Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:6-11
This passage tells the story of the the first recorded miracle of Jesus. A wedding celebration is occurring in Cana of Galilee and Jesus, Mary his mother, and several of his disciples attend. The Jewish wedding is a 7 day affair, and involves several meals which the bridegroom is responsible for providing. During the wedding feast, the bridegroom ran out of wine. Mary turned to Jesus and said “They have no wine…” expectantly. Just like any proud Mom, Mary wanted her son to show off his skills and abilities. Jesus replied “Woman, what does that have to do with us?” My hour has not yet come.” But, Mary said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” And so, Jesus is prompted by His Mother to perform the first of many miracles recorded in the Gospels.
The waterpots, six to be exact, were for purification. Dietary and purity laws are an important part of Jewish culture. This includes the washing of the hands before eating and washing the feet of guests who have traveled dusty roads to attend. So, there naturally would be waterpots set out to aid these Jewish guests with washing themselves. Many times, when the Bible provides specific numbers in a story, those numbers are symbolic and need to be observed. What is the importance of SIX waterpots then? Also, this being the first recorded miracle of Jesus in the Bible, doesn’t it seem strange that it is simply turning water into wine? Doesn’t it make more sense that Jesus’ first miracle would be something more dynamic, more meaningful? Well, perhaps there is more here than meets the eye, as there normally is with Bible stories and parables.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:1-3
“In the beginning, God…” Genesis begins with that statement, and nothing else is needed. God existed before there was anything else. John records that Jesus, the “Word”, was also present at creation and existed before it. Genesis 1:1 describes the Spirit of God moving over the surface of a watery, dark, formless and void Earth. Here we have a beautiful picture of the Trinity; God the Father, Jesus the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit all in one place at one time, present before the creation of the universe. In verse thirty-two of the first chapter of John, the Trinity is pictured once again. When Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, all four of the Gospels record that as soon as he comes up out of the water, the Spirit of God descends on Him like a dove. A voice from heaven is heard saying “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In my Bible I always carry a three-leaf clover or shamrock. I use it as a visual example of the Trinity, just like Saint Patrick. Patrick was an actual Priest that used the Shamrock in Ireland to explain the Trinity and bring God to the people of that country. Three separate distinct leaves but all connected on one stem. God provides another perfect example of the Trinity in nature that everyone can observe – water. Water itself can exist in 3 different forms: liquid, solid, and gas. In its natural state, it is liquid. If you freeze it, it solidifies into ice. If you boil it, it turns to a gaseous form of water vapor. But, in all three forms, it is still just water.
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:31
Then God spoke all these words, saying, ... “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. … For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them… Exodus 20:1, 8, 11
The six waterpots symbolize the six days of creation recorded in the Book of Beginnings – Genesis. A neat visual imagery exists between the description of the beginning of creation in verse 2 of Genesis and the story of Jesus first miracle. Genesis describes a watery, dark, formless and void earth with the Spirit of God moving over the surface of the water. The verse in John chapter 2 describes earthen vessels containing water, tall pots most likely with deep, dark water in them, and the Spirit of God moving over the surface of the water to create a miracle, the first of many to come.
But, what exactly is the significance here? Why have six pots of water being turned into wine as the first recorded miracle in the Bible? And not just any wine, but “good” wine, better than the bridegroom had served at the beginning of the wedding feast. When we describe a good wine, we typically mean one that has aged. Luke 5:39 says “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” A wine that has aged is typically sweeter and has more intense flavors. So, the wine created by Jesus was better than the wine served at the beginning of the wedding feast. The headwaiter even remarked to the bridegroom how much better it was than the first wine served.
In the act of creation, God created in six days all things, and with the appearance of age. He did not just create soil on the third day, he created good soil. Soil that was rich and good for growing plants in, like old composted soil. He did not just create trees and plants as seeds, he created them as mature trees and plants. When God created distant stars on the fourth day, their light did not take thousands of years to reach the earth. He created stars in the sky that Adam could see at night just two days later. He did not create only baby birds and fish in eggs on the fifth day, He created full grown ones. He did not create newborn puppies and kittens only on the sixth day, he created full grown dogs and cats.
God’s creation had the appearance of being very old, of being aged, even though it was just a few seconds old in reality. Jesus with this first miracle is pointing to the original miracle, the act of creation at which He was present. The first miracle of Jesus was creating wine that tasted “good”, or aged, even though it had just been created a few minutes earlier from water. The six waterpots point to the six actual days of creation, where God created all things EX NIHILO, out of nothing. His creation had the appearance of being very old, and He pronounced this creation as “very good.”
Also, Jesus chose six waterpots used for washing and purification, not water that was used for drinking. The story pointed out that the waterpots contained water for the “Jewish custom of purification.” Jesus chose this water to change into His new, good wine. It makes perfect sense as Jewish customs and laws are what Jesus has come to fulfill and replace with His new wine, the covenant of GRACE through His blood. He is saying with a wink that He is bringing forth a “new wine”, a new covenant. He is doing something new and everyone needs to pay attention.
And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”
Luke 5:36-38
Luke 5:36-38
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”… He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:17-20
