John 2
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The First Sign" By Lane Rogers
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CHRIST'S FIRST SIGN |
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An analysis of John 2:1-11 |
1.
The Occasion of the Miracle: a marriage in Cana, v.1.
2. The Presence there of the Mother of Jesus, v.1.
3. The Saviour and His Disciples Invited, v.2.
4. Mary's Interference and Christ's Rebuke, vv. 3, 4.
5. Mary's Submission, v.5.
6. The Miracle Itself, vv. 6-8.
7. The Effects of the Miracle, vv. 9-11.
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I. The second chapter opens with the word "and." |
It is because the author wants us to realize that the contents are closely connected with what has gone before.
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A. A marriage feast is presented to our view, and the central thing about it is that the wine had given out. |
"The point of course in all of this is directly related to chapter one. Jesus took His disciples there so that they “could behold His glory.” He might have taken the former disciples of John there to contrast His ministry with that of John's.
B. The former disciples of John came later and asked why His disciples did not fast (Mat. 9:14ff).
C. Jesus had a harder and higher task than the Baptist did. Jesus mixed and mingled with men from day to day and the Baptist withdrew from men.
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II. Jesus rebukes His mother v.1 |
A. Mary was probably there helping serve or assisting.
B. What did Mary want Jesus to do when she noticed the wine was almost out?
C. Did Mary at this point realize that Jesus was Deity? I think based on v. 4 we can assume that Mary was asking Jesus to do something miraculous.
D. Here is what seems to be going on. Mary knew from the birth of Jesus that He was God but by this point in time Jesus had not announced Himself to the world. Here Jesus comes to the wedding with His disciples and "Mary" not Jesus decides its time for Him to go into action.
E. In verse 4 then, we see Jesus understanding that Mary was trying to run His ministry, better translated (this is my affair and not yours).
F. The thing that must be pointed out is Mary's immediate submission, "What ever He says to you do it."
G. Scholars tells us that at the time Jesus used the word "woman" it would not have sounded harsh and rough. It was a designation commonly used for addressing females of all classes and relationships, and was sometimes employed with great reverence and affection.
a. "Woman" (gynai)was a polite form of address.
b. Jesus used this on the cross: 19:26
c. Also with Mary Magdalene after the resurrection: 20:15
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III. The Miracle Performed 2:6-11 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. 8And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him. 9When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
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A wedding in Cana
I. Ceremonial water turned into wine
Now, it so happened that six stone water containers stood nearby, and they were not regular water jars, John tells us—they were the kind the Jews used for ceremonial washing. (For ceremonial cleansing, the Jews preferred water from stone containers rather than clay pots.) They held more than 20 gallons of water each—far too heavy for picking up and pouring. That means they would make about 20,000 four ounce glasses or about 120 gallons. That’s a lot of water, just for ceremonial washing. This must have been at the largest estate in Cana.
II. The Washing of hands
A. The Jews of the time washed their hands and their pots before and after eating, for purification (Mt. 15:1-11).
B. This was one of their traditions they added to the Law of Moses (Mk. 7:1-9; Lk. 11: 37-41).
C. They were careful to wash their hands before a meal in case they had touched a Gentile, publican (politician) or harlot in the market place.
D. This seems to be a significant part of the story—that Jesus was going to transform some water used in Jewish ceremonies. This symbolized a transformation in Judaism, even the fulfillment of ceremonial washings. Imagine what would happen if guests wanted to wash their hands again—they would go to the water pots and find every one of them filled with wine! There would be no water for their ritual. The spiritual cleansing of Jesus’ blood superseded ritual washings. Jesus has fulfilled the rituals and replaced them with something much better—himself.
The servants filled the containers to the brim, John tells us (v. 7). How appropriate, for Jesus fulfilled the rituals completely, rendering them obsolete. In the messianic age, no space is left for ritual washings.
The servants drew some wine out and took it to the master of ceremonies, who then told the bridegroom, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (v. 10).
Why do you suppose that John record these words? Was it advice for future banquets? Was it merely to show that Jesus makes good wine? No, I think it is reported because it has symbolic significance.
The Jews were like people who had been drinking wine (performing ritual washings) so long that they could not recognize when something better came along. When Mary said, “They have no more wine” (v. 3), it symbolized the fact that the Jews had no spiritual meaning left in their ceremonies. Jesus was bringing something new and something better.
Verse 10,
A. In verse 10 we seem to have the ruler (head waiter) chiding his host by reminding the bridegroom of a well known custom. The worst wine was to come at the last when peoples senses and taste were blunted.
B. This miracle turned custom on its head.
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IV. Jesus Moves His Headquarters to Capernaum 2:12 12After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. |
A. It is here that we must move to the Synoptics for the rest of our story.
B. It seems clear that Jesus left home, moved to Capernaum never to return again to Nazareth.
C. According to Matthew, Jesus moved after John the Baptist was delivered up into prison (Mt. 4:12-13).
D. Luke tells us that Jesus did not own a home (Lk. 9:58).
a. Jesus' headquarters were in Capernaum (cf. Mk. 1:31).
b. We suppose that Jesus probably stayed in Peter's house.
c. What ever the case, Jesus ends His public ministry in Galilee and comes to the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:2, 3, 10). (We will review the Feast of the Tabernacles in chapter 7)
a. The allusion to Jesus' brothers also recurs in the Synoptic Gospels.
b. According to Mark 6:3, Jesus had four brothers and some sisters.
c. James alone appears in the book of Acts
d. Another allusion to them occurs in John 7:2-10.
(1) Were they children of Joseph by a previous marriage?
(2) They were really Jesus' cousins as Roman Catholics say?
(3) Were they younger children of Joseph and Mary?
The Roman Catholic view (the 2nd) is probably incorrect since the word cousin (aenpsios) is in the Greek language and could have been used if cousin was the case. The idea that they were the cousins of Christ is advocated by those who espouse the perpetual Virginity of Mary.
d. After this, He never return again to reside in Nazareth.
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13The Passover of the Jews was near,Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16and to those who were selling doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." 17His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME." |
A brief analysis of John 2:13-25 is as follows:
1. The Time of the Cleansing, v. 13.
2. The Need of the Cleansing, v. 14.
3. The Method of the Cleansing, v. 15,16.
4. The Cause of the Cleansing, v. 17.
I. It was the Passover!
a. There are actually two such occasions found in the Gospels: ( Matt. 21:10-17; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45-46). These accounts attach this story to Jesus' last visit to Jerusalem and His death.
b. Either John is correct and the Synoptics are wrong.
c. Or the Synoptics are right and John has moved his story for theological purposes.
d. The first idea (there are two occasions) is probably correct. There are many details in the stories that are different (i.e. the Synoptics do not mention Jesus' statement of "destroy this Temple" and other important details).
A. Great multitudes would have been gathered for the Passover (See Ex. 12 and 13; Leviticus chapter 23).
B. According to Josephus, there were 260, 000 lambs slain that year along with a great number of Oxen.
C. In 70 A.D., Titus the Roman General laid siege to Jerusalem on the Passover.
D. Read our article on the Passover and Christ (here)
E. Read on the Lord's Supper and the dead Sea Scrolls (Here)
F. Most historians think there were about 3 million people there to celebrate the Passover.
II. The Law of Moses provided for people to bring their own animals but over time it seems that people came to depend on buying their animals at the Temple, for convince sake.
A. Money hungry priests took advantage of this and used their authority of approving or disproving of a certain animals (they seemed to find blemishes on most of those brought in by others).
B. The process became a way to corner the market on animals.
C. One commentator claims that that the Sadducees made a profit of over 300,000.00 per year doing this.
D. The "Money Changers" also had a racket. According to Ex. 30: 11-16, every male over 20 had to pay a "Temple Tax." But this tax could only be paid with Jewish money.
a. Gentile coins were polluted
b. Thus, a crisp little profit was made in the exchange.
Cleansing the temple
In keeping with this theme, John tells us that Jesus drove merchants out of the temple courts. Commentators write pages about whether this temple-cleansing was the same as the one the other Gospels report at the end of Jesus’ ministry, or whether it was an additional one at the beginning. In either case, John reports it here because of the significance that it symbolizes.
John again puts the story in the context of Judaism: “It was almost time for the Jewish Passover” (v. 13). And Jesus found people selling animals and changing money—animals for sin offerings fellowship offerings, and other sacrifices, and money that could be used to pay the temple taxes. So Jesus made a simple whip and drove them all out.
It is surprising that one man could drive all the merchants out. (Where are the temple police when you need them?) I suspect that the merchants knew that they should not be there, and I suspect that a lot of the common people didn’t want them there either—Jesus was simply expressing what the people already felt, and the merchants knew they were outnumbered. Josephus describes other occasions when the Jewish leaders tried to change the way things were done in the temple, and the people raised such an outcry that they had to stop.
It is most likely that the booths that were used to make these transactions were in the court of the Gentiles. Because of the particular Greek word that John uses for Temple (hicron), we can be assured they were in the out-most part of the Temple. His complaint was not only their profiteering but their location. The Court of the Gentiles means just that, it was where the Gentiles were supposed to come and worship YHWH. Thus, the money changers were interfering with the worship of God. They were turning the house of God into a house of merchandise (v. 16). They had turned the religion into a moneymaking scheme.
E. There are those who believe that Jesus struck the men with His "scourge of cords."
a. But later, His answer to Pilate seems to preclude physical combat.
b. ".....if my kingdom were of this world, then my servants fight......but now is my kingdom not from here." (John. 18:36).
F. "Zeal for your house will consume me" v.17. (Psalms 69:9)
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9For zeal for your house has consumed me and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
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G. There are other passages that express the same idea: see below!
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8. Why didn't Christ drive the doves out of the Temple? |
Answer
According to our author, Jesus commanded the doves to be taken away, so there was no danger in them being lost. Thus, Jesus combined wisdom with zeal.
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18The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?" 19Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. |
I. It is a matter of who is in charge----v.18
A. Does Jesus have any authority to do these things?
B. According to tradition, the coming of the Messiah was to be heralded by signs and wonders. It seems that thus idea is built into their question.
II. V. 19.____College Press
a. There is a tendency for writers to apply v.19 solely to the body of Jesus but I think there are two distinct ideas at work here. Jesus is referring both to the actual Temple and the Sanctuary of His body.
b. The Jews at that very moment were destroying God's Temple by their behavior. But this Sanctuary of stone was only a figure for the person of Jesus Christ.
c. So, they were then destroying the typical Sanctuary and later will destroy the fulfillment of the Sanctuary.
d. When the Jews have rejected and put to death the "AntiType" (Jesus) then there is no more reason for the type (the physical stone Temple). God, thus in this one sentence pronounces judgment on the Temple and the entire nation.
e. The Jews interpreted His words literally, saying it had taken 46 years to build the Temple and this man claims He will rebuild it in 3 days.
f. The final work on the Temple was not completed until 36 years after the crucifixion of Christ and destroyed in 70 A.D.
Next Lesson actually runs form 2:22 to 3:15. To be continued
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23Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. |
by Lane Rogers, http:www.lipanhousechurch.org/