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.
Jesus Peforms His First Miracle in Cana of Galilee
The first miracle of Jesus was performed in Cana of Galilee when he was at a festive occasion of a wedding. This miracle is only reported in the Gospel of John. Unfortunately, we are unsure of the exact location since there are two sites vying for the first century Cana. They are both located west of the Sea of Galilee, and are six miles from each other. Biblical sites are often discoverable due to the current name being similar to the name in the biblical texts, but Cana in John 2 has two alternatives, namely, Kefar Kenna and Khirbet Qana.[1]
John records Jesus’ turning water into wine, as taking place at “Cana of Galilee.” He is the only Gospel author to mention Cana, and does not give any more specific location, other than it is in the region of Cana. One possibility is Kefar Kenna, which is about four miles from Nazareth and about two and one-miles from the first-century Gentile city of Sepphoris. It is mentioned a number of times in ancient works as the Cana of the Bible,[2] and supporting the claim of being the biblical site, several coins were discovered that date back to Herod the Great (37-4 BC), as well as the ruins of two synagogues, indicate that it was a Jewish community.[3] Unfortunately, as was often done, the church was turned into a mosque by the Muslim invaders of Israel, and was avoided by Christians who traveled to Israel during the period of Crusader rule. After this time, pilgrims began to the alternate site of Khirbet Qana, about six miles from Sepphoris and nine miles from Nazareth. Several excavations in 1982 reveal stress, cisterns, and foundations of houses that date to the Roman period.[4]
The other possible site, Khirbet Qana, is an unoccupied ruin, located six miles north of Sepphoris and nine miles north of Nazareth. In 1982 excavators identified streets, plazas, house foundations and several cisterns, all mostly from the Roman period.[5] The scope of the ruins leads some to argue that this site is the Cana.
[1] Jack Finegan, The Archaeology of the New Testament: The Life of Jesus and the Beginning of the Early Church, 62-63.
[2] Finegan, 63-64, citing Jerome, Letter 46 (NPNF 2.6.60).
[3] Randall Price and H. Wayne House, Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology, 282 (citing, Bellarmio Bagatti, “Le antichita’ di Kh. Qana e di Kefar Kenna in Galilee” Libert Annus 15 (1964-65):251-292).
[4] Finegan, 64.
[5] Finegan, 62-63.