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of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 and
both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith
W render, Jesus also was bidden.
I render, the wine failed.

however believes it to have been the same.
This was the residence, and probably birth-
place, of Nathanael. If his calling took
place in its neighbourhood, our Lord may
have gone on and spent the intervening
day at Nazareth. Dr. Robinson satis-
factorily establishes that Kâna-el-Jelîl,
about 3 hours N. E. from Nazareth, is
the site of this miracle. The name is iden-
tical, and so stands in the Arabic Version
of the N. T. He shews this to have been
recognized in early tradition, and its
honour to have been only recently usurped
by Kefr Kenna, a village 1 hour N.E.
from Nazareth, on one of the roads to
Tiberias. See a very interesting descrip-
tion of Kâna-el-Jelil in "The Land and the
Book," pp. 426, 427. the mother of
Jesus] St. John never names her, as being
already well known or perhaps more pro-
bably from his own intimate connexion
with her, in pursuance of the injunction
ch. xix. 26, 27. He never names either
himself, or his own brother, James.

2. and his disciples] It does not appear who these were, unless we assume that they were those called in ch. i., which seems most probable. John himself was most likely present. He does not relate so circumstantially any thing which he had not witnessed.

In this case, there must have been some other reason for the invitation, besides mere previous acquaintance. This would be the probable reason for Jesus himself being invited; but the disciples, being from various places in the district, can hardly all have been (De Wette) friends of the family. The fact of Jesus having attached disciples to Himself must have been known, and they were doubtless invited from consideration to Him.

Our Lord at once opens His ministry with the character which He gives of himself, Matt. xi. 18, 19, as distinguished from the asceticism of John. He also, as Trench admirably remarks (Miracles, edn. 2, p. 98, note), gives us his own testimony against the tendency which our indolence ever favours, of giving up those things and occasions to the world and the devil, which we have not Christian boldness to mingle in and purify. Even Cyprian, for instance, proscribes such festivals,-"Let the wicked feasts and licentious banquets at marriages be avoided, of

which the contagion is perilous." And such is the general verdict of modern religionism, which would keep the leaven distinct from the lump, for fear it should become unleavened. The especial honour conferred upon marriage by the Lord should also be noticed. He here adorned and beautified it with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought."

66

3.] There is no necessity to suppose that the feast had lasted several days, as De Wette and Lücke do. It has been sug gested that the unexpected presence of the disciples may have occasioned a failure in the previously sufficient supply: a gloss in one of the old Latin MSS. has, "And it came to pass, that through the great number of guests the wine was used up."

The mother of Jesus evidently is in a position of authority (see ver. 5) in the house, which was probably that of a near relative. The conjectures and traditions on the subject are many, and wholly unsatisfactory. A graver question arises as to the intent with which this, They have no wine, was said. She cannot have had from experience any reason to suppose that her Son would work a miracle, for this (ver. 11) was His first. Chrysostom and others suggest that, knowing Him to be Who He was, she had been by the recent divine acknowledgment of Him and His calling disciples to Himself, led to expect the manifestation of His Messianic power about this time; and here seemed an occasion for it. Some of the other

explanations are: "that she had always

found Him a wise counsellor, and mentioned the want to Him merely that He might suggest some way of remedying it." Cocceius. "Do thou depart, that the other guests may do the same, before the lack of wine is noticed." Bengel. "That by some pious exhortation He might prevent the guests from feeling annoyance, and at the same time spare the bridegroom's shame." Calvin. "Jesus had wrought miracles, but in secret, before this." Tholuck. On the whole, the most probable explanation is that of Lücke, which somewhat modifies the first here mentioned,-that our Lord Himself had recently given some reason to expect that He would shew forth His glory by wonderful works. So, very nearly, Stier.

a ch. xix. 26. b So 2 Sam.

xvi. 10:
xix. 22.

a

unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were d Mark vii. 8. set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins

c ch. vii. 6.

4.] The answer of our Lord is beyond question one of reproof, and disclaimer of participation in the grounds on which the request was made. See instances, besides reff., in Josh. xxii. 24: Mark i. 24. And so all the early expositors understood it. Irenæus says, "The Lord, repelling her unseasonable urgency, said," &c. ;-and Chrysostom, "She wished... to gain glory to herself by means of her Son," and therefore He "answered her with severity." The Romanist expositors mostly endeavour to divest the answer of any aspect of rebuke, and maintain that it was so uttered for our sakes alone, to teach us that He did not perform His miracles from regard to human affinity, but solely from love and His object of manifesting His glory. So Maldonatus. And this is true:-but first among those to be taught this, was she herself, who had tempted Him to work a miracle from that regard.

It has perhaps not been enough noticed, that in this answer the Lord declares His period of subjection to her as His earthly parent to be at an end. Henceforth His thoughts are not her thoughts. At twelve years of age, see Luke ii. 49, He answers, thy father and I,' by My Father:'-now, He is to be no longer before the world as Mary's son, but as sanctified by the Father and sent into the world :-compare Matt. xii. 4850, and Luke xi. 27, 28.

Woman]

mine

There is no reproach in this term: but rather respect. The Lord henceforth uses it towards her, not calling her mother,' even on the Cross (see ch. xix. 26), doubtless for the reason alleged above. hour is not yet come] This expression, mine hour, is generally used in John of the time of the Death of Christ :-see reff. But it is only so used because His death is in those passages the subject naturally underlying the narrative. It is, any fixed or appointed time;-and therefore here, the appointed time of His self-manifestation by miracles. This time was not yet come, but was close at hand. Some have supposed that the wine was not yet wholly exhausted, and that our Lord would wait till the miracle should be undoubted (so Trench): but Stier well remarks that the

known depth of all His early sayings forbids us from attaching only this meaning to it;-and he sees in it a reference to the great marriage-feast and the new fruit of the vine in the Kingdom of God. If this be so, it can be only in the background; the words must have had a present meaning, and I believe it to be,

My time, the time at which, from the Father's appointment and my own concurring will, I am to begin miraculous working, is not yet arrived: forestall it not.' Very similarly he speaks, ch. vii. 6, to His brethren, and yet afterwards goes up to the feast. The notion that mine hour refers to the hour of our Lord's human infirmity on the Cross when (ch. xix. 27) He acknowledged her as His mother," Wordsw., seems wholly unfounded. Where do we find any such special acknowledgment there? And why should we go out of our way for a fanciful sense of words which bear an excellent meaning as referring to circumstances then present? 5.] There certainly

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seems beneath this narrative to lie some incident which is not told us. For not only is Mary not repelled by the answer just given, but she is convinced that the miracle will be wrought, and she is not without an anticipation of the method of working it for how should He require the aid of the servants, except the miracle were to take place according to the form here related ? I believe we shall find, when all things are opened to us, that there had been a previous hint given her, -where or how I would not presume to say,-by our Lord, of His intention and the manner of performing it, and that her fault was, the too rash hastening on of what had been His fixed purpose. 6.] These vessels were for the washings usual at feasts: see Mark vii. 4. There could be no collusion or imposture here, as they were water-vessels, and could have no remnants of wine in them (see also ver. 10). And the large quantity which they held could not have been brought in unobserved. The word here rendered firkin is probably equivalent to the Jewish "bath" (which held 8 gall. 7·4 pints), and stands for it in the LXX, ref. 2 Chron. According

8 And

apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled them up to the brim.
he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the
▾ governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 z When the
ruler of the feast [a 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, 10 and saith unto him, Every man
d at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men

y render, as below, ruler.

a omit.

render, had drawn.

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d render, setteth on the good wine first.

to this, the quantity of wine thus created would be 6 times | 2 or 3 times | 8 gallons 7.4 pints: i.e. 6 times | 17 or 25 gallons: i. e. (say, taking the mean,) 6 times 21 gallons: i. e. 126 gallons. The large quantity thus created has been cavilled at by unbelievers. We may leave them to their cavils with just one remark,—that He who creates abundance enough in this earth to "put temptation in men's way," acted on this occasion analogously with His known method of dealing. We may answer an error on the other side (if it be on the other side), by saying that the Lord here most effectually and once for all stamps with His condemnation that false system of moral reformation, which would commence by pledges to abstain from intoxicating liquors. He pours out His bounty for all, and He vouchsafes His grace to each for guidance; and to endeavour to evade the work which He has appointed for each man,-by refusing the bounty, to save the trouble of seeking the grace, is an attempt which must ever end in degradation of the individual motives, and in social demoralization,-whatever present apparent effects may follow its first promulgation. One visible sign of this degradation, in its intellectual form, is the miserable attempt made by some of the advocates of this movement, to shew that the wine here and in other places of Scripture is unfermented wine, not possessing the power of intoxication. The filling with water, and drawing out wine, is all that is related. The moment of the miracle,' says Lücke, 'is rather understood than expressed. It seems to lie between vv. 7 and 8' (i. 471). The process of it is wholly out of the region of our imagination. In order for

wine to be produced, we have the growth
and ripening of the grape; the crushing
of it in proper vessels; the fermentation;
-but here all these are in a moment
brought about in their results, by the
same Power which made the laws of nature,
and created and unfolded the capacities
of man. See below on ver. 11.
8.] The ruler of the feast seems to be the
same with the "master of a feast" spoken
of Ecclus. xxxii. 1, and with the Latin
“king,” or “master,” “ of the feast." It
would seem, from the place in Ecclesiasti-
cus, that he was one of the guests raised to
the post of presiding over the arrrange-
ments of the feast. This is however doubted
by the older Commentators, who make
him not one of the guests, but a person
holding this especial office, and attending
on feasts. Here, he tastes the wine; and
therefore probably was a guest himself.
10.] The saying of the ruler of the feast
is a general one, not applicable to the
company then present. We may be

sure that the Lord would not have sanc-
tioned, nor ministered to, actual drunken-
ness. Only those who can conceive this,
will find any difficulty here; and they will
find difficulties every where.
The ac-
count of the practice referred to is, that
the palates of men become after a while
dull, and cannot distinguish between good
wine and bad. Pliny speaks of persons
"who even give their guests other wine
than they drink themselves, or bring it in
as the banquet proceeds." But the prac
tice here described is not precisely that of
which Pliny speaks, nor is there any mean-
ness to be charged on it: it is only that,
when a man has some kinds of wine choicer
than others, he naturally produces the
choicest, to suit the most discriminating

⚫ch. i. 14.

f Matt. xii. 46.

have well drunk, then that which is worse; [but] thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of g miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested [ forth] his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his Exod. ii. mother, and 'his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

Deut. xvi.

1, 16.

ver. 23.

ch. v. 1:

vị, 4: rỉ. 55.

13 & And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus

• render, freely.

render, his miracles; his signs.

taste. The word rendered have freely
drunk, in its common meaning, implies,
66 are intoxicated,"
," "are drunken:" but
while there is no reason here to press its
ordinary meaning, so neither is there any
to shrink from it, as uttered by the ruler
of the feast. The safest rendering is that
of Tyndall and Cranmer, "when men be
dronke" and so it is in the Vulgate also.

11.] The words may also be rendered according to the reading of most of our ancient MSS., This wrought Jesus as the beginning of his miracles. This as

sertion of St. John excludes all the apocry-
phal miracles of the Gospel of the Infancy,
and such like works, from credit.
The word sign, which occasionally occurs
in the other Gospels and the Acts in this
absolute sense of a miracle (e. g. in the
original of Mark xvi. 17, 20; Luke xxiii.
8; Acts iv, 16, 22; viii. 6), is St. John's
ordinary word for it. his glory] The
glory, namely, which is referred to in ch. i.
14, where see note. It was a miracle emi-
nently shewing forth the glory of the
Word, by whom all things were made, in
His state of having become flesh. And
this believing on Him,' here predicated
of the disciples, was certainly a higher
faith than that which first led them to
Him. They obtained new insight into
His power:-not yet reflectively, so as to
infer what all this implied, but so as to
increase their faith and trust in Him.
Again and again they believed:' new de-
grees of faith being attained; just as this
has since been the case, and will continue
to be, in the Church, in the continual pro-
vidential development of the Christian
spirit, the leavening of the whole lump
by degrees.

This important miracle, standing as it does at the very entrance of the official life of Christ, has been the subject of many doubts, and attempts to get rid of, or explain away, the power which was here manifested. But never did a narrative present a more stubborn inflexibility

fomit.

homit.

to the wresters of Scripture:-never was simple historical veracity more strikingly stamped on any miracle than on this. And doubtless this is providentially so arranged: see the objections to it treated, and some admirable concluding remarks, in Lücke, i. 478. To those who yet seek some sufficient cause for the miracle being wrought, we may-besides the conclusive answer that we are not in a position to treat this question satisfactorily,-assign the unmistakeable spiritual import of the change here made, as indicating the general nature of the beneficent work which the Lord came on earth to do. So Cornelius a Lapide: "Christ, at the beginning of His ministry, by changing water into wine, signified, that He was about to change the Mosaic law, insipid and cold as water, into the Gospel of Grace, which is as wine, generous, full-flavoured, ardent, and powerful." Similarly Eusebius, Augustine, Bernard, and Gregory the Great.

II. 12-İV. 54.] FIRST MANIFESTATION OF HIMSELF AS THE SON OF GOD: -and herein, ii. 13-iii. 36, IN JERUSALEM AND JUDEA.

12.] went down, because Capernaum lay on the lake,-Cana higher up the country. There is no certainty as to this visit, whether or not it is the same with that hinted at in Luke iv. 23: so that no chronological inferences can be built on the hypothesis with any security. On his brethren

see Matt. xiii. 55 and note. Notice the transition from His private to His public life. His mother and brethren are still with Him, attached merely by nature: His disciples, newly attached by faith. In the next verse He has cast off His mere earthly ties for His work. Also in the not many days notice less a mere chronological design, than one to shew that He lost no time after His first miracle, in publicly manifesting Himself as the Son of God.

13-22.] The first official visit to Jeru

Mark 15. Luke xix. 45.

went up to Jerusalem, 14 h and found in the temple those Matt. Ix.13. that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 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; 16 and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchan-1 Luke 11. 49. dise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was

k

written, The zeal of thine house mhath eaten me up. k PSA. Ixix. 9.

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salem, at a Passover: and cleansing of the Temple. 13.] No data are given to determine whether the reason of the short stay at Capernaum was the near approach of the Passover. Nothing

is said of those who accompanied Jesus: but at all events, His already called disciples would be with Him (see ver. 22, and ch. iii. 22), and among them in all probability the Evangelist himself;- but not the rest of the Twelve, who were not yet called. Of this visit, the narrative of the three other Evangelists records nothing. 14] On the distinctness of this cleansing from that related in Matt. xxi. 12 ff., see note there. in the temple] In the court of the Gentiles, the outer temple, as distinguished from the sanctuary, or the inner temple. This market appears to have sprung up since the captivity, with a view to the convenience of those Jews who came from a distance, to provide them with the beasts for offering, and to change their foreign money into the sacred shekel, which alone was allowed to be paid in for the temple capitation tax (Matt. xvii. 24 ff). This tax was sometimes, as in Matthew, 1. c., paid elsewhere than in Jerusalem; but generally there, and in the temple. The very fact of the market being held there would produce an unseemly mixture of sacred and profane transactions, even setting aside the abuses which would be certain to be mingled with the traffic. It is to the former of these evils that our Lord makes reference in this first cleansing; in the second, to the latter.

15.] The small cords were probably the rushes which were littered down for the cattle to lie on. That our Lord used the scourge on the beasts only, not on the sellers of them, is almost necessarily contained in the form of the sentence here: which, according to the grammar of the

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original, should be rendered as in margin, "He drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen." It has been imagined, that He dealt more mildly with those who sold the doves, which were for the offerings of the poor. But this was not so; He dealt alike with all. No other way was open with regard to them, than to order them to take their birds away. This cleansing of the temple was in the direct course of His manifestation as the Messiah. Immediately after the prophetic announcement of the Forerunner, Mal. iii. 1, is that of the Lord's coming suddenly to His temple and purifying it. This act also answers (but like the fulfilment last mentioned, only in an imperfect and still prophetic sense) to the declaration of the Baptist "Whose fan is in His hand," &c., Matt. iii. 12. His proceeding was not altogether unexampled nor unauthorized, even in an uncommissioned person for all had the right to reform an abuse of this sort, and the zealots put this right in practice. The disciples by their allusion in ver. 17 seem to refer the action to this latter class.

16. my Father's house] The coincidence with Luke ii. 49 is remarkable. By this expression thus publicly used, our Lord openly announces His Messiahship. Nathanael had named Him 'the Son of God' with this meaning-see on ch. i. 50,--and these words, coupled with the expectation which the confession of John the Baptist would arouse, could leave no doubt on the minds of the Jews as to their import: see on ch. iii. 2. an house of merchandise] not yet as at the end of His ministry; see above on ver. 14. 17.] his disciples remembered, at the time, not afterwards, which would have been expressed, as in ver. 22. But the very remembrance itself was prophetic. The "eating up" spoken of in

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