SOON AFTER Jesus met the men who became his first followers he left the
river Jordan, and with these men walked to the land of Galilee, to the
village of Cana, about six miles north of Nazareth. This was the town
where Nathanael, one of the first five followers of Jesus, lived.
At Cana a marriage was to be held, and Jesus with all his followers was
invited. In that land, at a marriage, a feast was always given, and all
the friends of the newly-married couple, with their friends also, and
almost everybody in the village, were expected to come. The feasting and
dancing and merry-making often lasted through a whole week.
Before the feast was over they found that the wine, which in those times
everybody drank freely, was used up, and those who were giving the feast
had no wine to set before their guests. This filled them with alarm, for
at such times the wine was expected to flow freely, and not to have wine
for the company at a feast was considered almost a disgrace.
The mother of Jesus was there as a friend of the family. She thought of
a way to help those who were giving the feast, and called her son aside
from the crowd, and said to him very quietly:
"They have no wine."
She knew what very few knew, that Jesus was the Son of God, and that all
power was in his hands. He had not yet done any of those wonderful works
of curing the sick, making the blind to see and making the deaf to
hear, which he did so often afterward; but Mary believed that he could
do them if he chose. She thought that perhaps he would use his power to
give the wine that was needed. It was with this hope that she said to
him, "They have no wine."
The answer that Jesus gave was not such in its words as to encourage
her.
"Woman," said he, "what have you to do with me in this matter? My time
is not yet come."
His speaking to his mother as "Woman," instead of saying "Mother," as a
young man would among us, was not lacking in respect. It was the usage
of that time for a son to say "Woman," and not "Mother." She saw in his
face a look showing her that she had not spoken in vain. So she turned
to the servants who were standing near. "Whatever he tells you to do,"
she said, "do it."
[Illustration: Cana, and its well]
One of the usages of the Jews was to wash their hands before they sat
down to a meal. This washing was not merely to make their hands clean;
it was a sort of religious service, and the Jews were very strict in
doing it. When so large a company met for a feast, a great deal of water
was needed. In the hall were standing six large jars for water, each jar
of a size to hold nearly twenty gallons. They were nearly empty,
because all the guests had washed their hands before sitting down at the
feast. Jesus pointed to these jars and said to the servants:
"Fill all those jars with water."
They obeyed him and filled all the jars up to the brim. Then Jesus said
again:
"Now draw out from the jars, and carry what you take out to the ruler of
the feast."
Wondering, the servants dipped their pitchers into the great jars which
only a few moments before they had filled with water. How surprised they
were to find each pitcher as it came out full of red wine! They carried
it to the ruler of the feast. He tasted it and saw that it was wine of
the very best kind. He did not know how it had been made, but supposed
that it had been brought suddenly from some wine merchant. He called the
young man who had been married, and in whose honor the feast was being
held, and said to him:
"Everybody serves his best wine at the beginning of his feast; and
afterward, when people have been drinking some time, he brings wine that
is poorer; but you have kept your best wine until now!"
[Illustration: Stone water-jars]
[Illustration: The mother of Jesus called her son aside and said to him
quietly: "They have no wine."]
The only ones who knew whence the new wine had come were the servants.
But they soon told others, and the word was passed around the company
that Jesus of Nazareth, Mary's son, had wrought this wonderful work. His
followers, the five or more disciples who had come with Jesus to the
wedding feast, now believed more fully than before that their teacher
was more than a mere man, that the power of God was upon him and that
whatever he should say was the word of God.
Such a work as that of turning the water into wine, a work that no man
could do without God's power, was called "a miracle." It showed that the
one who wrought it was a man sent from God, doing God's will and
speaking God's word. This was the first miracle or work of wonder that
Jesus wrought; but after this we shall read of many miracles.
From the wedding feast Jesus went down the mountains of Galilee to the
city of Capernaum, which stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee on the
northwest. With Jesus on this visit to Capernaum were his mother, some
of his younger brothers and his followers.
[Illustration: Oriental basin, ewer, etc.]
[Illustration: Nicodemus sought Jesus quietly one night to talk with him
and learn more of his teachings.]
The Lord in His Temple