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| John 2 - Water into Wine |
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Psalm 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
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John 2
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
Mary's presence was crucial for the general audience, elevating the importance of the miracle - the very first one, because Jesus's commands and the water's change were so important. That later emphasized the healings of miracles because they were clearly from Jesus Himself.
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
The number of their own group was rather large, and there was no indication of Joseph, here or anywhere else. Such are the stories when people name what they do not know.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
We had the good fortune to attend a wedding among the Kerala people from India - the province with the most Christians, known for their traditions. The bride's Kerala mother was in charge, down to the smallest item and tradition. Everything mattered to everyone, but especially for the mother. Mary told Jesus that they had no wine, a catastrophe on many levels, yet it was simply stated, in a couple of words. That can be misunderstood, such as giving so much power to Mary rather than the miracle and its source - the Lord of the Universe.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
The miraculous can be distorted as power from Mary, and so centuries of distortions came from the Middle Ages especially, making Mary the miraculous and often setting Jesus aside in their narrations. The lack of good information came from distortions and the lack of good sense. The Middle Ages covered about 1,000 years with no printing, and that made matters worse. Luther and the Reformation quashed those distortions and many lost their lives from teaching the truth rather than their magic.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 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,
10 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.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
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