The master of the feast asks not the servants, but the bridegroom. Why? Of course, by divine arrangement. If he had asked the servants, they would certainly have revealed the miracle; but no one would have believed them, for it was the beginning of signs, and no one yet had a great opinion of Christ, so that no one would have believed even if the servants had told of the miracle. However, when after this He performed other miracles as well, the present one too was bound to become credible, and the servants, telling everyone about it, could little by little gain trust. For this reason the Lord arranged it so that not the servants were asked, but the bridegroom. The Lord did not simply make wine out of water, but excellent wine. For the miracles of Christ are such that they far surpass what is accomplished by nature. That the water was turned into wine is attested by the servants who drew the water; that it was excellent, by the master of the feast. All of this was proclaimed in the course of time, and those who heard of it were bound to be convinced very firmly.
By "wine" you can understand the evangelical teaching, and by "water" everything that preceded the Gospel, which was very watery and did not have the perfection of evangelical teaching. I will give an example: the Lord gave man various laws — one in Paradise (Gen. 2:16–17), another at the time of Noah (Gen. 9), a third at the time of Abraham concerning circumcision (Gen. 17), a fourth through Moses (Ex. 19; Ex. 20), and a fifth through the prophets. All these laws, in comparison with the exactness and power of the Gospel, are watery, if one understands them simply and literally. But if one delves into their spirit and comprehends what is hidden in them, he will find the water turned into wine. For he who discerns spiritually what is spoken simply and understood by many literally will undoubtedly find in this water a fine wine, drunk afterward and kept back by the Bridegroom Christ, since the Gospel indeed appeared in the last times.
Jn. 2:11. Thus Jesus made the beginning of miracles in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
That the Lord began to work miracles after His baptism, we have spoken of this before. But it seems that the first miracle He performed was precisely the transformation of water into wine. For it is said: "This 'beginning' of miracles did He." But someone will say: "If this miracle is the beginning of miracles, it is not the beginning of all miracles, but only of those performed in Cana of Galilee; since He performed various miracles in Cana, this one was the beginning of those." Although we have much to confirm that the present miracle is the beginning of all miracles as well, because the words "and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him" show that before this He had not performed any other miracle by which He would have manifested His glory; nevertheless, let us not argue whether this was the first miracle or another.
How then did He manifest His glory? For few were present at this event, and it was not performed before the people? But if not then, afterwards all were to hear of this miracle, as it is proclaimed even to this day, and did not remain unknown. The words "His disciples believed in Him" understand thus: that they acquired a greater and stronger faith in Him. They believed before, of course, but they did not believe so firmly.
Jn. 2:12. After this He went down to Capernaum, He Himself and His Mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and there they stayed not many days.
The Lord comes to Capernaum for no other purpose than to leave His Mother there, so as not to lead Her with Him everywhere. Since they had gone to Cana for the wedding, and the wedding had passed, He returns His Mother to Capernaum, to Her home. That the Lord comes to Capernaum for this very reason is revealed by the fact that He stayed there only a few days and did not perform miracles there, because the inhabitants of that city had no faith in Him, which is why the Lord in another place pronounces woe upon it (Matt. 11:23).
Jn. 2:13. The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
The words "the Passover was near" show by the evangelist that Jesus was baptized not long before the Passover.
Jn. 2:14. And He found in the temple those selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers sitting.
Jn. 2:15. And having made a whip out of cords, He drove all out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen; and He poured out the money changers' coins, and overturned their tables.
Jn. 2:16. And He said to those who sold doves: Take these things away from here, and do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise.
Having come to Jerusalem, He performs a deed revealing complete authority, namely: He drives out of the temple those who sold sheep and oxen. Although Matthew (Matt. 21:12–13) narrates this, know that He did this not just once. What Matthew recounts He performs close to His Passion, while the present account — in John — He performs at the beginning of the signs. Therefore here He said with restraint: "Do not make My Father's house a house of trade." For the miracles were only just beginning, and He did not yet have that boldness which the miracles would give. But there, that is in Matthew, He says: "Do not make it a den of robbers." He openly called them robbers, as people profiting by unjust means. For whoever prices a thing of little worth dearly and seizes the opportunity to extract gain from the poor and widows (as those who buy up necessities and then resell them typically do), what else does he do but rob, extracting gain from the misfortune of his neighbors?
Why does He drive such people out of the temple altogether? Not without reason: He will heal on the Sabbath and, as it were, violate the law concerning it; therefore, so that they would not then consider Him an opponent of God, He forestalls such a thought by the present occasion. For he who showed such zeal for the temple would not reject God, the Lord of the temple. And He drove them out not simply, but striking with a whip made of cords, and overturned the tables, and scattered the coin or money of the money-changers, and undertook a very dangerous deed. And he who subjects himself to danger for the house of God would permit a departure from the law of God not as an opponent of God, but undoubtedly as the Son, having equal authority with God the Father, who gave the law concerning the Sabbath. Therefore He did not say "the house of God," but "the house of My Father," showing that He, as the Son, has authority over all that belongs to the Father.
The money changers are those who sell small coins or nummi. Like those merchants of old, many of the chief priests also sin when they sell "oxen" in the church, not giving honor to those who excel in the teaching word, but giving it to those who wish to do evil; when they sell "sheep" — the simple and common people; "doves" — spiritual gifts; and when they elevate to the highest rank those who give more. Such persons the Lord "drives out" of the sanctuary, finding them by His judgment unworthy of the chief priesthood. Likewise, if someone sells large and small coin, that is, opinion and word, and being a teacher but not foreseeing the benefit, does not proclaim the evangelical word, the Lord "overturns" his "table" as well, that is, the rank of teacher, and the teaching which he out of malice withholds, not giving it to all; meanwhile the Lord Jesus removes such a one from authority and seats another, a worthy one, at the teaching table.
Jn. 2:17. At this His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for Your house consumes Me."
The disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for Your house consumes me" (Ps. 69:9). They had been growing in goodness for only a short time, yet they were already recalling passages from the Scriptures, and finding testimonies in them, they were being more and more confirmed in their knowledge of Christ.
Jn. 2:18. To this the Jews said: by what sign will You prove to us that You have the authority to act in this way?
When the Jews saw that the Lord was doing this with great authority and saying "do not make My Father's house a marketplace," they said: "Convince us by some miracle that You are the Son of God and that You were sent by Him. For how is it evident that the Lord of this house is Your Father?"
Jn. 2:19. Jesus answered and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
He answers them in a parable, saying "Destroy this temple," without a doubt speaking of His own body, because in it dwelt the fullness of the Godhead of the Only-Begotten. By the word "destroy" He does not encourage them to murder (far be such a thought!), but, knowing their intention to do this, He hints at what will happen without delay.
Let the Arians also hear how the Lord and destroyer of death says "I will raise it up." He did not say "the Father will raise it up," but "I" will raise it up, employing His own power and not needing another's from without.
Jn. 2:20. To this the Jews said: This temple was built over forty-six years, and You will raise it up in three days?
The Jews, thinking that He was speaking of the lifeless temple, laugh at Him. "How," they say, "do You say that You will raise it up in three days, when it took forty-six years to build?" One must know that when the temple was first built under Solomon, everything was completed without difficulty in twenty years. But afterwards, when the Jews after the captivity received permission to build the temple, they began to rebuild it in the reign of Cyrus; then, having met with hindrance from envious persons, they continued the construction until the reign of Artaxerxes; and under him, enjoying complete security, they were barely able to finish this work.
When it is said that the Jews during the construction held a spear in one hand and a building tool in the other, they were in such great fear from the neighboring Idumeans, and not from the Persians, for from them, that is from the Persians, as I said, they enjoyed complete safety. Concerning this construction, which took place after the captivity, they say that it lasted forty-six years, since the Jews were being hindered, and therefore they extended it from the reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes.