Summary:
“The third day” (John 2:1) is associated with resurrection in the Bible, for the Lord rose on the third day (ICor.15:3,4) And since the gospel of John is associated with Israel, this wedding is a type of Israel’s resurrection and the marriage of the Lamb to the saved of all ages, the bride of which Israel is a part (Rev.19:7-10). The first Adam got married to fill the earth with people and have dominion over the animals (Gen.1:28,29), the last Adam (ICor.15:45) will get married to fill the earth with His people (believers) and have dominion over the animals in the kingdom (Is.11:6-9)
The wedding in John 2 was actually the third day after the fourth day (John 1:19,29,35,43), making it the 7th day, the day Adam got married. The last Adam will also get married on the 7th day in the millennial kingdom, the 7 thousandth year of human history (cf. IIPe.3:8), the same “day” Hosea said Israel would rise from the dead (6:2). They were supposed to rise 2,000 years after Abraham, but the mystery interrupted God’s prophetic program.
The Lord “and His disciples” were called to the wedding. So far He had six: James, John, Nathanael, Andrew, Simon, Philip) were called to the wedding (Jo.2:2 cf. John 1). They ran out of wine (2:3), and wine” is a symbol of joy in the Bible (Ps.104:15). And yes, the Lord made wine. Arguing that He wouldn’t make wine because some people become drunkards is like arguing He wouldn’t make bread because some become gluttons. Why wouldn’t the Lord make something that makes God glad (Judges 9:13) by making men glad? Wine is also associated with the king-dom (Amos 9:13) when Israel will have her greatest joy.
When they ran out of wine (John 2:3) it was a symbol of how Israel was out of joy. The Lord’s mother was His flesh and blood, a type of Israel (Rom.9:4,5). She must have been one of the women in charge of arranging the wedding, or else she wouldn’t consider this her problem. She thus typifies Israel, who will one day arrange the Lamb’s wedding. Appealing to Him for wine was like Israel appealing to the Lord for the wine of the kingdom.
She must have expected the Lord to do a miracle. She’d never seen Him do a miracle before (cf. 2:11), but had seen or heard about what happened in Mark 1:9-11, and if she didn’t know He was God’s Son before, she knew it now! So after she knows He’s God’s Son, she expects Him to make wine, typifying how after Israel learned He was God’s Son, they expected the wine of the kingdom (John 6:5). The Lord was reluctant to make the wine, since His hour was “not yet come,” as He had not yet died, risen again and ascended to heaven to get the kingdom and bring it back to earth (v.4 cf. Luke 19:11-27).
But while it was not yet time for the kingdom, the Lord made the wine. The “six” stone waterpots (John 2:6) repre-sented the Lord’s six disciples, cold and lifeless since they had not yet believed and been saved (2:11). The waterpots were for “the purifying of the Jews” (2:6), but until they were filled with the water of salvation (cf. Isa. 12:3), they couldn’t help the Lord purify anyone! The Lord didn’t put the wine in the empty winepots (cf. Mt. 9:17) because He couldn’t put the new wine of the Spirit into the old pots of unbelieving Israel. He rather put the new wine of the Spirit of the kingdom in the new disciples (Acts 2:13), who were filled “to the brim” (John 2:7) with the Spirit (Acts 2:4).
When they ran out of wine, they probably told “the governor” or wedding planner (John 2:8), but he was helpless. He was a type of Israel’s priests, the “governors” of the temple (IChron.24:5). When Israel ran out of joy, the priests were helpless to help her. When the servants took the evidence of joy to the priests (John 2:8,9), it was symbolic of how evidence of the joy of the kingdom was brought to the priests in the Lord’s day (Luke 5:13,14; 17:14). The governor “tasted” the wine (John 2:9), a type of how after Israel’s priests had tasted the kingdom, there was no going back (Heb.6:4-6).
Men always give their best first, and save the worst for last (John 2:10), as when the pleasures of sin (Heb.11:25) come before the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). But God always does the opposite, gives us the worst first (the cross) and saves the best for last (Ps.16:11; 36:8).
