Why did Jesus turn water into wine (Jesus’ first miracle)?

As a Christian passionate about God’s words, I love reading about Jesus’ miracles since I find
them mind-blowing. The first miracle that Jesus ever performed was when he turned water into
wine at a wedding that he had attended in Cana. Unlike the rest of his publicly known miracles,
only a few people at the wedding got to know this miracle. When I taught this miracle to my
church members, some wondered why Jesus chose this as his first miracle. They asked me,
“why did Jesus turn water into wine?”

In this article, I will discuss Jesus’ first miracle in depth. Join me as we delve into this and find
answers to questions such as where did Jesus turn water into wine, why did Jesus make so
much wine, and what was the significance of Jesus’ first miracle? Read on to learn more!

Where Did Jesus turn water into wine?

We first encounter the story of Jesus turning water into wine in John 2:1-12. According to this scripture, Jesus had attended a wedding with his disciples in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother, Mary, was also present at the wedding, implying that either the couple were close friends of Mary or were relatives of Jesus.

John 2:1-2 states, “Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” However, something unexpected happened at the wedding, and the wine ran out. This was unusual, as weddings during those days were supposed to be perfect, and guests were to be treated to food and wine to their satisfaction.

Knowing what his son was capable of, Mary, the mother of Jesus, approached him and explained to Jesus the situation of the wine running out. However, his response was a little weird, as he quickly turned down his mother’s request and told her that she should not tell him what to do, as his time had not yet come, as recounted in John 2:3-4; “When the wine had given out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

Mary did not give up on his son’s words and directed the servants at the wedding to do whatever Jesus’s told them to do. True to her word, Jesus instructed the servants to fill the six stone water jars meant for ritual washing with water. He then commanded them to draw some water and take it to the person in charge of the wedding to taste it.

After tasting the wine, the man in charge of the wedding did not believe how good the wine tasted and even called out the bridegroom for hiding the finest wine to be served last. This had shocked him, as ordinary wine could be served first at most weddings, followed by the finest wine after guests had drunk to their fill. After the wedding, Jesus proceeded to Capernaum with his family and disciples to stay there for a few days.

Why did Jesus make so much wine?

This is a valid question to be asked by every bible reader, as Jesus did not only turn water into the finest wine, but he did so in large quantities. John reveals to us in John 2:6 that Jesus used the six stone water jars that had washing water to perform his miracle.

Although we cannot conclude the number of guests that attended the wedding, the six jars were too many for wine that was only meant to be drunk at the wedding. This leads us to our main question, why did Jesus make so much wine?

The Bible does not specify why Jesus made so much wine, although some religious scholars have speculated several reasons. The fundamental reason Jesus might have made so much wine was that he wanted to make sure that there was no shortage of wine for the second time. This can be thought so, as people could have demanded to know where the first fine wine had come from. They could have also been curious and demanded that Jesus show them how he exactly performed the miracle, and his time had not yet come.

Another speculated reason Jesus made so much wine was to show the people that God could do much better than them. Often, people have doubts about what God can do for them and end up sticking to what they have instead of trusting God for a much bigger miracle. With this miracle, Jesus proved that when you trust in Jesus, you will receive more than you expect.

Lastly, Jesus made so much wine at the wedding in Cana to emphasize his glory to his disciplines so that they could have every reason to believe in him. This was the first miracle that Jesus performed, as well as the first miracle his disciples witnessed. Humans tend to doubt a lot, and the disciples could have doubted Jesus if he had turned little water into wine.

By turning so much water into wine, Jesus cleared all the doubts his disciplines could have had and made his glory known to them. John 2:11 says, “Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.”

What was the significance of Jesus’ first miracle?

The miracle of Jesus turning water into wine can be seen as a simple miracle, but it has significance in Christian’s lives and their relationship with God. To start with, Jesus’ miracle was to show his disciples who he truly was, as they were yet to understand him and his power. After this miracle, his disciples had every reason to believe in him and continue working with him.

Secondly, this miracle was significant as it showed that Jesus’ time was abundant for the believers. As mentioned above, Jesus did not only turn water into wine but turned massive quantities of wine for the wedding guests to enjoy. This signified that whoever believed in Jesus, who God had sent, would never lack, and his cup would overflow.

Bible scholars also believe that this miracle signified Jesus’s love for his people. If Jesus had not been genuinely concerned with the people present at the wedding, he would have ignored his mother’s request and left the hosts to face the shame that had to be brought by the scarcity of wine. This is because the love that Jesus had for his people (the church) is great compared to the love between a husband and a wife in various scriptures in the Bible;

Ephesians 5:29 “People never hate their own bodies. Instead, they feed them and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; for we are members of his church.”

Ephesians 5:25 says. “Husbands love your wife just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.”

Mathew 9:15 says, “Jesus answered, “Do you expect the guests at a wedding party to be sad as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Jesus couldn’t allow the guests at the wedding to lack wine, as he was in their presence.

Lastly, Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine signified the blood of Jesus, which he later poured for the sins of human beings. At the wedding, we see that the wine that Jesus made has never been experienced at any wedding, as it was one of the best quality wines to be ever served, as the wedding host confirms in John 2:10;

“So, he called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after guests have had plenty to drink, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now.”

Jesus could not reveal to the public why he made the fine wine, as his time to be known had yet to come. We also see the significance of the quality of the wine Jesus made at the wedding in Mathew when he reveals what the wine stands for during the Lord’s supper.

Mathew 26:27-29 says, “Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it all of you,” he said; this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you; I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

From the above scripture, it is evident that the wine signified so much more than the physical wine at the wedding, as Jesus revealed that the wine would again be served in heaven before God.