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Study 2. John 2. Signs of God.
Purpose: To confront us with Jesus’ power over creation and his authority as God’s anointed Deliver.
Question 2. In Jesus’ day the wedding feast for the family and friends of the bride and groom lasted between two and seven days. The groom’s parents were responsible for feeding and caring for all the guests the entire time. If they ran out of food or wine during the feast, it was considered a serious insult to the guests. The Gospels never refer to Joseph as alive during Jesus’ adult years. Probably Joseph died when Jesus was a young adult. As the oldest son, Jesus had the responsibility of caring for Mary and helping her. It was natural, then, in this time of need for Mary to come to Jesus for assistance. Question 4. Jesus’ miracle was a suspension and compression of natural law. Saint Augustine pointed out: “He who made the wine at this wedding does the same thing every year in the vines. As the water which the servants put into the water pots was turned into wine by the Lord, so that which the clouds pour down is turned into wine by the same Lord.” It is also significant that Jesus isn’t content with producing mediocre wine. He creates wine of superior quality. This miracle is the first of seven “signs” that John uses to portray Jesus as God the Son. The others are the healing of the nobleman’s son (Jn 4:46-53); the healing of the lame man (Jn 5:5-16); the provision of food for five thousand people (Jn 6:1-15); walking on water (Jn 6:16-21); the healing of the blind man (Jn 9:1-38); and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-44).
Question 6. The scene shifts in these verses from Cana to Jerusalem. Jesus went to Jerusalem to be with his family and his disciples for the celebration of Passover. Passover was a great feast day commemorating Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Instead of leading the people into a time of worship and praise to God, however, the temple leaders used it as an opportunity to make money. Those selling animals were agents of the high priest, who sold “approved” sacrificial animals usually at three to five times their market value. The priestly leaders had also determined that the annual temple tax could be paid only in Judean coinage. Jews from other parts of the Roman Empire who came to Jerusalem to worship had to exchange their foreign coins for Judean coins at a very high profit for the money exchangers. The entire system was run as a monopoly by Annas, the high priest. In the popular language of the day, the temple courtyard was called “the Bazaar of Annas.” Jesus’ actions in the temple meant lost profits for the priestly leaders. They now had a reason to hate Jesus. This was the first of two cleansings that Jesus carried out. This one came early in his ministry; the second came just a few days before his crucifixion (Mk 11:15-18; Mt 21:12-17). Question 8. The disciples recognized Jesus’ action as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (v. 17; see Ps 69:9).
Question 10. Jesus knew that the allegiance of the crowd was weak and subject to change. He refused to get caught in the trap of trying to please people. His concern was to please his Father.
Connelly, Douglas. John 1--12: Jesus, the Living Word of God (LifeGuide® Bible Studies) (Kindle Locations 456-478). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.