It is commonly taught that the first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine. Actually, going through the events that followed the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in him, he “went straight way” (Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 4:1) out of the water, empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome Satan in the wilderness. That was the first miracle to subdue the “god of this world/age”. It was only after this that the narrative surrounding the wedding in Cana took place. So, rightly put, the water-to-wine miracle was “first of the signs through which he revealed his glory” (John 2:11) to the disciples who then believed in him, and not the actual first miracle.

Moreover, observationally, one sees that in the life of Jesus, prior to this in-dwelling, there was no miracle recorded, suggesting exactly that. There was no miracle at all performed by man/anthropos-Jesus as the Holy Spirit was not given yet to him. One can therefore discredit the claims of others about”miracles” performed by Jesus as a child.

With that said, let us now visit the wedding in Cana which was was narrated in John 2:1-11,

Consider John 2:4 “Woman,why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come“ Here, Jesus was questioning his mother Mary why involve him now and answered himself to emphasize that his “hour has not yet come”. What was that hour that has not come yet? It has to do with water and wine, but what?

Also, John 2:10 “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“ Here, Jesus was referring to himself bringing out the “best wine after guests had too much to drink.” Regarding wine, it had to be precious and the best.

Symbols of water and wine?

With that laid out as a preliminary, one can see the connection between water and wine.

The principle of Isaiah 28:10 applies as in:

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:“

Regarding “water” as a symbol and used in a figurative sense referring to the Holy Spirit, consider the following verses:

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

There is a difference between “born of water” from the womb into flesh-composed human beings and born of the Spirit which is spirit-composed.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Clearly, water represents the “Holy Spirit“.

Regarding “wine” as a symbol and used in a figurative sense referring to the “blood” of Jesus, consider the following verse:

Matthew 26:28
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.“

Blood has to be shed first as a consequence of mankind’s sin for remission and reconciliation with the Father. This death of Christ is key before the Helper/Advocate will be given by the Father to Jesus, then subsequently to us.

Why turn water into wine?

The key to answer this question lies in:

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”

As the preceding verse intimated to us, this is about the process of how to “enter the kingdom of God”, i.e., the ultimate creation of the God-kingdom from human anatomy. What is planned to be created is not a plant-kingdom, animal-kingdom or even a human-kingdom that is destined to end and replaced as prophesied in Daniel 2.

As everyone understands, first, we have to be “born of water“, i.e., from the womb of our mother filled with amniotic fluid/water for protection, growth and development. Thereafter comes being “born of Spirit”. Jesus was “turning what was born of water into “born of Spirit“. But, for humans to be born of Spirit, the Holy Spirit of adoption has to in-dwell in the person as a Helper/Advocate for nourishment, guidance, protection, growth and development.

The timing for this in-dwelling was “not yet” until the crucifixion. Jesus has to die first before we can be considered “crucified/died with Christ”. Blood has to be spilled first for Jesus to die and receive (John 16:7) the Holy Spirit from the Father to empower our “weak flesh“. Water baptism signifies death and Spirit-in dwelling is spiritual baptism towards life. It is not the symbolic waters of baptism that cleanse and reconcile us to the Father but Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:22) and the thereafter receipt of God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, symbolized by water, has cleansing power; it quenches a person’s spiritual thirst, cleanses him from his spiritual filth and facilitates his spiritual birth, a stage of being “born again”.

Summary

“My hour has not yet come“ refers to the time of his death. “Turning water into wine” suggests that after man has been “born of water” from the mother’s womb, there is a process to be “born again through the Holy Spirit”. That process requires, water to turn to wine as in “blood of Christ as a Passover” sacrifice and payment for the sin of one man imputed to all mankind. That “wine” was the best and given only at a particular end-time and people. This then reconciles man to the Father for him to give the reward of the Holy Spirit to Jesus who will then give the gift of the Holy Spirit to us. Through the Holy Spirit in-dwelling in us, we received and were sealed with the Spirit of Adoption, and empowered us to have the Ten Commandments “written not in tables of stones but in the fleshy tables of our heart” as a “new covenant” with spirit-commandments to bear the “fruits of the Holy Spirit“. As what was written in tables of stone had commandments so does the one written in fleshy tables of our heart to follow. The difference between these covenants is the empowerment through the Holy Spirit which was not in-dwelling previously.

For those who were given the privilege to partake in the “first/spring harvest“, those who were called to receive the Holy Spirit to partake in the “first resurrection“, take heed not to “quench the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) or “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30). Worse if we return to our “vomit“, as in: 2 Peter 2:22

“Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Let us therefore be empowered by the Holy Spirit as in:

Galatians 5:16.“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Moreover, bear fruits, as in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Remember:

John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful“

Matthew 7:19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.“

Out of his love for us, Jesus died for our reconciliation with the Father. More importantly was to receive the Holy Spirit from the Father to empower us against the “pull of the flesh“. Let us use this creative power wisely.

God bless 😇🙏

Original post: June 1, 2019

Hyperlink version dedicated to those celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Hopefully … in Cana.