The narration of John 2 starts on their third day in Cana which initially doesn't make sense, not unless you factor in that Jesus was resurrected on the third day. In terms of the narrative the number only stands for a time jump. Jesus is invited with His disciples as a Rabbi. So He must have gathered some fame already. So why is this miracle mentioned here? On further consideration it is not surprising that the first miracle explicitly recorded in the Gospel according to John adheres to two core principles of the Gospel.
Being the Word of God, Jesus is the Creator and as such has the power to bring about material transformation. The one who made everything from nothing shouldn't have a problem turning water to wine.
Another aspect that John touches through this record is the purpose for Jesus' to come to earth. The creator became the creature to transform a sinful generation into a righteous generation with his righteousness imputed on them. We find something essential to the transformation here and they are stone water jars. The stone jars were believed to be pure as compared to the clay jars. God cannot bring about transformations amidst impurity, whether it be in a jar or in a temple and hence He has to proceed with cleansing it.
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
Joh 2:1-4
Jesus' was entrusted with a spiritual transformation when He was born. His purpose was to change our hearts, not our drinks. The beginning of Moses' miracles was turning water into blood, the beginning of Christ's miracles was turning water into wine; which may remind us of the difference between the law of Moses and the gospel of Christ. Yet Jesus found Himself in a predicament. He was attending a wedding, probably of a kin, as His mother too was invited and on her own accord. Also Jesus' mother took interest in the wherewithal of the wedding feast which tells us that they were more than passing acquaintances with the woman. In Matthew 16 we see Jesus charging Peter with keeping it to himself that Jesus is the Messiah. It stems from the need to complete His task before too much attention is drawn to Him or His work. Here also we see Him emphasizing that His time had not yet come. Yet He was met with a difference kind of reaction from the woman who had given Him birth.
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
John 2:5
What we see here is not the authority of Mary as a mother but rather her faith in the compassion of Jesus, her son. She knew that Jesus would not refuse her. It is a priceless confidence. How many of us share in that confidence, that Jesus, out of His compassion, mercy and love, will not refuse us what we ask of Him?
The Stone Water Jars
The purpose of the stone water jars was ceremonial washing before entering a synagogue. The stone jars were considered pure and thus the water in contact with the stone was deemed pure for cleansing. These were the water jars which Jesus asked to be filled with water.
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it.
John 2:6-8
Let us have a glimpse of what was going on in the minds of the servants. These people were the poorest of the poor, without much rights and bound to serve in a household. Already the Jews were having a hard time under the Roman oppression and as such employment was hard to find. The Master of the Feasts was an important figure in the society who had been invited to preside over the feast. Any complaint from him could result in a public flogging or even unemployment. Yet we do not see any kind of hesitation on behalf of the servants. They carried water in a goblet and served it to the Master of the Feast because they were instructed to do so. Was it fear of Jesus that made them do so? After all He too was a guest, a rabbi attending with His disciples. It is hard to understand their motives from the narration presented to us by John but it could be that the servants had heard of something Jesus had said or done before that wedding feast. It could be they knew of Jesus' miraculous birth or the prophesy surrounding Him. Or they could simply have been touched by the Holy Spirit with unquestioned faith. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel according to St. Matthew:
