Jesus Makes Water into Wine at Cana
1There was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee two days later. [1] Jesus’s mother was there. [2] 2Jesus and his disciples were also invited. 3The wedding party ran out of wine. Jesus’s mother came to him and said, “They don’t have any more wine.”4Jesus said, “Dear woman, [3] what does that have to do with us? It’s not time for me to start.” [4]
5Regardless, his mother told the servers, “Do exactly what he tells you.” [5]
6There were six stone water jars nearby, each able to hold some 20 to 30 gallons. [6] Jews used the water to wash themselves in cleansing rituals. 7Jesus told the wedding servers, “Fill the jars with water.” So they did it. They filled the jars to the brim. 8Then he told them, “Now dip some out and take it to the wedding coordinator.” So, they did it. They took him some wine to sample.
9When the man coordinating the celebration got a taste of the water that became wine, he called out to the groom. The coordinator didn’t know where the wine came from, but the servers certainly did. 10The wedding coordinator told the groom, “Everyone serves the best wine first. Then when guests are starting to feel the buzz, they get the cheaper wine. But look at you. You saved the best wine for now. Cheers.”
11This was the first signpost miracle [7] Jesus did. Cana of Galilee is where he first revealed his glorifying power. His disciples became believers. [8]
12After the wedding, Jesus left Cana and went down to Capernaum. His disciples came too. So did his mother and his brothers. They stayed just a few days.
Jesus Cleans House at the Temple
13Passover [9] was quickly approaching, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [10] 14When Jesus got to the Temple, he saw people selling animals for sacrifice: cattle, sheep, and doves. [11] Bankers had set up currency exchange services there too. [12] 15Jesus made a whip out of some cords. He managed to drive away all the business people along with the livestock: sheep and cattle. Money went flying as Jesus flipped the tables of the bankers. 16When he got to the people selling doves, he told them, “Get them out of here! My Father’s house isn’t a bird store!” [13]17The disciples remembered something they had been taught from their Bible:
“My passionate devotion to your house will get me killed.” [14]
18Some of the Jews there said, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Let’s see some proof that you have the authority to do this.”
19Jesus answered, “You want proof? Destroy this Temple and I’ll raise it back up in three days!”
20The Jews said, “This Temple has been under construction for the past 46 years. And you’re telling us you could rebuild it in three days?” 21But Jesus was talking about his body as a temple.
22Later, after he rose from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said. They remembered the Bible passage he had quoted too. They believed those words of the Bible and what Jesus said about it. [15]
