John 2:1 and 2:
2:1And on the day, the third (day), there became a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there, .2and both Jesus was called and his learning-disciples into the marriage (celebrations).
Emphatically on the 3rd day since Jesus arrived in Galilee (3 days from the record of John 1:43-51) there became (came to pass to be, occurred)...
...and the mother of Jesus (her name was Mary) was continuing to be there throughout the entire event. Marriages during that time would usually last for ten days.
Also, both Jesus was called (invited, he was issued an invitation) and his learning-disciples (his students, those who were learning from Jesus) into the marriage celebrations (wedding festivities).
Mary was already there when Jesus and his learning-disciples arrived.
[Reference: Matthew 1:16 and 18, 2:11; John 1:40-51; Acts 1:14.]
Verses 3-11:
.3And (after the) wine having lacked, the mother of Jesus says towards him, "They do not have wine." .4Jesus says to her, "What (is that) with me and with you, woman? - my hour is not-yet come." .5His mother says to the ministers, "Which thing ever he may say to you - you must do." .6But six stony water-pots were lying there according to the cleaning of the Judeans making-space by two or three measures. .7Jesus says to them, "You must fill the water-pots of water"; and they filled them until above. .8And he says to them, "You must draw now and you must carry to the chief-waiter"; and the (ministers) carried.
.9But as the chief-waiter tasted, the water having been caused-to-become2 wine -
and he had not known from-where it is but the ministers had known, the (ministers) having drawn2 the water
- the chief-waiter sounds (to) the bridegroom .10and he says to him, "Every man firstly puts the beautiful wine, and whenever they may be made-drunk the lesser (wine) - you kept2 the beautiful wine until now."
.11Jesus did this beginning of the signs in Cana of Galilee and he manifested his glory; and his learning-disciples believed into him.
During the marriage celebrations the wine lacked (it ran out, became deficient, fell sort, in want of more wine), and then the mother of Jesus says towards him, "They do not have wine."
Jesus says to her...
We should note here that Jesus did not tell his mother that he would not do anything for her - but that even though he and his mother knew of the need in that situation, Jesus would not force himself on the people. Jesus would rely on his Father, God, to communicate to him regarding that situation - then Jesus would carry out whatever God told him to say or do when/if the opportunity would arise. Jesus was in the process of carrying out his Father's intention. Refer to Luke 2:42-51.
Then his mother says to the ministers (those who served to benefit others, not 'being-subject' to them but who did work to bring profit to others, who carried-out their day-by-day ministerial-duties, who had been given functions of service during these marriage celebrations)...
Mary gave those ministers information on how to behave in relation to Jesus when/if he spoke with them regarding their situation.
In that location there were six stony water-pots (jars or containers made of stone and used for holding water) laying in accordance with the cleaning of the Judeans (the cleansings that the Judeans would do in their washing, purification, ceremonial rituals for meals) making space (place, room) for each one to hold either two or three measures of liquid.
Jesus says to the ministers, "You must fill the water-pots of water (make them full with water, stuff them as a ship loaded with freight)"; and they filled them to the top (all the way upwards, up to the brim).
And he says to them, "You must draw now (at this time take out a certain amount of water) and you must carry (bear, bring) the liquid to the chief-waiter (the one managing this event, responsible for the seating arrangements and all aspects of the meal for the guests)"; and the ministers carried it to him. They did what Jesus told them to do.
But as the chief-waiter tasted the liquid given to him by the ministers (tasting was part of his function prior to something being served to any of the guests attending the wedding festivities)...
...the chief-waiter sounds to the bridegroom (he uses his voice so that the bridegroom can hear him) and he says to him...
The water was caused to become wine while the ministers were carrying the liquid to the chief-waiter. These ministers believed what Jesus said to them and they did exactly what he instructed them to do.
Jesus did (performed, made, produced)...
...in Cana of Galilee and...
...and his learning-disciples believed into him (his students had faith, trusted into, directed-to, or regarding Jesus whereby he was the object of their believing, they believed what he said and did).
[Reference: Matthew 15:2, 22:13; Mark 7:3; John 1:14, 4:46 and 54, 5:44, 7:18, 19:25-27, 20:30, 21:2.]
Verse 12:
.12After this he descended into Capernaum and his mother and brothers and his learning-disciples, and there they did not remain many days.
Following the event in Cana, emphatically he descended (in Greek there is a definite word for “he” plus the verb meaning “he descended” giving emphasis – he himself moved downwards, came down) into Capernaum, which is a town on the north-west side of the sea of Galilee on lower elevation.
Also, Jesus' mother (Mary) and brothers (referring to his half-brothers who had the same mother but a different father) and his learning-disciples (students) descended into Capernaum with him. However, they did not stay in that location for a lot of days at this time.
[Reference: Matthew 12:46, 13:55 and 56.]
Verses 13-22:
.13And the Passover of the Judeans was near, and Jesus ascended into Jerusalem. .14And he found in the temple the (people) selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-dealers sitting-down. .15And having made a flogging-whip out-from ropes, he threw-out all (animals) from the temple, both the sheep and the oxen, and he poured-out the money of the money-changers, and he overturned the tables, .16and to the (people) selling the doves he said, "You must lift these from-here; you must not make the house of my Father - a house of merchandise."
.17His learning-disciples were caused-to-remember that it is having been written2, "The zeal of Your house will devour me." .18Therefore the Judeans answered and said to him, "What sign do you point-out to us that you do these-things?" .19Jesus answered and said to them, "You must loosen this interior-temple and in three days I will raise it up." .20Therefore the Judeans said, "Forty and six years this interior-temple was built, and you in three days will raise it up!"
.21But that-one spoke concerning the interior-temple - his body. .22Therefore when he was raised-up out-from dead-people, his learning-disciples were caused-to-remember that he said this, and they believed the writing and the word which Jesus said.
During that past time, historically, the Passover of the Judeans was close, and Jesus went up into Jerusalem. In the temple he found people who were selling oxen and sheep and doves (they were trading, being in business, as in the marketplace but they were within the outer courts of the temple). He also found there the money-dealers sitting down (brokers, those who were changing or cutting money into smaller pieces). These people did not intend to move as they were enjoying their lucrative business sitting down suggesting an authoritative and judging position over others in the temple area.
After Jesus made a flogging-whip by using ropes (a scourge, lash, whip-like implement made from cords of rushes)...
Jesus' learning-disciples (students) were caused to remember (reminded, it was called to their minds, recollected) that it was written and it continues written in the old covenant writings (refer to Psalm 69:9)...
Jesus' learning-disciples said this out loud and therefore the Judeans answered and said to Jesus...
Jesus answered and said to them...
Following-on logically from Jesus' statement, the Judeans said...
In verses 21 and 22 John the writer explains to those reading or listening to what he wrote here in this book regarding what Jesus said - which were words of prophecy from God spoken by Jesus to those Judeans about a future time to when Jesus spoke these words, but which came to pass before the time when John wrote this record.
John explains: But specifically Jesus was speaking concerning the interior-temple (Jesus used-to speak, he spent time speaking about this topic during a past time, historically, his action of speaking about the interior-temple was not a quick one-time occurrence, but he repeated it at different times and in different ways throughout his ministry)...
Following-on logically, when Jesus was caused to rise up out from among the rest of the dead-people...
With reference to verse 22 above, the reason why John wrote about Jesus being raised-up “out-from dead-people” is because at the time of his resurrection he would be the only one who would be raised-up/resurrected and given his new spiritual body. Everyone else who had died by that time would remain dead in the grave. The learning-disciples with Jesus did not understand the fullness of this when he talked to them about it before his death and resurrection. References regarding this topic are: Matthew 28:6; Acts 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30-38; Romans 1:3 and 4, 8:34; I Corinthians 6:14, 15:20-28; Galatians 1:1. Also refer to the article Hope and Resurrection.
Notes:
Passover
During the old covenant times God instructed the children (sons, descendants) of Israel/Jacob regarding the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (refer to Exodus chapter 12). Usually the people would bake their bread with a small piece of leaven in it, but from the killing and offering in sacrifice of the Passover lamb and during the whole time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread they were not allowed to put any leaven in the dough to make their bread. All of this was a type (pattern) to God's people at that time that the promised seed would redeem and save them from the sin and its consequences as promised by God initially in Genesis 3:15.
Therefore, after the one true and complete sacrifice was made (by the Messiah/Christ giving himself as the sacrifice receiving the right/just consequences of the sin and sins against the only true God), then God's people would no-longer need to offer any other sacrifice because nothing would need to be added-to or taken-away-from them in order to make them acceptable to God. They themselves would not at some future time be permanently killed and burned-up by God’s fire, as their physical sacrifices were when God accepted those physical sacrifices in their place so that they could stay alive.
The true and complete Passover sacrifice, which would be offered once by the Christ, would permanently redeem and save them by making them new – as a new loaf of bread having already been raised-up and therefore not in need of any leaven to raise them up. They would at a future time-period be raised-up by the Christ and given new spiritual bodies. Of course, it is only the people who believe what Jesus said and did who actually receive the blessing.
Here in John chapter 2, Jesus knew that he was going to be killed being the sacrificial offering, the Passover Lamb of God - and that God would raise him up alive in 3 days. However, that time had not yet arrived as this Passover referenced in verse 13 above occurred in the year 27 A.D. This event in the temple area recorded in John 2:14-16 is not the same event as recorded in Matthew 21:12 and 13; Mark 11:15-18; and Luke 19:45 and 46 - because the year of those records was 28 A.D. when Jesus himself was the Passover sacrifice.
The time of year that the Passover was sacrificed was on the 14th Nisan in the Judean calendar (some scholars indicate that this date corresponds to April 10th). Jesus was talking to these people about 2 weeks prior to the Passover in 27 A.D. which would make it the 46th year of the temple being built.
In this record Jesus had not yet begun the totality of his ministry because John the baptizer was still continuing with his ministry since he had not yet been put into prison. Both John and Jesus were aware that there was a balance between their individual ministries (refer to Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14 and 15; Luke 4:14-30; John 3:30).
We should also note that in verses 14-16 above, John indicates that Jesus did not scourge the people (only the animals) but he spoke to the people regarding their corrupt dealings in the temple area giving them the opportunity to change their behavior. Jesus cleansed the temple for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Interior-Temple
Prior to the time when Jesus accomplished salvation, the "interior-temple" usually referred to the innermost-part, the most sacred area within the temple in Jerusalem, where the only true God's presence was manifested-forth during the old covenant times, called the "Holy of Holies."
Today, which is after the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2, God's interior-temple is not a stone or brick building or other destructible materials such as a physical temple in today's Jerusalem. God's interior-temple is made up of His people who have received the gift of holy spirit, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation - it consists of all holy-people (true Christians) no matter what location we may live in on the earth.
There will again be a temple including an interior-temple area in Jerusalem between Christ's coming to gather all holy-people together with him in the air and the descending of the new Jerusalem as written about in Ezekiel chapters 40-48 and Revelation 21:2. However, in the new Jerusalem the interior-temple will be as written in Revelation 21:22. References regarding this topic are: Matthew 26:61; John 2:19-22; Acts 17:22-31; I Corinthians 3:16 and 17, 6:19 and 20; II Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 21:22.
[Reference: Exodus chapter 12; Psalm 69:9; Matthew 12:4 and 40, 16:21, 17:9, 21:13, 24:1 and 2, 26:61, 28:6; Luke 2:49, 24:7 and 8; I Corinthians 1:22, 5:7, 15:4; Ephesians 2:14; Revelation 18:3, 23 and 24.]
Verses 23-25:
.23But as he was in Jerusalem in the Passover in the feast, many-people believed into his name viewing-with-attention the signs of him which he did. .24But Jesus himself did not trust himself to them because-of him knowing all-people .25and because he did not have a need in order that someone may witness concerning man, for he knew what was in man.
While Jesus was spending time among the people who were in Jerusalem for the celebration of eating the Passover (one day, 14th Nisan) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 days, 15-21 Nisan), a lot of people...
...as they were continuing to attentively view (contemplating in their minds)...
But during that past time, historically, Jesus himself did not trust himself to them....
The Greek verb translated as "trust" comes from the root-word pisteuo which means "to believe, to have faith, to trust." When it is in the active form of the verb with accusative and dative, as it is here, it has the meaning that the recipient of what is given is being believed-in by the giver that he is willing and capable of taking-care-of and fulfilling all that is involved pertaining to that-which is given to him. The recipient is entrusted with what is given to him by the giver.
However, here in John 2:24 it says: emphatically Jesus was not trusting (entrusting) himself to the people. He did not give himself to them as the recipients because he did not believe-in them that they were willing and capable of taking-care-of and fulfilling all that was involved pertaining to himself. He did not put himself into the position of being subject to their will, to do what they intended that he should or should-not do - which may deviate from the correct way of carrying out God's intention for his everyday living of life while he was with them.
Jesus was not trusting himself to the people...
The continuation of these events, from verse 23 above, is contained in the John chapter 3.
When John wrote this writing (book), there were no punctuation marks, no chapter or verse divisions indicated, etc, as we see them today in many of our English Bible translations and versions. Therefore we must read the whole context of each particular passage of Scripture for thought-content to more clearly understand the truth of what has been written.
[Reference: Acts 10:43; John 6:15; I John 5:13. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
