1The third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the wedding. 3When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
4Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.”
5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”
6Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ way of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it. 9When 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 10and 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!” 11This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. 15He 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. 16To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
18The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22When 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.
23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did. 24But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them, because he knew everyone, 25and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
John's Gospel has the first recorded miracle of Christ.
The first recorded miracle of Jesus is symbolically significant and strategically placed in the Gospel of John. Hospitality was considered a sacred privilege and responsibility in the culture of the ancient near east (which continues until today). Jewish weddings involved a week of feasting during which time the hospitality of the host was on public display. He would serve the best wine at first, but in order to limit heavy expense it was customary for the Jews to follow the Greek practice of mixing water with wine after the wedding guests would not notice the difference; this may account for the “cheap” wine mentioned in the passage. The Greek word used in John 2:3 for “wine” is oinos, consistently used for fermented grape juice in the New Testament, rather than trux, a word used in the world of the first century for unfermented juice. Wine was served partly to symbolize the life of prosperity and joy with which the newlyweds were blessed. To run out of wine was a particular shame to the host because it removed the life of the party for the guests and threatened to launch the couple's new marriage under a cloud of discouragement. A further implication is that the wedding was hosted with insufficient funds to provide all that was needed.
Jesus' response to His mother's announcement, "'They have no wine'" (v. 3), was to indicate that He would take action in the timing of God the Father, not merely to meet a social emergency (v. 4). When the water, with which each of six stone pots was filled, was turned to wine, it was not only a large amount (about 150 – 180 gallons), but of the finest quality (v. 10)! The groom was questioned by the person in charge of the provisions for the unusual practice of serving the best wine last, after the guests were “well drunk” (methusthosin) (v. 10). In the organization of John's writing, this miracle was seen as the beginning of the signs Jesus performed to manifest His glory (v. 11). John adds the important note: "...and His disciples believed in Him." John would record six more such miracles, of which he would say, "...these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." Jesus is the giver of the abundant life, symbolized in this account, by plenty of the best wine!
You may read a more extensive study of wine in the ancient world in my article on wine at [H. Wayne House], "Wine," Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 2, J-Z, Walter A. Elwell, Gen. Ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House), 2145-2148.