Bible Study With The Bishops: Water Into Wine

Today I'm caught up with the Reading Plan. Having read passages from the last two weeks in two groups, rather than passage by passage, I don't I understand the logic of the daily divisions of the passages. For instance, today I read the passages assigned for this past Thursday and Friday. Together they comprise the entire story of the Wedding at Cana. Yet Thursday's passage was John 2:1-8 and Friday's John 2:9-12. Looking at the Plan, I can see that the folks who put it together are following the sections from the Peoples Bible Commentary on John. I'm assuming (yes, I know, a dangerous thing to do) that it will make some sense when my copy of the commentary arrives.

I've already done some writing about this passage here.

Again, I pulled down the four translations and the EfM Year 2 binder. The first thing that jumped out at me reading the story this time was "On the third day..." On the third day of what? In this instance The Message helped to clarify this. It begins, "Three days later..." That means that the wedding took place three days after the conversation with Nathanael at the end of the previous chapter. Going back to the notes in my Harper Collins Study NRSV I found this little snippet:

The third day seems to continue the series of days from 1:29, 35, 43. (p. 2016)

What is the point of this concern with the chronology of the early days of Jesus' ministry?

Reading the passage this evening, I was struck by Jesus' hesitation to do as his mother asks. He does not hesitate in proving to his first disciples who he is, as shown in his conversation with Nathanael. John the Baptist has also been publicly vocal about who Jesus is. Yet in Cana he tells his mother, "My hour has not yet come." This almost sounds like the Jesus we see in Mark who keeps ordering his disciples "tell no one!"

There was nothing interesting in the EfM binder. I'm anxious to see what the Commentary has to say.

Peace,
Jeffri