St. John's Gospel (04) - Wedding Wine

The Word Manifest in St. John’s Gospel (04) - New Creation Wine

John 2:1–11 - “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee . . . And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” . . . but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.”

The Coming Hour of the New Creation - This passage is well known and so I will focus on it’s larger theological meaning rather than other details. Jesus manifests Himself in St. John as His “hour” approaches. This is the first such “sign” (2:10). In this event Jesus makes from water the “good wine” (kalos oinos) on the request of His mother. This manifested several things: That Jesus obeyed His mother; He anticipated in this event “His hour” (the cross-resurrection); new creation was bursting on the scene of the fallen world; new creation promised in Messiah was like great feast; and especially that Jesus is worthy of our trust as the One who brings new life. In the words of verse 11, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” (Compare with the last sign: “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out,”19:34–35).

The Third Day of the Old Creation - In John’s code, “on the third day” is pregnant with all of this new creation/old creation, death/resurrection, water/blood/wine. It is suggested in poetic fashion with a simple allusion. To unravel it consider: there is a connection to “in three days” (2:19) of Jesus’s death-resurrection, meaning Sunday. This would point to the first day of the new Christian week. But there’s more. Taking the sequence from the beginning of the days (1:29), it is the third day after Jesus met Nathanael. This would be Day Six since His baptism (1:29, 35, 39, 43). This implies a “six days of creation” connection, corresponding to the six day week of Genesis 1. It begins with the Spirit on the water (1:33) and ends with the Sixth Day wedding feast (cf. Adam and Eve). Note also that there is a parallelism between the Third Day and the Sixth Day (in Gen. 1)This view is also affirmed in the parallelism of the signs. Sign 1 (on the Sixth Day) corresponds to Sign 7 (cross) which happened literally on the Sixth Day of the old creation (Good Friday), on which Pilate declared, “Behold the man” (19:5).

The Seven + One New Creation (Signs in John)
1. New Creator: Water into wine (2:1-11); Sixth Day (since Spirit on Water)
    2. Redeemer/Healer: Prevents death of nobleman’s son (4:46ff)
        3. True Sabbath: The paralyzed man at the pool (5:2-9)
            4. Bread of Life: Multiplication of loaves (6:1-14)
        5. Light of the World: Born blind, healed on Sabbath (9:1-7)
    6. Resurrection & Life: Delays/death then raises Lazarus (11:1-44)
7. Living Water: Water & blood on the cross (19:34-35); Sixth Day (Good Friday)
+ 8. New Adam/Gardener: The resurrection (20:1-29) “First Day” (8th Day)

Six Days of Creation
1. Day One: Light from Darkness
    2. Day Two: Sea & Sky
        3. Day Three: Land - Grain & Wine Plants
4. Day Four: Lights - Sun, Moon, Stars
    5. Day Five: Fish (in Sea) & Birds (in Sky)
        6. Day Six: Land - Animals & Man
+ 7. God Rested (Completion of Creation)

New creation breaks through the veil to renew Man’s wedding vow
With the Creator’s fruit of the vine,
Shifting time to glorify water in stone pots,
Promising to form a new Man from the fallen stone of thorns, tree, tears and blood;
Glorious now Behold the Man, new Adam,
Reigning from the Tree over death and hell,
Making a fountain of cleansing water and blood.