Epiphany · Second Sunday after the Epiphany · Year C
John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
January 16, 2028
Overview & Insights
“This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.” (John 2:11)
The journey home to Galilee is not described. The writer focuses instead on a single incident that took place after the group arrived. Debates about whether one could reach Galilee from Bethany in two days are pointless, first, because the exact location of Bethany is unknown (see note on 1:28), and second, because the phrase on the third day could sometimes be used to express a short indefinite period of time (like “a couple of days” in colloquial English). Strictly speaking, the phrase means “the day after tomorrow” (cf. Luke 13:32), that is, the third day after Jesus met Nathanael. This would be Day Six. But the Gospel writer may not be speaking strictly, and in any case, the number he has assigned to this day is not six but three! He is surely more precise here than in verse 12 (“a few days”), and there is nothing wrong in counting a six-day sequence. But the emphasis is on the sequence , not on the total of six.
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Commentary
Commentary on John 2:1-11Commentary on Jn 2:1-11 Working Preacher
Reads the sign itself as secondary to what it discloses about who Jesus is.
John 2:1-11 CommentaryJn 2:1-11 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
A Reformed homiletical read on the abundance and joy of the miracle.
John 2 CommentaryJn 2 Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik
Verse-by-verse evangelical notes on the wedding, the wine, and the sign.
John 2:1 CommentariesJn 2:1 Commentaries BibleHub
A one-stop aggregator of classic public-domain commentaries on the passage.
John 2 (Barnes' Notes)Jn 2 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight
Barnes' plain-sense notes give historical grounding for the wedding customs.
John 2:1 InterlinearJn 2:1 Interlinear BibleHub
Greek text word by word for 'sign' and 'glory.'
Background & Word Study
John 1-12 VideoJn 1-12 Video BibleProject
A visual walkthrough of the first half of John, where this sign sits.
What Is the Wedding at Cana in John 2 All About?What Is the Wedding at Cana in Jn 2 All About? Psephizo · Ian Paul
An Anglican biblical-studies essay on what the sign is actually claiming about Jesus.
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Questions preachers ask
Why is the wedding at Cana an Epiphany reading?
Turning water into wine is the first of Jesus' signs, revealing his glory so that his disciples believe; the season of Epiphany traces how Jesus is made manifest.
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