A Study of John's Gospel

John 2:6-7: Jesus said: Fill the Jars With Water

Jesus said, "Fill The Jars With Water."

A study of John 2:6-7

"Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim."

‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Stone: "lithinos", "λίθινος"; adjective - of stone.

Water Jars (Pots): "hydria", "ὑδρία"; feminine noun - a vessel for holding water.

-Jewish: "Ioudaios", "Ἰουδαῖος"; adjective - Jewish as respects birth, race, religion; the Jews, the Jewish race.

-Rites (Custom) of Purification: "katharismos", "καθαρισμός"; masculine noun - a cleansing, purification; a ritual purgation or washing. Of the washings of the Jews before and after meals.

-Fill: "gemizō", "γεμίζω"; verb - to fill, fill full; to fill a thing full of something.

-The Brim: "anō", "ἄνω"; adverb - up to the brim.

Observation/Summary(short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

There were six stone water jars usually used for Jewish rites of purification, likely to wash before and after meals, and they could hold 20-30 gallons each. Jesus told the servants in this passage to "fill the jars with water" and the servants filled the jars to the brim.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

In the preceding 5 verses we learned Jesus, His disciples and His mother were invited to a wedding, but during the wedding the wine ran out. This would have meant serious, and long lasting social disgrace for the young, newly married couple, and Jesus' mother, asked for Him to intervene. Jesus at first makes it clear in verse 4 that Mary must relate to Him differently now at the start of His ministry. She must not make demands of Him like a mother does to her child. She must relate to Him as Lord, and He will respond to her requests by doing the will of His Father in heaven. Mary had and still has no special influence over Jesus. He is Lord of all, we should listen to the words Mary spoke to the servants, which she also followed herself, and "Do whatever He tells you." And this includes only coming to God the Father through Jesus, and no one else (John 14:6).

To begin, there were six stone water jars that could hold 20-30 gallons each. These jars would have been located in an area away from the main festivities and they would likely have been used for the Jewish customs of purification where they washed before and after meals, and at other times as well. Interestingly, the recorded amount and size of these jars is another detail that indicates this gospel is a reliable eyewitness testimony. Also, we can notice that to begin this miracle Jesus made use of what was already there. Where we see only empty water jars when there is a need for wine, Jesus sees jars waiting to be filled. Where we see no possible way forward, Jesus makes a way forward. He is not limited by what we have. He can and will accomplish everything He sets out to accomplish.

In this case, as in all cases, Jesus could have performed this miracle anyway He wanted to, but he decided to tell the servants to fill the jars with water. He did not need the servants. He could have spoken the wine into existence, but He decided to involve them in what He was doing, and in doing so they had the privilege to be a part of the blessing He was going to give to this young, married couple and the guests at the wedding. This is the way with all of us still today. Jesus blesses people through our efforts. Whether it is the blessing of delivering the message of salvation or the blessing of providing material help, He does not need us to bless people or deliver the gospel, but He chooses to use us. And it is a blessing to be used by God and to willingly cooperate with Him.

The response of the servants to Jesus' command is a response we can learn a lot from. They obeyed Him and filled the jars "up to the brim." This tells us the jars were empty or at least partially empty. Presumably the water had been used by the guests to wash themselves before the wedding celebration began. Whatever the case, the servants did not question Jesus, they obeyed to the furthest possible extent they could. They filled these jars with water so fully that no more could be added. They held nothing back, and gave everything they possibly could.

This is the standard for our obedience to Christ. The servants likely had questions. They knew there was a need for wine, but this Man was telling them to fill jars with water. We can all relate to times when we know what Jesus wants us to do, but we do not understand why. We lack His infinite knowledge and wisdom, so there are many times in life when we cannot see the good or the purpose in what is happening or in what we are supposed to do. But, like these servants, we must obey to the furthest extent of our abilities. They may even have had questions still about why and what was happening. That is ok. As the late Dr. Timothy Keller often said (and he may have been quoting someone else), "Weak faith in a strong branch is far better than strong faith in a weak branch." If you are falling off a cliff it would be far better to grab hold of a branch you are not sure will hold your weight, but definitely will, than if you were to grab a branch you are certain will hold your weight but definitely will not. Jesus definitely will hold your weight. Our imperfect faith is not an obstacle to Jesus. Even without all our questions answered, we can and should, like these servants at the wedding, obey Jesus, and obey Him to the full.

Jesus is infinitely wise, loving and just. Everything He tells us to do is for His glory and our eternal good. He knows the beginning and the end, because He has no beginning and no end. All of time and space exist within Him. We must humble ourselves and trust Him at all times, responding with faith and obedience, resting in the knowledge that He knows better, and He will bring good through every situation He sends us into in life.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to consider our faith and obedience in response to Jesus. Like the servants in this passage, we must respond in faith and obey to the fullest extent of our ability, especially when what Jesus commands does not make sense to us. We need to remember He is the Lord of all creation, and He knows best. He is worthy of our trust, love, faith and obedience.

Self Reflection:

Do I understand that God is not limited by what I lack or by any of my deficiencies?

Is there any part of my life where I am holding something back from God or only partially obeying because of a lack of trust in Him or because not all of my questions have been answered to my satisfaction?

What practical steps can I take to grow in faith and obedience to the Lord each day?

#faith #love #miracles #ObedienceToGod #Jesus