BIBLE VERSE STUDY
John 2:1-11 — Jesus' First Sign at Cana
At a wedding in Cana, Jesus transforms water into wine, his first public sign that manifests his glory and draws his disciples to belief.
Scripture
1And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it.
9And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom,
10and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
What this passage means
The passage sets a wedding scene in Cana of Galilee on the third day, with Jesus, his mother, and his disciples present as guests. When the wine runs out, Jesus's mother brings the problem to him, and he responds, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." His mother then instructs the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it," turning the moment over to his initiative.
Jesus works through six stone waterpots used "after the Jews' manner of purifying," instructing the servants to fill them with water and then draw some out and bring it to "the ruler of the feast." The ruler, tasting wine whose origin he does not know, remarks to the bridegroom that the usual custom is to serve good wine first, but here the good wine has been kept until now. The servants alone know the water has become wine.
Verse 11 closes the episode with a defining statement: "This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him." The text identifies the miracle as a "sign," ties it explicitly to the revelation of his "glory," and records belief as its immediate human response.
Context
Within John 2, this miracle precedes the journey to Capernaum and the Passover trip to Jerusalem, where Jesus drives out the temple merchants and speaks of destroying and raising the temple in three days (verses 13-22). The Cana sign opens the sequence of "signs" that the Gospel repeatedly highlights: chapter 2:23 notes that "many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did," and 2:24-25 explains that Jesus did not entrust himself to them because "he himself knew what was in man."
Common questions
Why does Jesus address his mother as "Woman"?
The text only records that he says "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come" (verse 4). The address "Woman" is the wording supplied in the provided text; the passage does not explain his tone or reasoning beyond stating that his "hour" has not yet come.
Does John 2:1-11 call the miracle a "sign"?
Yes. Verse 11 explicitly states: "This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him." The passage itself identifies the event as a "sign" that manifested his glory.
Why are six stone waterpots mentioned?
Verse 6 describes them as "six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece." The text identifies them as vessels associated with Jewish purification, but does not explain further why six specifically is significant.