We see the use of six stone jars that each held 20-30 gallons of water. That sure seems like a lot of wine especially considering they had already used all the wine up. Knowing that these wedding feasts lasted several days makes the amount of wine needed a little more understandable.
Jesus' mother told Him the wine supply ran out. To this point, Jesus had yet to perform any miracles so we might wonder what Mary thought He would be able to do. Jesus responded by asking her what she wanted Him to do and pointed out that the problem of no wine was not their problem. That statement seems to be telling her that He was here to do the work of the Father and not here to help people with wine issues.
He finished His comments telling her He had not yet come into His time. We can understand that the time for Him to publicly reveal His role as Messiah had not come. When He would reveal His identity the clock toward His execution and resurrection would start ticking.
Apparently, Mary trusted her Son would do something and told the servants to do whatever He told them to. However, she submitted to Him by not questioning Him.
The six stone jars were set outside for ceremonial purification rites before and after eating meals. Jesus instructed the servants to fill the jars. They each held 20-30 gallons of water to be used for washing. Drinking from these vessels would be something that would never be done by the Jewish people.
Jesus took unclean water and turned it into the best wine of the day. That one thought carries great significance. He then instructed the servants to take a sample to the master of ceremonies to taste. Traditionally at such a celebration, the host would use up the good wine first and serve a lesser quality wine last once the guests would most likely not notice. Jesus turned the water into the best wine of the party and the master of ceremonies was astonished by the host serving the best last rather than following the tradition of the last being the worst.
In the Old Testament, Moses turned water into blood but here we see Jesus turning the water into the best wine. While Judaism was "good" with it's religion and prophets, God saved His "best" for last, that being his Son and Christianity. Jesus' miracle also demonstrated His ministry of transforming things of little or no value into things of great value. As a result of this miracle, the disciples put their faith in Jesus not knowing how much their faith would be tested or what Jesus would have to go through.
Following the wedding, Jesus, His mother, brothers, and the disciples went to Capernaum for a few days. They may have been going there for some rest or perhaps for a teaching opportunity, but we are not given a particular reason. Capernaum became Jesus' home base and this is the last time we see mention of Him and His mother and brothers all traveling together.
John notes that the time is now near the Jewish Passover celebration which caused Jesus to travel to Jerusalem. He arrived at the temple and saw merchants in the temple selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices as well as merchants exchanging foreign money for local money. Basically, these were people who set up businesses in the temple. Jesus made a whip from rope and chased them all out of the temple. He drove out all the animals, scattered the money changers' coins all over the floor and turned over their tables. He then went to the people who were the dove salesman and said to them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a market place."
The temple was never intended as a place to do business. I imagine the temple leaders and businessmen found a way to justify turning what was to be a house of prayer and worship into a place of profit.
I might think they thought it would be a benefit to those who came to sacrifice making their sacrifices available right in the temple so they wouldn't have to go look for them or bring them with them. Their idea of convenience may have led them to misuse God's house. I might also imagine the temple getting a percentage of the profits from the merchants, maybe even the temple leaders themselves, who really knows?
Isaiah 56:7 discusses what the temple was meant to be: "...For My house will be called a house of prayer" and in Jeremiah 7:11 it is written, "'Has this house,which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,' declares the Lord."
In Psalm 69:9, David writes about the Messiah, "For zeal for thy house has consumed me and the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me."
Jesus' action in the temple takes scholars back to Psalm 69:9 as a prophecy of the Messiah. Jesus' "zeal" or passion for the temple is exhibited in His clearing the temple of the merchants and animals. The verse following the action in the temple tells us the disciples remembered this prophecy when they saw Him clear the temple.
Many use this story to talk about how Jesus got angry. I also used to think that way but have since changed my mind. I believe all the things Jesus did could have been done with zeal or passion while still not being done with anger. I believe that Jesus is always the example of how we should live and I believe the teaching here is that we should have a zeal to protect and care for the things of God, but not do so in anger. With some self control we can easily see that we could drive out cattle and chase people away and even turn over tables in a zeal to care for God's house and do all those things with that zeal but not in anger. I believe Jesus could and would exercise self control, as is of the fruit of the Spirit, to accomplish clearing the temple.
Then the Jewish leaders "demanded." Again, this word, "demanded," is used when referring to the Jewish leaders. This pompous, authoritative behavior seems to always be how they approached things. I would think temple leaders, pastors, and such might "ask for" rather than "demand" answers. But that may just be me. Anyhow, they demanded by what authority He cleared the temple and also demanded a sign to prove it.
Jesus was never big on doing signs to prove Himself but did reply, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The religious leaders cried out incredulously that it took them 46 years to build the temple and He thought He could rebuld it in three days. They must have thought He was crazy. However, Jesus was not talking about the stone temple building but His own body. Jesus' body would be destroyed, and He would be raised from the dead on the third day.
In Scripture, the body is often called a temple. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 it is written, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?"
After Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered He had said that and they believed both what Jesus said and the Scriptures.
There is something to note regarding Jesus clearing the temple:
In Matthew, we read that Jesus cleared the temple before He cursed the fig tree and after His triumphal entry. His words were, "The scriptures declare, My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have turned it into a den of thieves." Then the lame and blind came to Him and He healed them. After that, Matthew wrote that the children cried out, "Praise God for the Son of David." His encounter with the religious leaders in Matthew was that they asked Him if He heard what the children were saying. There is no mention of Jesus making a whip.
In Mark, we see Him clearing the temple after cursing the fig tree and also after His triumphal entry. In Mark, we read Jesus using nearly the same words as in Matthew. The difference in Mark is where it reads, "My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations." There is no mention of healings and the encounter with the religious leaders is not mentioned, only that they plotted to kill Him. There is no mention of Jesus making a whip.
In Luke, the clearing of the temple is mentioned well after cursing the fig tree and after His triumphal entry. The words written are the same as in Matthew. His encounter with the religious leaders is the same as in Matthew, that they plotted to kill Him. There is no mention of Jesus making a whip.
For the most part, Matthew, Mark, and Luke write the clearing of the temple with the same words, timing and encounters.
In John, we read of Jesus clearing the temple with the timing different than the previous three writers. In John, Jesus clears the temple before His triumphal entry and there is no mention of the cursing of the fig tree. The words John writes Jesus as saying are different than the other three as well. He writes Jesus saying, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Fathers house into a marketplace." John mentioned no healing and the encounter with the religious leaders in John declared them as demanding a miracle and proof of His authority to clear the temple. Jesus then told them to destroy the temple and He will raise it up in three days. John begins his writing with Jesus making a whip to chase them out. There are a couple other details that are different.
In my studying, it seems many scholars agree that there were at least two times Jesus cleared the temple. I believe that to be true and the words Jesus used convince me.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus said, "My house shall be a house of prayer but you have turned it into a den of thieves." In John, Jesus said "Get these things out of here. Stop turning My Fathers house into a market place."
For me, the wording in John causes me to feel as if it was not the first time Jesus told them to stop doing business in the temple. To me, it feels as if they have been told this before. "Stop turning" to me sounds as if this was something they kept doing over and over and Jesus wants them to stop it.
For these reasons, I agree with the scholars I have studied that there were two episodes written about.
As we read and study the Bible, it is very important not to skip over things we don't understand or that seem as if they might not agree. If we notice such differences and have not studied them, what can we say to people who attack our faith with such seeming irregularities. That is part of the benefit of doing what we are doing.
What I attempt to do with this eStudy is to speak to such things most of us may skip or not understand so that we can all have a good understanding of difficult teachings and variations. When I read, I find things I have skipped over in the past and guess that if I have skipped over them, perhaps some of you may have too.
Keep up the reading, thinking, and studying. You are all doing a great thing and will be blessed for it. Way to Go!!