Good morning! What another great day yesterday! We have definitely been blessed these last few days with great days of sunshine and warmth! Wonder when it will end?
So the common theme in the comments from yesterday- "Where is Christmas?!" John seems to gloss over the birth and the infancy time of Jesus. Like you all said, can you imagine doing Christmas Eve based on John's Gospel?! There are just some things that have to happen Christmas Eve- scriptural or not!
The first story we have today is the wedding at Cana. John starts with the words, "On the third day..." Foreshadowing? Jesus' resurrection? I love this story on many levels- Jesus likes having a good time; Jesus wants people to have a good time; and he makes wine! I brew my own beer and wine, so I too turn water into wine and beer! Can you imagine running out of wine at a wedding? Note that the disciples are all there (v 2). When did Jesus select the others? Who were they? And Mary his mother is there. Mary was excited to have Jesus do something about the wine situation (v 3). Why? Notice Jesus' response is "Woman" not "mother"- there is a different relationship between Jesus and Mary at this point. Interestingly, some theologians say this is John's wedding and when he sees what Jesus does, leaves the bride! Another (the Mormons) say this is Jesus' wedding!
Jesus could have done anything with the water-wine situation- but he uses the stone jugs that are there (Jesus uses what He is given...hmmm! Jesus also uses the people around Him. He could have just filled the jugs himself, but used the people there. And it took faith on the part of the servants to take a ladle of "water" to the wine steward. Did they know it was wine already? Then why did they take the "water" to the wine steward?
The first miracle in John's Gospel.
The next story is Jesus cleansing the temple. So, does Jesus do two cleansings? The synoptics don't have this until Holy week (three years later in Jesus' life). Or do the synoptic Gospels leave this one out (and John leaves out the Holy week one)? Hmmm...!!!
There may have been up to 2 million Jews in Jerusalem at the time of Passover. Jesus is definitely going to make a statement here! What the money changers were doing wasn't totally illegal- they were getting rid of the coins that had other emperors or gods images on them. The "illegal" part was they were making a profit doing it. Also, the selling of animals was needed. People travelled miles and miles for this festival. It was easier to buy the animals in Jerusalem rather than bring them from home. The animal sellers just made a huge profit. In addition, both of these vendors were in the court of the Gentiles, the only place in the Temple the Gentiles could gather- thus corrupting their worship space. Jesus makes a whip of cords (so that took time; and that was used also in Jesus' walk to Golgotha).
The Jews asked the question (v 18), "What sign..."- they were asking by what authority did Jesus have to do what he just did. It was an honest question. Jesus refers to rebuilding the temple in three days (v 19). Like the temple as in the building or the temple as in Jesus? Hmmm...more foreshadowing by John! John adds in that the disciples remembered this situation after Jesus' resurrection- so maybe they were listening!
Jesus stays in Jerusalem, performing healings and other miracles. The crowd believed in Jesus, but at a superficial level. They believed because of the things He did. Jesus knew what they had intended on doing and so would not totally commit himself to their actions.
Another great chapter with some interesting "twists" compared to the synoptic Gospels.
Have a good day and enjoy the reading!
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
We had a busy wonderful weekend taking care of our granddaughter. Cathy I am so happy for you and your family that your wedding went well.
ReplyDeleteAs I read this I thought of how we as parents sometimes try to encourage our adult children to do something and it is tricky.
Jesus mother Mary asks him to take care of the wine situation but he tells her you must not tell me what to do. When Jesus does perform his first miracle I'm sure Mary is proud of her son as we are when our children are successful.
As I read these I think what would I think if I saw this. Would I think it was a magic trick or a miracle? Then I think I believe this and have my faith which is something I have never seen.
I agree- we want our kids to do well and to "show off" their skills. I don't know what Mary knew about Jesus- I am sure she had seen him do some amazing things as a child, so why not "Show off" and I am sure she was proud (in a good way) when he did make the wine!
DeletePeople probably did wonder- real or magic. There were many magicians in the times, so that was a reasonable thought! I don't know how much people knew about Jesus either.
Good thoughts!
Our wedding was beautiful and all went well but they did run out of beer. Two guest actually went to a store and bought more- and when you're in Halstead, PA, you have to want that beer awfully bad. It's a trek to a store.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have this chapter. It's so different and gives us some new stories. John seems to be proving to us that Jesus is indeed the Messiah by these miracles that he relates.
Jesus must have been Mary's eldest son so maybe that is why she goes to him to get help with the wine shortage problem. My commentary says that Mary, recognizing that Jesus is more than her human son, submitted to his way and allowed him to deal with the problem as sees best. A good example for us.
Jesus clearing the temple always bothers me. On one hand, his temper makes him seem more human and maybe more relatable. But I feel like Jesus would have talked to the people, taught them, lead them in a different way, instead of taking a whip and destroying things. Maybe people were hurt in this fit of temper. It doesn't seem like what I think of when I think of Jesus. After that, why would people not reject him, even be angry with him? Vs 23 says that many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. A little confusing for me.
Oh no! No beer?!
DeleteJesus was Mary's oldest. And that may have been one reason why he had to help. A question I just thought of- Where is Joseph?
We do see a different side of Jesus with the temple cleansing scene- especially in John. He had to pre-meditate this one, it isn't easy to create a whip! It is a human side of Jesus that we don't see too much do we?
I would probably be afraid too if a "crazed man" came into my place and started throwing things around and screaming! But they did believe eventually.
Good ideas Cathy!
I think John skips the story of the birth of Jesus because that was not important to him - John moves right to John the Baptist and how John the Baptist and the sign from God (the dove) confirms that Jesus is the Messiah. And this action really starts Jesus' ministry. This must have been an important incident to John. The miracles seem to be the next important thing to John in Jesus' life/ministry. Perhaps John is not telling them in chronological order but just as he remembers them. I don't think it was Jesus' marriage - in my translation it says that "both Jesus was called, and his disciples". If it were Jesus' wedding, I don't think Jesus would be "called" - but someone close to Jesus since Mary felt perfectly comfortable in telling the servants what to do. Perhaps a relative? I have been to the spot in Israel where tradition states this took place and drank a sample of wine there - it was awful - LOL. It does start with "And the third day" - maybe the third day of the week? Or maybe the third day that they were in Cana. In my translation, vs. 12 states "....he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples...." I don't remember Mary and Jesus' brethren being mentioned in Jesus' travels - were there???? I understand Jesus' anger - it is His father's house. I am sure I would feel the same if I went into my home and found people there writing on the walls, throwing a party, spilling food - disrespecting me and my home. I would be very angry. John does make it seem like Jesus planned this move since he took the time to make a scourge . Unless you can make them very quickly. And if this did happen just before Jesus knew he was going to go through a terrible ordeal, I understand that Jesus' emotions must have been very raw at the time. Vs 23 does bring us back to our previous conversations - did the people believe in Jesus only because of the miracles he performed?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful day.
Looking forward to more reading!
How would a birth not be important?! It is odd that there is no birth narrative!
DeleteJohn does focus on miracles- we will see several in this book. They tend to focus people in the super-human power of Jesus i.e. divine.
Yah, wine in the day wasn't the best- but it was better than the water!
Good question about Mary and the brothers tagging along on Jesus' trips. I imagine they, especially Mary, went with him a few places. I still ask- where is Joseph?
People believed Jesus as much as they believed others of the day- because they could do signs. Then eventually, they would learn more about Jesus.
Great thoughts Donna!
I don’t recall seeing this miracle before, although I do remember the reference about a miracle of Him changing water to wine. Perhaps, as Donna said, John only writes about what is important to him or only what he remembers. I also don’t remember seeing any reference to Mary as “Jesus’s mother.” Jesus’s response to his mother when she speaks to him about the wine situation sounds like how I would reply. I certainly wouldn’t expect Jesus to reply like this. Maybe this is the human side of him coming out. After this is done, he turns the water into wine.
ReplyDeleteIf this was written late the first century, maybe John has forgotten some details. Is it possible that John has forgotten that Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers during Holy Week? Or maybe there really were two cleansing events. It seems to me too farfetched to think that John would have gotten dates so far out of sequence, so I would rather think that there were two cleansing events and that Matthew, Luke and Mark had either forgotten the first event or the others did not include it in their gospels.
This is the only place the wedding at Canna is recorded in the Bible. It is a great story and I use it at all of my wedding ceremonies. When Jesus says "woman" it is actually the correct way to address a woman! He wasn't showing disrespect and the tone was likely soft and gentle.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that John had forgotten details. His text was written a while after Jesus' resurrection. I Would imagine there are many details that got lost. I assume that Matthew, Mark, and Luke had forgotten the first temple cleansing- but it still an exciting thing to forget!
Good thoughts Jack.