Joh 2 | EE | STEP | Two days after that, there was a marriage. It was in the town called Cana, in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.

John 2

The marriage at Cana

1 Two days after that, there was a marriage. It was in the town called Cana, in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2 People had asked Jesus and his disciples to come to the party also. 3 When people had drunk all the wine, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ 4 Jesus replied, ‘Woman, why do you tell me this? It is not my time yet.’ 5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you to do.’

6 There were 6 big pots there. People had used stone to make them. Each pot could contain 20 to 30 gallons of water. These pots contained water so that the Jews could wash themselves in the way that their special rules taught. 7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the pots with water.’ So they filled the pots to the top. 8 Then he said, ‘Now take some of the water from the pots and give it to the master of the party.’ So they did that. 9 The master of the party tasted the water. The water had now become wine! The master did not know where the wine had come from. But the servants who had given it to him knew. Then the master asked the man who had just married to come to him. 10 The master said to him, ‘Everyone else brings out the best wine first. When people have had plenty to drink, then they give people cheaper wine. But you are different. You have kept the best wine until now.’

11 Jesus did this first miracle at Cana, in Galilee. In this way, Jesus showed how great he was. And his disciples believed in him. ^{▼▼2:11 Jesus did many miracles, but John only tells us about 7 of them. In Greek, John uses a word for miracle that means sign. It tells us more about God.}

Jesus goes to God’s Great House

12 After this, Jesus went to a town called Capernaum. His mother, his brothers and his disciples went with him. They stayed there for a few days. ^{▼▼2:12 Capernaum was another town in Galilee. It was next to the lake called Lake Galilee.}

13 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. So, Jesus went to Jerusalem. ^{▼▼2:13 The Passover was a time that was very special to Israel’s people. All their men had to come to God’s Great House at Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, every year. They remembered the time, many years before, when God had led their ancestors out of Egypt. God had saved them so that they did not have to be slaves to Egypt’s people. He had killed all the oldest sons of Egypt’s people. But he had saved the sons of Israel’s people. He told Israel’s people that they must put a lamb’s blood on the wood round their doors. (A lamb is a young sheep.) If the blood was there, their oldest sons would not die (Exodus 12).} 14 He went into the yard of God’s Great House. There he found people who were selling cows, sheep and doves. Other people were sitting at tables to change coins for people. 15 So Jesus made a whip from some pieces of rope. Then he made all the people leave God’s Great House quickly, with the sheep and the cows. He threw on to the ground all the coins of the men who changed money. He turned their tables over. 16 He said to the people who sold birds, ‘Take them out of here! Do not make my Father’s house into a market!’ 17 His disciples remembered what it says in the Bible: ‘My love for your house burns inside me like a fire.’ ^{▼▼2:17 See Psalm 69:9.}

18 Then the Jews asked Jesus, ‘What is your authority to do this? Do a miracle for us to show that you really do have authority.’ 19 Jesus answered them, ‘If you destroy this house of God, I will build it up again in 3 days.’ 20 The Jews replied, ‘People have worked for 46 years to build this house. But you say that you will build it again in 3 days!’ 21 But the house that Jesus was speaking about was his own body. 22 The disciples remembered this when Jesus had become alive again after his death. They remembered that he had said this. Then they believed what the Bible taught. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.

23 While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, he did many miracles. Many people saw these miracles that showed he was from God. As a result, they believed in Jesus. 24 But Jesus himself did not trust the people. He knew what all people are really like. 25 He did not need anyone to tell him what people are like. He knew already what was really in each person.