The Wedding at Cana

One day there was a wedding in a village called Cana, in Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there. Jesus and his first disciples had been invited too.

A wedding in those days was a big celebration that could last for days, with family, neighbors and friends. Running out of food or wine would have been very embarrassing for the new husband and his family.

And that is just what happened. Partway through the party, the wine ran out.

Mary noticed. She went to Jesus and told him simply that the family had no more wine. Jesus answered her, calling her Woman, a respectful way to speak to her, and said that his hour, the time to show the world who he was, had not come yet. But Mary trusted her Son. She turned to the servants and told them to do what Jesus said.

Nearby stood six huge stone jars. Jewish families used water from jars like these for washing, as part of their religious customs. Each jar could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. They filled every one all the way to the top. Then he had them carry a cupful to the man in charge of the feast.

The man tasted it. It was not water anymore. It was wine! He had no idea where it came from, though the servants knew. He called the bridegroom over, amazed. This was the finest wine of the whole party, and it had been saved for the end, which is not how hosts usually do things!

This was the first of the signs Jesus did. A sign is a miracle that points to something bigger. It showed Jesus' glory, his greatness as God's Son, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Mary shows us what to do when we need help: bring it to Jesus, and then do what he says. And Jesus shows that he cares about ordinary people and their joys, like a wedding.