Harmony of gospel in the miracles of Jesus
We are going to study in depth the miracles of Jesus. Each and every miracle has a message for us about Jesus, and what God wants to do in our lives.
The original Greek word used to describe Jesus’ miracles is semeion. Semeion means “sign or indication.” This demonstrates that the important thing about miracles is their symbolic teachings. “There are messages in these miracles.”
Water into wine.
John 2:1-11 1: And the third day there was a marriage in Cana 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 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 set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7: Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8: And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9: When the ruler of the feast 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 at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11: This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Verse one sets the reason John has included this in his narrative. He starts off with the third day. He is using this miracle to show a sign about Jesus’ death and resurrection. The third day refers to the day of resurrection.
This was the scene of Christ’s earliest miracle, when, at the marriage feast, He turned water into wine (John 2:1). It was the home of Nathaniel (John 21:2). From Cana, after the marriage, Jesus “went down” to Capernaum (John 2:12), and returned at the request of the nobleman (John 4:46, 51). These are the only notices of Cana in Scripture, and from them we learn merely that it was in Galilee, and in the uplands West of the lake.
In verse 4, Jesus tells his mother it is not his time yet, but then he does the miracle, and verse 11 says that it shows the glory of God. Why would he say this? When the “mother of Jesus” approaches him about the wedding’s lack of wine, she assumes and expects her son to assume a role that in Jewish custom is specifically reserved for the groom and or his parents. Jesus’ somewhat curt reply indicates that he saw this as more than a mere request for wine (2:3-4). The headwaiter in praising the bridegroom likewise points to the fact that Jesus has acted in the role of the groom.
This interpretation suggests an important explanation for Mary’s request and her son’s curt reply. Mary is asking Jesus to assume the role of the groom. But Jesus’ tells her “my hour has not yet come.” “The hour” in the gospel of John is sure is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion, his ultimate hour of glory but the context of Mary’s request suggests “the hour” could also refer to a wedding. The events of this wedding cast an interpretive framework by which we should see the cross and the resurrection. The resurrection is the introduction of Jesus as the bridegroom. This is why Jesus speaks to his mother in this way. The time of his being a groom had not come yet.
Secondly, John tells us that the wine was drawn from stone jars in verse 6. It does not say clay jars which were the typical for of bringing water from the well.
It made sense to purchase a vessel that could not become unclean, for once a vessel became ritually unclean, it had to be taken out of use. An impure pottery vessel, for example, had to be broken.
Small pools used for ritual cleansing, known as mikva’ot (singular, mikveh), were built to strict specifications and usually carved out of stone. According to the Mishnah, the earliest rabbinic code of law, they must be of a certain size and filled with “living” water—water that has not been transferred from a vessel but has flowed directly into the bath from a river, spring or rainwater collector.
Ephesians:5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Titus:3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Hebrews:9:10: Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Jesus’ miracle involves bringing forth wine from rock, revealing Christ to be the true and better Moses, for Moses brought forth only water from the rock.
Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Numbers 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Isn’t this pattern in keeping with what John has already told us? The water of the law was given through Moses, but the wine of grace came through Jesus Christ
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Then, in verse 8, Jesus instructs them to “draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” The people were amazed. The purification pots had turned into vintage wine bottles. With the astonishment that attends a surprise party, they celebrate together declaring, This is the good stuff!
How much wine did Jesus make? Six stone jars with 20 to 30 gallons of wine in them total 120 to 180 gallons. Jesus made nearly 1,000 bottles of wine! By all accounts, this is a lot of wine for a wedding of this size.
Furthermore, verse 11 tells us this was his first sign in Galilee, and it manifested his glory. This fact prods us along with our question,Why so much wine?
In the Bible wine is a sign of God’s blessing
Proverbs 3:9-10 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:10: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
2 Corinthians:9:8: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Jesus is showing us here through this first miracle, that he would give us a grace through his death that would abound in such a way that it would reach the entire world. And this miracle of grace shows forth God’s glory, and brings the disciples into belief. This indeed was a great first miracle.
The nobleman’s son at Capernaum healed
This is the second miracle in the ministry of Jesus. Notice two things here, first of all the water into wine is mentioned again, and this miracle took place in the same place as the previous one, Cana of Galilee.
John:2:12-13 12: After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. 13: And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
John:4:1-5 1: When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2: (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3: He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4: And he must needs go through Samaria. 5: Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
John 4:43-54 43: Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44: For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 45: Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. 46: So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47: When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48: Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49: The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50: Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51: And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52: Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53: So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54: This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Look at the timeline here. Jesus left Cana in Galilee after the wedding and went to Capernaum. He stayed in Capernanum several days with his family. Apparently his family had moved to Capernaum from Nazereth. Then he goes from there to Jerusalem, and back through Samaria to Cana in Galilee. So by this time news of the miracle in Cana of Galilee had spread to Capernaum as we see in verse 47 where the nobleman heard Jesus had returned to Galilee. And Matthew tells us that Jesus left Nazerath and made his headquarters in Capernaum.
Matthew:4:12-17 12: Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Notice three things here in John 4.
First, Jesus was in Cana, and the son was in Capernaum. These towns are about 17 miles apart. That would have been a very hard one day walk, but most likely two days which is indicated by verse 51 and 52, because his servants met him on the way home a day after he saw Jesus. So this nobleman sacrificed for his son.
Secondly, this man is called a nobleman in verses 46 and 49. The Greek word “basilixos” is an adjective formed from the word for “king,” and occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is frequently seen in Josephus’ work, who uses it in our sense of courtier, or for a civil or military officer, but not for one of the royal family. This nobleman was probably know by Jesus, since he was now living in Capernaum. The nobleman did not send one of his servants but went himself. The man must have felt that he could persuade Jesus to return to Capernaum with him, whereas a servant may not have.
Third, in verse 47 the term besought in the Greek is the imperfect tense of the verb “begged (erota, from erotao, to “ask” or “request”) implies repeated or persistent action. The request was not casual but insistent. John indicates to us that this nobleman was very hard pressed to get Jesus to help him, and therefore continued to ask Jesus for help.
The nobleman had two reasons that he thought Jesus would return with him. First, he was a nobleman. He was important. This is seen by the fact he came, and did not send a servant. Secondly, he knew that Capernaum was now Jesus’ home base, so it would not be out of his way.
Jesus’ answer is provocative. Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
This reminds us of Naaman’s response to the command given to him when he went to Elisha for healing.
2Ki:5:9-11 9: So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10: And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11: But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Apparently, Jesus could see that the nobleman was thinking Jesus would do some great sign over his son, just like Naaman thought Elisha would do to him. The nobleman thought that his status in the town would bring the dramatic. But Jesus told him he was not to seek a sign.
Again the nobleman asks Jesus to come with him. This time apparently his request has changed. He is not approaching Jesus as a dignitary now, but is pleading with him as a grieving father, telling Jesus that if he doesn’t come, his child will die. Jesus sees this change of heart, and it opens the door for an answer. He used the word “paidion”, “little child” in verse 49 instead of “hios” which he used before. This shows the change. The Greek word “hios” is a term for the older son, that is guaranteed an inheritance. This shows us that the nobleman was telling Jesus that his son was important, so Jesus should heal him. Now the nobleman is saying he is my little child. He has changed his tune, and is pleading for compassion because this is his little one.
Jesus’ answer was one that would require much faith on the part of the nobleman. In verse 50 he says, Go thy way; thy son liveth. This shows the power of the word of God spoken. Jesus did not work a miracle, which the nobleman was looking for at first, but only spoke. This is what Jesus is looking for from every believer. He is looking for those who will come humbly before him and believe his word without doubting. This is what the nobleman did. He believed Jesus’ word and left.
Mark:11:22-23 22: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23: For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
James:1:6-7 6: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7: For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Heb:11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God promises us in these verses that when we believe, we will receive. This is what the nobleman got. Verse 52 shows us that the healing came the moment that the nobleman believed the words of Jesus. This second miracle of Jesus shows us the power of believing Jesus’ word.
The first miracle was an outward sign. Jesus was giving the people a sign that he was sent from God. This miracle was not as great as the second one, because the first was given to prove to people who Jesus was. The second miracle was a result of believing what Jesus said, and not needing a sign to prove it. This is shown in the example of faith Jesus gave at the end of the book of John.
John:20:25-31 25: The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26: And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28: And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30: And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Here Jesus tells Thomas that he had no faith. He had to show Thomas something for him to believe, but he commends those who believe at the word of God, and not at a sign. God is pleased with us when we believe his word, and don’t run after miracles. Faith is shown when we believe God’s word. Jesus is showing the nobleman and us that it doesn’t take faith to see a miracle. It takes faith to stand on God’s word without any visible evidence. It takes faith to do what the nobleman did, to leave, believing his child was well.
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