Author: Jeff Englund

John 2: 12

“After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.”

This single verse paints a picture of Jesus as he transitions from head of household to head of a theological revolution. As the eldest, after his father passed on, he became head of the household taking on the responsibility for his mother’s welfare making the family’s decisions. As a Rabbi with disciples, he takes on the role of prophet, one responsible for conveying God’s word to oftentimes unwilling listeners. In this verse we see both roles in play. Jesus has officially started his ministry with the miracle of changing water to wine, and yet his family still travels with him.

Q: What do you suppose the conversation might have been like between Jesus’ disciples and his family members while they were staying in Capernaum?

Continue reading “Family Portrait”

John 2:11

“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

Glory is a concept that does not seem to enter into normal conversation in our world. Sometimes it comes up in a disparaging way as in, “he is just in it for the glory.” But even that is not all that common these days. Does anyone still “bask in glory”? The connotation of glory tends to be negative because we live in a competitive society. The idea of glory being attributed to someone as a good thing is not something we typically relate to.

In spite of this, the glory of God is something that transcends any human comparison. God’s glory is pure. His motives are pure. His justice is perfect. His power is beyond imagination.

Q: How do you think of “glory,” and how would you describe Jesus’ glory that was revealed through the signs he performed?

Continue reading “Glory”

John 2: 9-10

“They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’”

After the wash water is tasted and declared to be the “best” wine, the challenge the servants have is in keeping a straight face. They know where they got the water. They know where it was stored. They could not have known that Jesus was God in the flesh. What were they to think?

Q: What would you be thinking, if you had been the servant who delivered the wash water turned into wine?

Continue reading “Surprise!”

John 2: 8

“Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’

They did so…”

Once again the servants at the wedding are confronted with a challenge. They have been told by a guest to do whatever her son says. Her son, a man with his own entourage, tells them to fill the water jars used for washing. When they return from the work of hauling water to fill the jars they look expectantly at Jesus. “Now what?” is the implied question. The “Now what?” turns out to be a simple task, but a potentially embarrassing one: Take some of the water to the master of the banquet.

Again the servants prove their worth. They take what they know to be water and serve it to the person in charge of the banquet. They must have expected the master of the banquet to question their sanity! “Why are you bringing me this wash water to drink?” he might have said. Instead, a miracle happened…

Q: Getting to the miracle in this story involved a lot of work. How is the faithfulness of these servants in obeying Jesus a model for modern day Christians?

Continue reading “Miracle”

John 2: 7

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.”

The servants in this story are confronted with a unique problem. Mary has told them to do whatever Jesus tells them. She could have said, “Go and ask the master of the house if it would be okay for Jesus to help out here,” but she didn’t. She simply gave them a direct instruction, “Do whatever he tells you.”

The instructions Jesus gave them must not have made any sense. After all, how would putting water in the jugs help with the wine situation? Didn’t they have other things that they needed to be doing? Yet these must have been very good servants because they not only filled the jugs with water (a lot of work in those days!) but they “filled them to the brim.”

Q: In your life as a Christian, how far do you fill the jars of our lives? When Jesus says we should love our neighbor as ourselves, do we do just enough to get by, or do we fill the jar to the brim?

Continue reading “Filled to the Brim”

John 2: 6

 “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.”

In this story, Jesus is not being asked to provide just a bottle (or “skin”) of wine. The wine has to last for the duration of the celebration (up to four more days) and be enough for all of the people at the celebration. (Jesus, his mother and disciples, represented a sizable group, and they were just a part of the celebration crowd.) Even so, providing 120 to 180 gallons of wine would probably have been a very generous response.

Q: How does God’s generosity in providing wine for the wedding in Cana reflect his generosity in other areas of life?

Continue reading “Generosity”

John 2: 5

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”

In this simple verse, Mary tells the servants of the house to do whatever her son tells them to do. Think about this for a minute: There is a major social crisis in progress! There are still up to four days left in the traditional wedding celebration and the wine is already gone! This is a major social faux pas. The newlyweds are in danger of becoming the talk of the town very possibly for their whole lives. Enter Mary: She tells the servants to do what her son tells them to do.

Q: What does this situation tell us about the relationship of Mary to the household where the wedding is being held? Is she a stranger, or a very close friend or relation?

Continue reading “Relationships”

John 2: 1-4

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

We revisit the introductory verses of chapter 2 again because something else of significance happens. Jesus talks about his “hour” and the fact that it “has not yet come.”

Q: What do you think Jesus means by the term his “hour” and when do you think he expected it to begin?

Continue reading “Time”

John 2: 1-4

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

John opens the second chapter of his gospel with a dramatic change of scene. In Chapter 1 he walks us through the beginning of creation and introduces us to the battle between light and dark. He then introduces us to his gospel message: If you receive Jesus, if you believe in his name, you have the right to become a child of God, born of God. Then we see John the Baptist introducing Jesus and Jesus calling his first disciples. (Whew!) In Chapter 2, we are suddenly transported to a small village somewhere in Galilee at a local wedding. It is the third day of the wedding ceremony and a scandal is afoot: the host has run out of wine. Mary, the mother of Jesus, brings the problem to her oldest son.

Q: Is there any significance to the way Jesus responds to his mother? If so, what is it?

Continue reading “Woman”

John 1: 50-51

“Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.'”

Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus maintains his heavenly perspective even while he is in the form of a person on earth? Being seen by the Son of God before you even know he exists is impressive. Yet that is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Jesus promises even more.

Q: For those of you who know your Bibles well; who else do you know of who saw heaven open?

Continue reading “Perspective”