The Feast at Cana
Christ’s first recorded miracle in the New Testament occurs at the wedding feast at Cana. Christ’s mother tells him that the wine has run out, and she asks for his assistance. Christ then miraculously turns water into wine, which is then served to the guests at the feast [1]. This story is quite well known, but what was the actual purpose of the miracle? Why was this the way that Christ decided to present himself to the world as the Messiah?
Christ performed this miracle in order to represent that he was going to bring in his new law, a new covenant, to fulfill the old law that the Jews followed. In this article, we will take a look back at the old covenant and what it represented, Christ’s new law, and how this miracle represented his earthly mission.
The Old Law, The New Law, and The Link In Between
This old law was the Law of Moses, the law given by God to his prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. This law is recorded in the Old Testament and makes up the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch [2]. This old covenant laid out in detail rules for worship, sacrifice, justice, and daily life; it was a hard, strict, comprehensive, and fair law that dealt with physical things meant to foster the spiritual maturity of the Israelites and teach them of the coming Messiah and the plan of salvation through symbolism.
The new law was presented by Christ throughout the New Testament. He taught that it was not sufficient to merely follow the commandments laid out, but that it was necessary to change one’s heart and desires to be aligned with the will of God. For example, instead of simply not committing adultery, one should not lust either. It was a fulfilling of and expansion on the previous law.
As a symbolic bridge between these two covenants, we can look to the sacrament. Most Christians understand that the bread and wine that Christ shared with his apostles at the last supper represent The Atonement. The bread represents His body, and the wine represents His blood. How then does this ordinance that was introduced at the last supper tie back to the Old Testament and the Law of Moses? To understand this link, we must look back to the Old Testament and the Tabernacle of Moses.
There are many elements of the Tabernacle of Moses that have rich symbolic meaning that teach of the plan of salvation.
To the right of the entrance inside of the tent lay the table of shewbread, also known as the bread of the presence. On the table rested twelve loaves of bread, representative of the twelve tribes of Israel being in the presence of God.
This shewbread was a predecessor or symbol of the sacrament, with the bread representing Christ’s body as it does in the full sacrament ordinance. A few clues about the shewbread help tie it to Christ’s body:
- As Christ will represent mankind before God at judgement day, so does this bread stand in to represent the twelve tribes of Israel before God in the temple.
- The cakes were unleavened and baked on the Friday before the sabbath - a close parallel to the timing of Christ’s great sacrifice.
- Frankincense was placed in the cups on top of the piles of bread. All of the utensils were made of gold. The table was consecrated with oil and myrrh. These were the three gifts the wise men brought to Jesus at his birth.
From note The Bread of the Presence
When Christ institutes the sacrament at the last supper, he gives bread and wine. Raising a cup of wine, he teaches his apostles that "this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. [3] By adding in the element of the wine with the bread, Christ creates a link between the shewbread of the old law and the sacrament ordinance of the new law.
The Meaning of the Miracle
We can finally wrap up the meaning of his first miracle at the wedding of Cana. When Christ’s mother asks for his help, Christ asks that certain waterpots be filled with water. These waterpots were not containers made for storing or serving drinks; these were used specifically for ritual washings that were an important part of the Law of Moses. [4] [5] By using this important element of the old law and turning the water therein into wine, a symbol of his new law, Christ succinctly announces his divine purpose while also showing his miraculous power.
The picture of the wedding feast is The First Miracle by James Seward.
For more information on the Old and New Laws, see The Law After Christ, by Stephen E. Robinson
Read the account in John 2:1-11 ↩︎
From Ancient Greek πεντάτευχος (pentáteukhos), from Ancient Greek πέντε (pénte, “five”) + τεῦχος (teûkhos, “tool, scroll, book”). ↩︎