Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Two

                                                                                                                                       Verses 1-12

This chapter begins with the phrase, "And the third day." Since the Bible (KJB) does not relate what "the third day" means, then one can assume that this phrase has some symbolic reference to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.

With Jesus' miracle at this wedding, He turned water into wine for a specific purpose. Since water in the Bible usually symbolizes both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, then Jesus' miracle could mean that after His resurrection the Word of God and the Holy Spirit would impart to all believers saved by grace the spiritual blood of Christ that will cleanse them of all sins and evil, which the wine symbolized. Matthew 26:28; John 6:63. When some people hear or read the gospel, the Holy Spirit convinces them that they are sinners separated from God's salvation but not from His Love. John 16:7-11. If they humble themselves to God, and repent and believe that only Jesus Christ can save them, then the Holy Spirit immediately comes into their inner beings and washes all of their sins away with the blood of Christ, annuls their spiritual deaths which is the evil inside of them that causes them to sin, and imparts to them the righteousness of Christ Himself by means of which they can be accepted by God to live with Him in Heaven forever. I Corinthians 6:11; II Corinthians 5:21.

Jesus' mother informed Him that the guests at the marriage ceremony had run out of wine. This fact could symbolize that sinful humans cannot save themselves. Humans need a miracle from God in order to be saved from the eternal effects of sin and evil. Romans 5:6.

In verse four, Jesus' reply to His mother seems to indicate that He felt that the time of His ministry to the world had not yet begun. But Jesus soon realized that His Father had inspired His mother to give Him the sign that His ministry must begin at that marriage feast.

Evidently, Jesus' mother already knew that her Son could perform miracles because she had seen Him do private miracles within her family. Jesus' mother forced His hand when she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Jesus then realized that His Father had inspired His mother to cause the beginning of His ministry to the world. Jesus knew all this because He had to obey His mother in accordance with the fifth commandment. Exodus 20:12.

Jesus commanded that the servants fill six huge waterpots with water. But He did not turn the water into wine until the servants began to bring the wine to the guests. The water in the waterpots remained water. This miracle could symbolize that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, symbolized by the water, to convince sinners that they need to repent and believe in Jesus, and when they do, the Holy Spirit then imparts the spiritual blood of Jesus to their inner beings for their salvation by grace. I Corinthians 6:11; John 6:63.