11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
The significance of the miracle at Cana was the manifestation of the glory of Christ. The miracle pointed to Jesus as the Word become flesh.
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee,
The Holy Spirit used the word “signs” to place emphasis on the significance of the miracle rather than just the miracle itself.
This verse indicates that the wedding at Cana was the “beginning of signs”; that is, this was the beginning of Jesus performing miracles. (John 2:23 indicates Jesus did “signs” in Jerusalem as well.) John 4:54 is the second sign performed by Jesus on coming from Judea into Galilee. Turning the water to wine was the first of the seven miraculous signs.
A “sign” is more than a wonder; it is a miracle that points to something to authenticate its veracity. Jesus’ sign miracles attested to His credibility as God. A “sign” then has deep theological significance. It reveals Jesus’ eternal glory.
and manifested His glory;
The miracle at Cana demonstrated the “glory” of Christ’s deity. It put His deity on display. Jesus lifted the veil of His humanity so that we can see His glory as God by the miracle in Cana. “Glory” was an emphasis of the Prologue (Jn 1:14), as well as that which sets forth the deity of Christ come in humanity.
and His disciples believed in Him.
The “disciples” at this point were Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and John. Evidently only these five disciples were impacted by the miracle of turning water into wine. The increase of their faith rested upon extant knowledge.
Jesus performed the first miracle to demonstrate to His disciples that He was the Messiah. They received firsthand knowledge of a mighty work of God on earth.
PRINCIPLE:
The purpose of a sign miracle is to point to the deity of Christ.
APPLICATION:
Hypothetically, if a man could jump from a skyscraper without any device and then continue walking on the street, that would be odd but not significant. A sign miracle shows the significance of the credentials of Jesus as God. He was to be believed for the fact that He was authentic God Himself (Ac 2:22).
There were three periods of miracles in the Bible: (1) the Exodus, (2) Elijah and Elisha, and (3) the ministry of Christ. The Exodus period taught Israel to accept revelation from Moses. Miracles during the era of Elijah and Elisha showed their authority to reject the apostasy of their time against prevailing opinion. The miracles during Jesus’ ministry on earth authenticated His person and work. They showed He was God and that His works were from God.
The miracle at Cana showed the essential glory of Christ as the Son of God, as God. His disciples demonstrated that He was worthy to be believed when they believed this miracle. The “sign” revealed Christ’s creative glory, which cannot be explained by natural causes.
Science will always object to miracles because it operates on the closed philosophical system of naturalism. It arbitrarily restricts its worldview to the assumption of observable fact. That is a presupposition that precludes other alternatives.
We need to be careful when we use the term “miracle.” We say, “It took a miracle to save my soul.” No, it did not take a miracle; it took a supernatural work of God. A miracle is specific intervention by God into the natural order, changing how science works. Jesus’ miracle of turning water to wine altered the natural process; the salvation of your soul was not miraculous but a marvelous work of the Lord all the same.
