FIRST MIRACLE--TEMPLE CLEANSED--VISIT OF NICODEMUS.
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the
mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples,
to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith
unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do
_it_. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner
of the purifying of the Jews, 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 governor of the feast.
And they bare _it_. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water
that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which
drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine;
and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; _but_ thou hast
kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in
Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him.
After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his
brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And
the Jews' passover was at hand. And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and
found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep, and doves, and the
changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small
cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen;
and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said
unto them that sold doves,
Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house
of merchandise.
And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine
house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him: What
sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus
answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building,
and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of
his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the
Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast _day_, many
believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus
did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all _men_, and needed
not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that
thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that
thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said, unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus
answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and _of_the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto
thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it
listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one
that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus
answered and said unto him,
Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If
I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall
ye believe, if I tell you _of_ heavenly things. And no man
hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
_even_ the Son of man which is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be
made manifest, that they are wrought in God.