2 "On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."
John 2:1-11
This is a lovely story with a fragrance all its own, but it raises questions, and the kind of questions it raises are: What are the lessons it intends to teach us, and what purpose has John in recording it? In the many interpretations that have been placed upon it we have a good example of the proverb which speaks of not being able to see the wood for the trees. Many speak, for example, of human marriage being 'hallowed by our Lord's gracious presence at the marriage in Cana of Galilee' - words spoken in the course of most marriage ceremonies in our Church. This is true, and it is a very worthy thought, but it is not the point of the story. Others have stressed the blessedness of inviting the Saviour of men to a marriage and having His disciples also as guests. This is a great example to follow, indeed, and a legitimate lesson to draw. But this is not the real point of the story, and it is not why John recorded it. Others have speculated as to whose wedding it was; some suggest it was John's, others a nephew or niece of Mary's, others Mary Magdalene. It is idle to speculate, for we are not told. And the reason we are not told is that the bride and bridegroom do not come into the story at all. Everything is in the background except the Lord and the sign He performed. It is not the marriage, but the miracle, that holds the stage. And the key to the message that John wants us to grasp is found in 11. The word 'miracle' here would be better translated 'sign'; it is used by John to describe miracles that were performed with a particular purpose, having an underlying meaning and conveying a particular message. It is thus that we must interpret what happened at the wedding at Cana of Galilee.