New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
John 2
1
On the third day there was a wedding. It took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there.
Reference
📍 Cana
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."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 104:15
4
"Dear woman, why do you bring me into this?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
Reference
Parallel theme
John 7:30
Ecclesiastes 3:1
2 Samuel 16:10
2 Samuel 19:22
References Jesus
John 13:1
John 8:20
John 7:6
John 12:23
Matthew 8:29
6
Six stone water jars stood nearby. The Jews used water from that kind of jar for special washings to make themselves pure. Each jar could hold 20 to 30 gallons.
Reference
8
Then he told them, "Now dip some out. Take it to the person in charge of the dinner." They did what he said.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 2:9
9
The person in charge tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He didn't realize 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.
Reference
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
That was the first of Jesus' miraculous signs. He did it at Cana in Galilee. Jesus showed his glory by doing it. And his disciples put their faith in him.
Reference
📍 Cana
Faith
John 6:30
1 John 5:13
Glory
John 1:14
Isaiah 40:5
Psalm 96:3
John 12:41
Parallel theme
John 6:2
References Jesus
John 3:2
John 6:14
John 6:26
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.
Reference
13
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 6:4
References Jerusalem
John 11:55
Luke 2:41
John 2:23
References Jesus
John 5:1
14
In the temple courtyard he found people who were selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were sitting at tables exchanging money.
Reference
15
So Jesus made a whip out of ropes. He chased all the sheep and cattle from the temple area. 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! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
Reference
17
His disciples remembered what had been written. It says, "My great love for your house will destroy me."--(Psalm 69:9)
Reference
18
Then the Jews asked him, "What miraculous sign can you show us? Can you prove your authority to do all of this?"
Reference
Parallel theme
John 6:30
19
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple. I will raise it up again in three days."
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 12:40
Resurrection
Romans 8:11
Acts 3:15
Acts 2:24
Acts 2:32
Mark 8:31
Romans 6:4
Temple
Mark 14:58
Mark 15:29
Matthew 27:40
20
The Jews 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.
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 2:9
Colossians 1:19
John 1:14
Temple
1 Corinthians 6:19
1 Corinthians 3:16
Hebrews 8:2
2 Corinthians 6:16
22
His disciples later remembered what he had said. That was after he had been raised from the dead. Then they believed the Scriptures. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.
Reference
23
Meanwhile, he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. Many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing. And they believed in his name.
Reference
24
But Jesus did not fully trust them. He knew what people are like.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 4:13
Acts 1:24
1 Chronicles 28:9
John 16:30
1 Samuel 16:7
Revelation 2:23
John 5:42
Jeremiah 17:9
References Jesus
John 6:64
Matthew 9:4
Summary of John 2
John 2 presents Jesus' first public sign at Cana, His cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple, and His growing revelation of His identity and authority, showing that Jesus brings something greater than existing religious traditions while deliberately directing attention toward His coming death and resurrection.
The chapter begins with a wedding at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus' mother, Jesus, and His disciples are present.
When the wedding runs out of wine, Jesus' mother brings the problem to Him, and Jesus instructs the servants to fill six large stone jars that were normally used for Jewish purification.
The water becomes wine, and the master of the feast is surprised that the best wine has been saved until the end.
John identifies this event as Jesus' first sign, explaining that it revealed His glory and strengthened the faith of His disciples.
The miracle is significant not simply because Jesus provides wine, but because it demonstrates His authority over creation while also suggesting that something new and greater is arriving through Him.
Jesus then travels to Capernaum before going to Jerusalem for Passover.
When He enters the Temple and sees merchants selling animals and money changers conducting business, He drives them out and declares that His Father's house should not be turned into a marketplace.
The Temple incident reveals Jesus' deep concern for the holiness of worship and His willingness to confront religious practices that have become corrupted by commercial activity.
When the authorities demand a sign proving His authority, Jesus gives a mysterious answer, saying that if they destroy “this temple,” He will raise it in three days.
They assume He is speaking about the physical Temple, which had already been under reconstruction for approximately four decades and six years, but John explains that Jesus is speaking about His body.
After the resurrection, the disciples understand what Jesus meant and recognize that His earlier words had pointed toward His death and resurrection.
During the Passover festival, many people believe in Jesus because of the signs He performs, but Jesus does not place His trust in them because He understands the human heart and knows that outward enthusiasm does not necessarily represent genuine faith.
Historical Context / Timeline
- c. 20–19 BC: Herod the Great begins major reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple, creating the magnificent Temple complex that existed during Jesus' lifetime.
- 1st century AD: Jewish weddings commonly involved extended celebrations in which hospitality, food, and wine played important social roles.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus performs His first recorded sign at Cana in Galilee.
- c. AD 27–30: Capernaum becomes an important base for Jesus' ministry in Galilee.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus travels to Jerusalem for Passover and confronts commercial activity in the Temple.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus predicts the destruction and raising of the “temple” of His body, pointing toward His death and resurrection.
- c. AD 30: Jesus' disciples later understand His statement about the Temple in light of His resurrection.
- AD 66–70: The First Jewish-Roman War leads to the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
- AD 70: The Jerusalem Temple is destroyed by Roman forces under Titus, giving additional historical significance to John's contrast between the physical Temple and Jesus as the true meeting place between God and humanity.
- Late 1st century AD: John's Gospel is commonly dated by many scholars to this period, when Christian communities were increasingly reflecting on Jesus' identity, death, resurrection, and relationship to Jewish religious traditions.
John 2 therefore moves from a quiet miracle at a village wedding to a dramatic confrontation in the Temple, presenting Jesus as the giver of abundant new life, the one who reveals God's glory through signs, the Lord of the Temple, and ultimately the true “Temple” whose death and resurrection will become the foundation of the new covenant community.
The chapter begins with a wedding at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus' mother, Jesus, and His disciples are present.
When the wedding runs out of wine, Jesus' mother brings the problem to Him, and Jesus instructs the servants to fill six large stone jars that were normally used for Jewish purification.
The water becomes wine, and the master of the feast is surprised that the best wine has been saved until the end.
John identifies this event as Jesus' first sign, explaining that it revealed His glory and strengthened the faith of His disciples.
The miracle is significant not simply because Jesus provides wine, but because it demonstrates His authority over creation while also suggesting that something new and greater is arriving through Him.
Jesus then travels to Capernaum before going to Jerusalem for Passover.
When He enters the Temple and sees merchants selling animals and money changers conducting business, He drives them out and declares that His Father's house should not be turned into a marketplace.
The Temple incident reveals Jesus' deep concern for the holiness of worship and His willingness to confront religious practices that have become corrupted by commercial activity.
When the authorities demand a sign proving His authority, Jesus gives a mysterious answer, saying that if they destroy “this temple,” He will raise it in three days.
They assume He is speaking about the physical Temple, which had already been under reconstruction for approximately four decades and six years, but John explains that Jesus is speaking about His body.
After the resurrection, the disciples understand what Jesus meant and recognize that His earlier words had pointed toward His death and resurrection.
During the Passover festival, many people believe in Jesus because of the signs He performs, but Jesus does not place His trust in them because He understands the human heart and knows that outward enthusiasm does not necessarily represent genuine faith.
Historical Context / Timeline
- c. 20–19 BC: Herod the Great begins major reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple, creating the magnificent Temple complex that existed during Jesus' lifetime.
- 1st century AD: Jewish weddings commonly involved extended celebrations in which hospitality, food, and wine played important social roles.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus performs His first recorded sign at Cana in Galilee.
- c. AD 27–30: Capernaum becomes an important base for Jesus' ministry in Galilee.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus travels to Jerusalem for Passover and confronts commercial activity in the Temple.
- c. AD 27–30: Jesus predicts the destruction and raising of the “temple” of His body, pointing toward His death and resurrection.
- c. AD 30: Jesus' disciples later understand His statement about the Temple in light of His resurrection.
- AD 66–70: The First Jewish-Roman War leads to the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
- AD 70: The Jerusalem Temple is destroyed by Roman forces under Titus, giving additional historical significance to John's contrast between the physical Temple and Jesus as the true meeting place between God and humanity.
- Late 1st century AD: John's Gospel is commonly dated by many scholars to this period, when Christian communities were increasingly reflecting on Jesus' identity, death, resurrection, and relationship to Jewish religious traditions.
John 2 therefore moves from a quiet miracle at a village wedding to a dramatic confrontation in the Temple, presenting Jesus as the giver of abundant new life, the one who reveals God's glory through signs, the Lord of the Temple, and ultimately the true “Temple” whose death and resurrection will become the foundation of the new covenant community.