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The third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.
Verse 1. The Mother of Jesus was present. It is supposed she was then a widow, since in all the rest of the history of Jesus, not a single word occurs respecting S. Joseph. Calmet.
Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the wedding.
When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
Verse 3. They have no wine. The blessed virgin Mother was not ignorant of the divine power of her Son, and that the time was come when he designed to make himself known to the world. She could not make her request in more modest terms. Witham.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.”
Verse 4. Some of the Fathers have spoken without sufficient precaution on this action of the blessed Virgin; supposing she was actuated by some inclination to vanity, in begging her Son to perform a miracle on this occasion; that some of the glory of it might accrue to her, and that on this account our Saviour answers her with severity, saying, Woman, (not Mother) what is it to thee or me. Other Fathers, with more reason, attribute the interference of the blessed Virgin to her charity and compassion for the new married couple. Whatever turn be given to our Saviour’s answer, it must be acknowledged it has in it the appearance of something severe. But the Fathers have explained it with mildness, observing that our Saviour only meant to say, Mother, what affair is it of ours if they want wine? Ought we to concern ourselves about that? Others think that he wished, by these words, to let his Mother know that she must not forestall the time appointed by the heavenly Father, as if her demand were unseasonable and out of time. But most of the Fathers and best commentators understand, that he speaks here not as man and Son of Mary, but as God; and in that quality, he observes to his Mother, I have nothing in common with you. It is not for you to prescribe when miracles are to be performed, which are not to be expected in compliance with any human respect. I know when my power is to be manifested for the greater glory of God. Calmet.—See the like forms of speech, Mark 1:24. Luke 4:34. and so forth—My hour is not yet come. It is not yet time. He waited till the wine was quite done, lest any should believe that he had only increased the quantity, or had only mixed water with the wine. He would have his first miracle to be incontestable, and that all the company should be witnesses of it. Saint Augustine et alii patres passim.—Christ’s first miracle in the New Testament, was a kind of transubstantiation in changing water into wine; the first miracle Moses performed when sent to the Jews, was transubstantiation. Exod. 4. The first Moses and Aaron performed, when sent to the Egyptians, was transubstantiation. Exod. 7.
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”
Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.
Verse 6. Two or three measures, [1] called metreta. Both the Latin and Greek text, by the derivation, may signify a measure in general, according to the Rhemish translation: but metreta was a particular measure of liquids: yet, not corresponding to our firkins, I could not think it proper with the Prot. and Menochius. N. to put two or three firkins. Witham.
2 to 3 metretes is about 20 to 30 U. S. Gallons, or 75 to 115 liters.
Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it.
When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!”
Verse 10. When men have well drank, [2] or plentifully; this is the literal sense: nor need we translate, when they are drunk, being spoken of such company, where our Saviour, Christ, his blessed Mother, and his disciples, were present. See Genesis 43:34. 1 Maccabees 16 verse 16, where the same word may be taken in the same sense. Witham.
This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Verse 11. This was the first miracle which Jesus had performed in public, and to manifest his glory; but Maldonatus is of opinion that he had before wrought many miracles, known to the blessed Virgin and S. Joseph; which gave her the confidence to ask one now. This opinion is no way contrary to the evangelist. His disciples believed in him. They had believed in him before or they would not have followed him. This confirmed their faith. Calmet.
After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.
He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables.
Verse 15. He drove them all out of the temple. According to Saint John Chrysostom (hom. lxvii in Matt.) this casting out was different from that which is there related, chapter 21 verse 12. Witham.—How could the Son of the carpenter, Joseph, whose divinity was yet unknown to the people, succeed in expelling so great a multitude from the temple! There was undoubtedly something divine in his whole conduct and appearance, which deterred all from making resistance. The evangelist seems to insinuate this by putting these words: “The house of my Father,” into our Saviour’s mouth, which was making himself immediately the Son of God. This made Origen consider this miracle, in overcoming the unruly dispositions of so many, as a superior manifestation of power to what he had shewn in changing the nature of water at Cana. A.—Jesus Christ here shews the respect he requires should be shewn to the temple of God; and Saint Paul, speaking of the profaners of God’s Church, saith: If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy. 1 Corinthians 3:17. Which in a spiritual sense may be understood of the soul of man, which is the living temple of the living God. A.
To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!”
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?”
Verse 20. Six and forty years, and so forth This many understand of the time the second temple was building, from the edict of Cyrus to the sixth year of Darius Hystaspes. Others, of the enlarging and beautifying the temple, which was begun by Herod the great, forty-six years before the Jews spoke this to our Saviour. Witham.—Interpreters are much embarrassed by these words; as the building of the temple, which then existed, had been finished in much less than 46 years. Herod renewed the temple from the foundations, and spent in that work only nine years and a half. It was begun 46 years before the first Pasch at which our Saviour appeared. Usher, ad an. Mundi 3987.—But this prince, according to Josephus, continued to make new building and embellishments to the very time in which the Jews uttered these words: it is now 46 years, and so forth
But he spoke of the temple of his body.
When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them, because he knew everyone,
Verse 24. Trust himself to them. The Fathers generally understand these words, to them, to refer to those who believed in him, mentioned in the preceding verse. Though they believed in him, he did not trust himself to them, because he knew them. He knew their weakness, their inconstancy, their unsteadiness. He knew they would abandon him on the first occasion; and that his passion, his cross, his doctrines, would be a subject of scandal. Saint Augustine compares these first believers to catechumens. They believe in Christ, confess his name, and sign their foreheads with his cross: but Jesus Christ does not trust himself to them; he does not trust to them the knowledge of his mysteries; he does not reveal to them the secrets of his religion. Calmet.—The catechumens were not allowed to be present at the holy mysteries of the sacrifice of the mass, but went out after the instruction of the gospel; whence the first part of the mass was frequently called the mass of the catechumens.
and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.