A wedding is taking place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother is there, and Jesus and his disciples have also been invited. During the celebration the wine runs out, creating a serious problem for the hosts.

Mary tells Jesus that they have no wine. His response indicates that the timing and meaning of his actions cannot simply be directed by family expectation. Mary nevertheless tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them.

Nearby stand six stone water jars used for Jewish purification, each holding a substantial amount. Jesus tells the servants to fill them with water, and they fill them to the brim. He then tells them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.

The master tastes what has become wine. He does not know where it came from, although the servants who drew the water know. He calls the bridegroom and comments on the unusual quality and timing: normally good wine is served first and lesser wine later, but this host appears to have kept the good wine until now.

John does not linger over the mechanics of the transformation. Instead he interprets the event as a sign. It is the first of the signs through which Jesus manifests his glory, and his disciples believe in him.

The story therefore operates on two levels. At the level of the wedding, a shortage is quietly answered with an abundant supply. Within John’s larger narrative, the act points beyond itself and begins the Gospel’s sequence of signs that disclose who Jesus is.