NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 24
J ohn 2 : 4
•
page 1800
4“Woman, a o
why do you involve me?” p Jesus replied. “My hour q has not yet come.”
mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” r
6 Nearby stood six s
tone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, s
each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. b
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been t urned into
wine. t He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn
the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out
the choice wine f irst and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to
drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs u through which he
revealed his glory; v and his disciples believed in him. w
12 After this he went down to Capernaum x with his mother and brothers y and his
disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
5 His
B. MESSAGE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD (2:13–12:50)
John stresses the deity of Christ. He gives us eight miracles that serve as signs that Jesus is the Messiah. In this
section he records Jesus describing himself as the Bread of Life, the Water of Life, the Light of the World, the
Gate, and the Good Shepherd. John provides teachings of Jesus found nowhere else. This is the most theological of the four Gospels.
1. Jesus encounters belief and unbelief from the people
Jesus Clears the Temple (23 )
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, z Jesus went up to Jerusalem. a 14 In
the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting
at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of c ords, and d
rove all from the
a
4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
b
2:4
oJn 19:26
pMt 8:29
qMt 26:18; Jn 7:6
2:5
rGe 41:55
2:6
sMk
7:3,4; Jn 3:25
2:9
tJn 4:46
2:11
uver
23; Jn 3:2; 4:48;
6:2,14,26,30; 12:37;
20:30
vJn 1:14
wEx 14:31
2:12
4:13
12:46
xMt
yMt
2:13
zJn 11:55
aDt 16:1-6; Lk 2:41
6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters
2:4 Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle; she was simply
hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some
wine. Tradition says that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead, so she probably was used to asking for her son’s help in certain situations. Jesus’
answer to Mary is difficult to understand, but maybe that is the point.
It showed her that he had his own priorities and was focused on God’s
timetable. Although Mary did not understand what Jesus was going to
do, she trusted him to do what was right. Those who believe in Jesus
but run into situations they cannot understand must continue to trust
that he will work in the best way.
2:5 Mary submitted to Jesus’ way of doing things. She recognized that
Jesus was more than her human s on—he was the Son of God. When we
bring our problems to Jesus, we may think we know how he should take
care of them. But he may have a completely different plan from ours.
Like Mary, we should submit and allow him to deal with the problem
as he sees best.
2:6 The six stone water jars would normally be used for ceremonial
washing. When full, the pots would hold 20 to 30 gallons. According to the
Jews’ ceremonial law, people became symbolically unclean by touching
certain everyday objects. Before eating, the Jews would pour water over
their hands to cleanse themselves of any bad influences associated with
what they had touched. Jesus used ordinary elements to do something
extraordinary, and he still does this today.
2:10 People look everywhere but to God for excitement and meaning.
For some reason, they expect God to be dull and lifeless. Just as the
wine Jesus made was the best, so life in him is better than life on our
own. Why wait until everything else runs out before trying God? Why
save the best until last?
2:11 When the disciples saw Jesus’ miracle, they believed in him. The
miracle showed his power over nature and revealed the way he would
go about his ministry—helping others, speaking with authority, and being
in personal touch with people.
Miracles are not merely superhuman events but events that demonstrate God’s power. Almost every miracle Jesus did was a renewal of
fallen c reation—restoring sight, making people who were lame walk, even
restoring life to the dead. Believe in Jesus not because he is a superhero
but because he is the God who continues his creation, even in those of
us who are poor, weak, crippled, orphaned, blind, deaf, or struggling
with some other desperate need.
2:12 Capernaum became Jesus’ home base during his ministry in Galilee.
Located on a major trade route, it was an important city in the region,
with a Roman garrison and a customs station. At Capernaum, Matthew
was called to be a disciple (Matthew 9:9). This city was also the home of
several other disciples (Matthew 4:13-19) and a high-ranking government
official (John 4:46). It had at least one major synagogue. Although Jesus
made this city his base of operations in Galilee, he condemned it for the
people’s unbelief (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15).
2:13 The Passover celebration took place yearly at the temple in
Jerusalem. Every Jewish male was expected to make a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem during this time (Deuteronomy 16:16). This was a weeklong
festival—the Passover was one day, and the Festival of Unleavened
Bread lasted the rest of the week. The entire week commemorated
the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13).
2:13 Jerusalem was both the religious and the political seat of Palestine,
and it was the place where the Messiah was expected to arrive. The
temple was located there, and many Jewish families from all over the
world would travel to Jerusalem during the key festivals. The temple
was on an imposing site, a hill overlooking the city. Solomon had built
the first temple on this same site almost 1,000 years earlier (959 BC),
but his temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25).
The temple was rebuilt in 515 BC, and Herod the Great had enlarged
and remodeled it.
2:14-25 John records this first clearing, or cleansing, of the temple.
A second clearing occurred at the end of Jesus’ ministry, about three
years later, and that event is recorded in Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:1219; and Luke 19:45-48.
2:14 The temple area was always crowded during Passover with thousands of out-of-town visitors. The religious leaders crowded it even further
by allowing money changers and merchants to set up booths in the Court
of the Gentiles. They rationalized this practice as a convenience for the