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On the third day there was a wedding. It took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ 4 ‘Dear woman, why are you telling me about this?’ Jesus replied. ‘The time for me to show who I really am isn't here yet.’
5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do what he tells you.’
6 Six stone water jars stood nearby. The Jews used water from that kind of jar for special washings. They did that to make themselves pure and ‘clean’. Each jar could hold 80 to 120 litres.
7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ So they filled them to the top.
8 Then he told them, ‘Now take some out. Take it to the person in charge of the dinner.’
They did what he said. 9 The person in charge tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He didn't realise where it had come from. But the servants who had brought the water knew. Then the person in charge called the groom to one side. 10 He said to him, ‘Everyone brings out the best wine first. They bring out the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best until now.’
11 What Jesus did here in Cana in Galilee was the first of his signs. Jesus showed his glory by doing this sign. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum. His mother and brothers and disciples went with him. They all stayed there for a few days.
2:1–12 In his gospel, John wrote about seven signs that Jesus performed. These were miracles that showed that he is the Messiah. The first sign was when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Wine was very important at Jewish weddings during that time. Not having enough wine was a cause of shame. At first, Jesus didn't want to do anything about the wine. It wasn't time to show everyone who he was. He called his mother dear woman when he explained this. But Mary trusted him to do something about the wine anyway. And Jesus did. He turned a very large amount of water into good wine. When the disciples saw this sign, they believed that Jesus came from God.
13 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courtyard he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So Jesus made a whip out of ropes. He chased all the sheep and cattle from the temple courtyard. He scattered the coins of the people exchanging money. And he turned over their tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!’ 17 His disciples remembered what had been written. It says, ‘My great love for your house will destroy me.’ (Psalm 69:9)
18 Then the Jewish leaders asked him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do this?’
19 Jesus answered them, ‘When you destroy this temple, I will raise it up again in three days.’
20 They replied, ‘It has taken 46 years to build this temple. Are you going to raise it up in three days?’ 21 But the temple Jesus had spoken about was his body. 22 His disciples later remembered what he had said. That was after he had been raised from the dead. Then they believed the Scripture. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Meanwhile, he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. Many people saw the signs he was doing. And they believed in his name. 24 But Jesus did not fully trust them. He knew what people are like. 25 He didn't need anyone to tell him what people are like. He already knew why people do what they do.
2:13–25 In Jesus' time, the temple in Jerusalem was the most important building in Israel. People went to the temple to pray and to worship God. They would admit their sins and make sin offerings. But Jesus saw that people had turned the temple into a marketplace. This made him very angry. Jesus showed that he had authority over what happened in the temple. The Jewish leaders challenged him about this. Jesus answered by talking about a new temple that he would build in three days. No one understood what he meant. They didn't understand that Jesus was talking about himself. He would be the sacrifice for people's sin when he died on the cross. Then after three days he would be raised from the dead. His body would be the new temple. Now people pray and worship God through Jesus.