Among the most noteworthy of all the Gospel stories is the wedding at Cana; it was momentous that Jesus miraculously turned the water into wine and publicly revealed his divinity for the first time. The wedding occurred in March of 28 AD and is only recorded in the Gospel According to John (2:1-12), and was written some 60 years after the Resurrection.

At Cana in Galilee, during what was expected to be an ordinary Jewish wedding, Jesus and the Blessed Mother are at the center of a sequence of heavenly-motivated events, including a miracle, that transforms the course of salvation history. To fully appreciate this transformation, it is important to walk through not only the occurrences at the wedding, but also those that took place weeks before, some 30 miles away along the Jordan River. This is the place where John the Baptist was baptizing. The Gospel of John tells us that representatives from Jerusalem (priests and Levites) were sent to question the Baptist — asking him, “‘What are you then? Are you Elijah? … Are you the Prophet?” He responded that he was not Elijah, not a prophet, not the Messiah. He said: “I am ‘the voice crying out in the desert. “Make straight the way of the Lord’” (cf. Jn 1:19-23).

Two days later, John the Baptist points out Jesus to two of his disciples, Andrew and John, saying: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:36). Every Jew knew what these prophetic words implied: Jesus, according to the Baptist, was (and is) the spotless sacrifice to God. The two disciples were immediately inspired to follow Jesus and to stay with him (cf. Jn 1:35-42). At first, they called him “Rabbi,” but then Andrew, when introducing Simon to Jesus, refers to him as the Messiah — the Anointed.

On the third day

Jesus and his three disciples soon leave together on a journey to a wedding in Galilee where Philip and Nathaniel, after a conversation with Jesus, also become disciples. Nathaniel calls Jesus the “Son of God” and “King of Israel” (Jn 1:49).

John writes: “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding” (2:1-2).

Interestingly, John starts this chapter with the words: “On the third day.” We wonder what he means. He could have begun with, “There was a wedding in Cana,” but he didn’t, and so we are puzzled. The words about the third day have resulted in many interpretations.

Some scholars say that “On the third day …” refers to the third day of the journey by Jesus and his disciples from the Jordan to Cana; others say that it relates to the third day after the day when the last of those first disciples (Nathaniel) was selected.

One explanation is that the “third day” was simply the third day following the Sabbath. It was common for a wedding to be held on that day (our Tuesday today) because it relates to the third day of the creation story about which the Scripture twice says: “God saw that it was good” (Gn 1:10, 12). Thus that day was considered a special day to have a wedding. Another popular belief among theologians is that John references the resurrection of Jesus, on the “third day.” There are more interpretations; perhaps the inspired words of the evangelist are meant to remain a mystery.

The Cana Wedding

Jesus arrives at the wedding with five disciples: Andrew, John, Simon, Philip and Nathaniel. They will later be among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus — fishers of men. The Scriptures don’t tell us, but Jesus likely had other followers, and they, too, may have been at the wedding. The fact that the Gospel says that the wedding celebration ran out of wine is sometimes attributed to Jesus, who may have arrived with uninvited followers — almost as if they crashed the wedding. But a wedding with most of the town invited would have prompted an ample supply of wine; running out was not a common occurrence.

Cana was situated four to five miles northeast of Nazareth (scholars debate the exact location). According to John, those attending the wedding included Mary, Jesus and his newly formed students or disciples. Mary and the disciples met for the first time. Likely, Mary knew the bride and groom or their families because the Gospel leads us to believe that she was helping with the wedding details, trying to ensure no problems arose. In attendance would have been many well-wishers; none, save Mary and the disciples, had any idea that Jesus was more than a carpenter turned rabbi with a few followers. Similarly, there was no special devotion to Mary except from her son. This would all change during the wedding.

Jewish weddings could go on for days, with friends and neighbors throughout the town or village and even travelers stopping by to offer congratulations and enjoy the festivities. Typically, the food and wine were provided by the groom and the wedding was held in his father’s house.

The Gospel provides no details about the wedding party, not the groom, not the bride and nothing about the families involved. We might wonder why John didn’t simply call this story the miracle at Cana, as a miracle is at the center of the Gospel. But the fact that Jesus was there tells us of the importance he holds for the institution of marriage. He blessed the Cana wedding as he does every wedding, and his presence resulted in marriage becoming a Church sacrament. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence” (No. 1613).

Dialogue of Mother and Son

Running out of wine at a wedding would have been (and still would be) embarrassing for any host. Pope Francis commented during a general audience in June 2016: “Imagine ending the wedding feast drinking tea; it would be an embarrassment.” Mary, who seems to be the first to notice the problem, tells Jesus, “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). This is not a request, more like a persuasive comment, but she clearly expects him to react with a solution. We wonder if there was a pause here, is there a knowing look between mother and son? Jesus responds, “Woman how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). Simply, he is saying, “If you are expecting some sort of miracle, I can’t help you as it is not yet time for me to reveal my divinity.” But Mary pretty much ignores her son’s response and tells the wine servers: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Jesus, then, appears to have an inspired change of heart and turns the water into wine. This dialogue at the wedding between mother and son deserves some discussion.

“They have no wine.” This statement not only addresses the issue of wine at the wedding, but the lack of wine is indicative that Israel is still waiting for a Savior, and in their wait have repeatedly turned away from God — lost their way. In this scene at Cana, Mary urges Jesus to begin his public ministry, expose his divinity and start his messianic journey.

At that moment, Mary not only intercedes on behalf of the wedding host — that is, more wine is provided — but intercedes for the disciples: “His disciples began to believe in him” (Jn 2:11). Also, she intercedes for the Israel people: the long-awaited Messiah, the divine nature of Jesus dawns in their midst; they will be slow in recognizing him. Mary has complete faith and confidence in Jesus; she will become the perfect intercessor for mankind. He never denies her.

“Woman how does your concern affect me?” Much has been said about the term “woman” used by Jesus. It is not a disparaging word, although it does seem unusual that he would call his mother by such a name. With the term woman, Jesus is referring to her as the universal woman, that she is the new Eve. She will become known as the Blessed Mother, the mother of us all; millions will call her Our Lady and other revered titles. Here at Cana, her esteemed role among Christians was instituted, a role that will be confirmed at the cross when Jesus says to John: “Behold, your mother” (Jn 19:27).

“My hour has not yet come.” It doesn’t sound like Jesus believes it is time that his divinity should be revealed. It may have been that he was anticipating this revelation would take place in Jerusalem during the upcoming feast of the Passover, which was only weeks away. The city would be overflowing with pilgrims who would be witness to any miracle Jesus performed. The forthcoming jailing or death of John the Baptist would have been another prominent time when his divinity could have been revealed. But instead of some other time, Jesus begins his public life as the Messiah during a country wedding in Galilee.

Regarding the “hour” to which Jesus refers, Bishop Fulton Sheen writes: “He was implying that a miracle worked as a sign of his divinity would be the beginning of his death. The moment he showed himself before men as the Son of God, he would draw down upon himself their hatred, for evil can tolerate mediocrity, but not supreme goodness. … He was telling his mother that she was virtually pronouncing a sentence of death over him” (“Life of Christ,” McGraw Hill, 1958).

“Do whatever he tells you.” Few Scripture passages are more profound than the words Mary speaks to the wine servers during the wedding: “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.” This statement has resonated with mankind through the ages despite all the noise, all the distractions and all the clamor of the secular world. The words have survived and continue to be a challenge to every Christian. Jesus calls us to respond, to follow him; to follow his commandments, his beatitudes and his teaching. We do what he tells us because, like Peter, we know he has “the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). These words from Mary are the last in which she will be quoted in the Scriptures.

In a Sept. 30, 1979, homily at Our Lady of Knock Shrine, Pope St John Paul II (r. 1978-2005) comments on how the world has reacted to Mary’s statement to the wine servers: “So many different voices assail the Christian in today’s wonderful but complicated and demanding world. So many false voices are heard that conflict with the word of the Lord. They are the voices that tell you that truth is less important than personal gain; that comfort, wealth, and pleasure are true aims of life … that justice must be achieved without personal involvement by the Christian; that violence can be a means to a good end; that unity can be built without giving up hate” (No. 6). Through the din of these voices, we Christians are called to respond to his good news and message at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”

Cana then is the place where Jesus transitions from the hidden life to a divine public life; the new Adam, the new Melchizedek. So, too, is it with the Blessed Mother; her role expands from being the mother of a carpenter to the mother of the Messiah, and the mother of humankind, to be crowned queen of heaven.

The Miracle

At the wedding, there were six water jars sitting nearby used for ritual washing. Jesus tells the servers, “Fill the jars with water” (Jn 2:7). So they were filled “to the brim.” The servers do so without hesitation and the water miraculously turns to wine. Our Lord doesn’t simply utter a few words or wave his hands creating an abundance of wine but uses an ordinary element, an available staple of life — water — to affect the miracle.

Through his will, the water becomes wine, not just any wine, but an excellent wine in an excessive amount. Each jar held 20 to 30 gallons of water, so, suddenly, there is as much as 180 gallons of wine. Someone figured out that such an amount would equal 900 bottles. Now that’s a lot of wine — but then God always responds with abundance, because he is God.

We recall the scene from John 21 when the apostles had caught no fish. Jesus tells them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat” (v. 6), and they draw in an overabundance of 153 fish. The feeding of the five thousand is another example of God’s generosity; after everyone had been fed, there were 12 bushel baskets of food left over (cf. Jn 6:1-15). We ask as a beggar, and he responds as a king. “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).

Next at the wedding, Jesus instructs the servers to take some of the wine to the headwaiter, who says: “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now” (Jn 2:10).

Bishop Fulton Sheen reflects on the words of the wine steward about saving the good wine until last: “The world generally gives its best pleasures first; afterward come the dregs and the bitterness. But Christ reversed the order and gave us the feast after the fast, the Resurrection after the Crucifixion, the joy of Easter Sunday after the sorrow of Good Friday” (“The Life of Christ”).

Assuming the bridegroom’s responsibility of providing the wine, Jesus establishes himself as the eternal bridegroom for the Church faithful, a marriage of heaven and earth. Pope Benedict XVI (r. 2005-13), during his Jan. 20, 2013, Angelus, said of this Cana miracle: “Jesus revealed himself as the messianic Bridegroom come to establish with his people the new and eternal covenant, in accordance with the prophets’ words: ‘as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you’ (Is 62:5). Moreover, wine is a symbol of this joy of love; but it also alludes to the blood that Jesus was to pour out at the end to seal his nuptial pact with humanity.”

This miracle portends the miracle that takes place at every Mass: At Cana, through a miracle, the water becomes wine, and, at Mass, through a miracle, the wine becomes the blood of Christ. The connection is clear.

The miracle at Cana is the first of seven that John will describe; the others involve Jesus curing the royal officer’s son (cf. Jn 4:46-54), the crippled man (cf. Jn 5:1-9), the man born blind (cf. Jn 9:1-41), the feeding of the five thousand (cf. Jn 6:1-15), walking on water (cf. Jn 6:16-21) and raising Lazarus (cf. Jn 11:1-44). John doesn’t refer to these acts as miracles, but rather as signs — signs of Christ’s divinity.

D.D. EMMONS writes from Pennsylvania.