Church Fathers Commentary John 2:5-11

"His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews` manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it. And 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, and 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. This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him." — John 2:5-11 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Although He had said, Mine hour is not yet come, He afterward did what His mother told Him, in order to show plainly that He was not subject to the hour. For if He were, how could He have performed this miracle before the hour appointed for it? In the next place, He wished to show honor to His mother and make it appear that He did not ultimately contradict her. He would not put her to shame in the presence of so many, especially since she had sent the servants to Him so that the request would come from a group, and not from herself alone. His mother said to the servants, Whatsoever He says to you, do it.

The Venerable Bede: It is as if she said, "Though He appears to refuse, He will do it nevertheless." She knew His pity and mercifulness. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Hydriae are vessels for holding water, as hydor is the Greek word for water.

Alcuin of York: Vessels to hold water were there, according to the purification customs of the Jews. Among other traditions of the Pharisees, they observed frequent washings.

St. John Chrysostom: Palestine is a dry country with few fountains or wells, so they used to fill waterpots with water. This was to avoid having to go to the river if they became unclean and to have the means for washing readily available. To prevent any unbeliever from suspecting that a very thin wine was made by pouring water over dregs left in the vessels, the text says expressly, According to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, which shows that those vessels were never used to hold wine.

St. Augustine of Hippo: A firkin is a certain measure, like an urn, amphora, and so on. Metron is the Greek word for measure, from which metreta comes. The phrase "two or three" should not be taken to mean that some held two and others three, but that the same vessels held two or three.

St. John Chrysostom: But why did He not perform the miracle before they filled the waterpots? That would have been much more wonderful, since it is one thing to change the quality of an existing substance and another to create that substance from nothing. The latter miracle would be more wonderful, but the former is more easily believed. This principle often serves to moderate the greatness of our Lord’s miracles; He wishes to make them more credible, and therefore He makes them less outwardly marvelous.

This refutes the perverse doctrine of some who claim He was a different Being from the Maker of the world. For we see that He performs most of His miracles on pre-existing matter. If He were opposed to the Creator of the world, He would not use such "alien" material to demonstrate His own power. He did not draw the water Himself that He made into wine, but ordered the servants to do it. This was for the sake of having witnesses to the miracle. And He said to them, Draw out now, and bear to the governor of the feast.

Alcuin of York: The Triclinium is a circle of three couches, as cline signifies a couch; the ancients used to recline on couches. The Architriclinus is the one at the head of the Triclinium—that is, the chief of the guests. Some say that among the Jews, this person was a priest who attended the wedding in order to instruct on the duties of the married state.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, one might argue that the guests were drunk and, in their confused state, could not tell whether it was water or wine. But this objection could not be made against the attendants, who must have been sober, as they were completely occupied with performing their duties properly and in an orderly manner. Our Lord therefore commanded the attendants to take it to the governor of the feast, who would also, of course, be perfectly sober. He did not say, "Give it to the guests to drink."

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Water is poured into the waterpots; wine is drawn from the jars. The senses of the one drawing it out do not align with the knowledge of the one who poured it in. The one who poured it in thinks water is being drawn out; the one drawing it out thinks wine was poured in. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not from where it was, (but the servants who drew the water knew,) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. It was not a mixture but a creation. The simple nature of water vanished, and the flavor of wine was produced. It was not that a weak dilution was obtained by means of some strong infusion, but that what was, was annihilated, and what was not, came to be.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord wished the power of His miracles to be revealed gradually. Therefore, He did not announce what He had done Himself, nor did the ruler of the feast call on the servants to do so (for no one would have believed their testimony about a mere man, which is what our Lord was thought to be). Instead, he called the bridegroom, who was in the best position to see what had happened. Moreover, Christ did not just make wine, but the best wine. And the ruler of the feast said to him, Every man at the beginning sets out good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now.

The effects of Christ's miracles are more beautiful and better than the productions of nature. Thus, the servants could testify that the water was made into wine, while the ruler of the feast and the bridegroom could testify that it was made into good wine. It is probable that the bridegroom gave some reply, but the Evangelist omits it, mentioning only what was necessary for us to know: namely, that the water was made into wine. He adds, This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee.

It was very necessary to perform miracles at that particular time, when His devoted disciples were all gathered and present, paying close attention to what was happening. Should anyone say there is not sufficient proof of this being the beginning of His miracles—because the text adds, in Cana of Galilee, as if some had been performed elsewhere—we answer as we did before. John says later, that He might be revealed to Israel, therefore I have come baptizing. If He had performed miracles earlier in His life, the Jews would not have needed another person to point Him out.

If our Lord became so distinguished for His many miracles in such a short time that His name was known to everyone, would He not have been much more famous had He worked miracles from His earliest years? For the acts themselves would have been more extraordinary, being performed by a child, and over so long a time they would have become notorious. It was fitting and proper, however, that He should not begin to perform miracles at such an early age. For people would have thought the Incarnation was a fantasy and, in their extreme envy, would have delivered Him to be crucified before the appointed time.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This miracle of our Lord's, turning water into wine, is no surprise to those who know that God performed it. For the same One who made wine in the waterpots that day is the One who makes wine in the vine every year. The latter is no longer wonderful only because it happens so consistently. And for this reason, God keeps some extraordinary acts in store for certain occasions, to rouse people from their lethargy and lead them to worship Him. Thus it follows, He manifested His glory.

Alcuin of York: He was the King of glory, and He changed the elements because He was their Lord.

St. John Chrysostom: He manifests His glory, as it related to His own action. And if at the time many did not know of it, it was nevertheless to be heard and known by all afterward. And His disciples believed in Him. It was probable that they would believe more readily and pay closer attention to what was happening.

St. Augustine of Hippo: If they believed in Him now for the first time, then they were not His disciples when they came to the wedding. This, however, is a figure of speech, like saying that the Apostle Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia—not meaning that he was an Apostle at that time. In the same way, when we hear of Christ’s disciples being invited to the wedding, we should understand them not as already being disciples, but as those who were going to be disciples.

But see the mysteries that lie hidden in that miracle of our Lord. It was necessary that all things written about Him should be fulfilled in Christ; those Scriptures were the water. He made the water into wine when He opened to them the meaning of these things and explained the Scriptures. For in this way, what previously had no taste came to have taste, and what did not inebriate before, now inebriated.

The Venerable Bede: At the time of our Lord’s appearance in the flesh, the sweet, wine-like taste of the Law had been weakened by the carnal interpretations of the Pharisees.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, if He had ordered the water to be poured out and then produced wine from the hidden recesses of creation, He would have seemed to reject the Old Testament. But by converting the water into wine as He did, He showed us that the Old Testament also comes from Him, for it was by His order that the waterpots were filled. But those Scriptures have no meaning if Christ is not understood in them. Now, we know from what time the Law dates: namely, from the foundation of the world.

From that time until now, there are six ages: the first from Adam to Noah; the second from Noah to Abraham; the third from Abraham to David; the fourth from David to the Babylonian exile; the fifth from that time to John the Baptist; and the sixth from John the Baptist to the end of the world. The six waterpots, then, denote these six ages of prophecy. The prophecies are fulfilled; the waterpots are full.

But what is the meaning of them holding "two or three firkins apiece"? If He had said only three, our minds would have immediately run to the mystery of the Trinity. Nor, perhaps, can we reject this idea even though it says "two or three." For when the Father and the Son are named, the Holy Spirit can be understood as a consequence, since the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. Nor should we overlook another interpretation, which relates the "two" firkins to the two races of humanity—the Jews and the Greeks—and the "three" to the three sons of Noah.

Alcuin of York: The servants are the teachers of the New Testament, who interpret the Holy Scripture for others spiritually. The ruler of the feast is some expert in the Law, such as Nicodemus, Gamaliel, or Saul. When the word of the Gospel, hidden under the letter of the Law, is committed to these teachers, it is like the water made into wine being set before the ruler of the feast. The three rows of guests at the table in the wedding house are also significant, as the Church consists of three orders of believers: the married, the celibate, and the teachers. Christ has kept the good wine until now; that is, He has deferred the Gospel until this, the sixth age.