John 2

¹ The third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there.

² Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the wedding.

³ When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”

⁴ Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”

⁶ Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.

⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.

⁸ He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it.

⁹ When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom

¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹ This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

¹² After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁴ He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

¹⁵ He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables.

¹⁶ To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!”

¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”

¹⁸ The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

²⁰ The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?”

²¹ But he spoke of the temple of his body.

²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.

²⁴ But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them, because he knew everyone,

²⁵ and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

Around John 2

Book context

JohnEditorial draft

John states its own purpose near the end: these signs “are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). It opens with Jesus as the Word who “became flesh and lived among us” (1:14), and it is built around a selection of signs and long conversations (20:30). The closing verses attribute the book to “the disciple who testifies about these things” (21:24). Church tradition identifies him as the apostle John; scholars still discuss who that disciple was. Much of John’s material and order differs from Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · common interpretation · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

World English Bible: John

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

John 2 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

A wedding in Cana of Galilee runs out of wine. Jesus’ mother tells him so, and he answers that his hour has not yet come. She tells the servants to do whatever he says. Six stone water pots stand there, and Jesus has them filled to the brim. The ruler of the feast tastes what the servants draw out and tells the bridegroom he has kept the good wine until now. John calls this the beginning of Jesus' signs, and his disciples believed.

At Passover Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. In the temple he finds people selling oxen, sheep and doves, makes a whip of cords and drives them out, telling the sellers, “Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” Asked for a sign, he says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John explains that he meant the temple of his body.

Background

Cana is a village in Galilee, and John counts the wedding as the first of Jesus' signs. A sign in John points beyond itself to who Jesus is. John places the clearing of the temple near the start of Jesus' ministry, while Matthew, Mark and Luke place a similar event near the end. Scholars and Christians differ over whether there were two events or whether John arranged his account by theme. The leaders' question about sign and authority returns later in the Gospel. John's own note in verse 21 tells the reader how to read the saying about the temple.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 14 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

Report a mistake