés ensuite à Capernaüm où ils sont restés quelques jours. Même si les sœurs ne sont pas mentionnées, nous supposons qu'elles étaient également présentes. L'ajout des disciples du Messie Jésus à l'invitation a peut-être contribué à la pénurie de vin, même si la plupart étaient des amis de Nathanaël et donc surement déjà invités. Il semble donc que Jésus, accompagné de ses amis, soit retourné à Nazareth pour rejoindre sa famille. Ils y sont restés le lendemain, jour du sabbat, et ont entrepris le voyage le dimanche pour se rendre à Cana, se situant à environ 14 km, commençant ainsi la grande célébration trois jours après la rencontre avec Nathanaël, comme le précise Jean 2, verset 1. Selon notre interprétation, il s'agit du cortège nuptial, Nathanaël venant chercher sa fiancée, une demi-sœur du Messie Jésus, pour l'emmener dans la maison de son père (Matthieu 25, verset 1). Ce miracle de l'eau transformée en vin est, selon Jean 2, verset 11, très significatif, car il précise : « Il manifesta sa gloire et ses disciples crurent en lui ». Il serait donc plus juste de dire que ce premier miracle a renforcé la foi de ses disciples. L'intervention de Marie serait difficile à comprendre si elle n'avait été qu'une simple invitée. Sa présence ainsi que celle de ses enfants s'expliqueraient mal. En effet, ils n’habitent pas Cana, il n’y avait donc aucune raison de les inviter, sauf s'ils faisaient partie de la famille de la mariée. Jean enrichit les récits de ses amis avec des informations cruciales pour comprendre les décisions futures de ces hommes. Le mariage juif à cette époque durait environ 7 jours et constituait une grande célébration.