1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and 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 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Questions
Who all is present at the wedding? What apparently was Mary’s role?
Do you think Mary thought that her son Jesus could perform miracles?
What do you think it means when Jesus says “My hour has not yet come”? Is Jesus ready to reveal his glory so that people will believe in Him? See John 2:11
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “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.”
Questions
Is it common for people to serve the best wine last, or is this unusual? And why did Jesus say that the new wine He made at the wedding in Cana was the best wine?
In what ways does the new wine Jesus provided contrast with the old wine, and what might this contrast tell us about the nature of the new covenant He is establishing?
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Questions
The Passover was a time when many Jews traveled to Jerusalem and visited the temple. Do you think the people selling goods in the temple were taking advantage of this large crowd? What was Jesus’ reaction to this, and what does it teach us about the sanctity of the temple and how we approach God?
What do you think Jesus’ actions in the temple reveal about His growing conflict with the religious leaders? How might they interpret His cleansing of the temple as a threat to their power or influence?
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Questions
Why do you think Jesus chose to reveal His death and resurrection in this way, and why were the Jewish leaders unable to grasp what He was truly saying about Himself and the temple?
In the New Testament, several writers describe believers as the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit dwells. What do passages like 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:19-22, and 1 Peter 2:4-5 teach us about the shift from the physical temple to Christians being the living temple of God? How does this change the way we understand God’s presence in our lives
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Questions
While the miracles of Jesus inspire belief, do they also raise questions about the sincerity of that belief? What does this tension tell us about the nature of faith and the human response to signs and wonders?
In 1 John 5:9-12, what does the passage teach us about the difference between human testimony and God’s testimony? How does accepting or rejecting God’s testimony about His Son impact our understanding of eternal life?
