XXIV. THE FIRST MIRACLE

John 2:7.—“Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water-pots with water.”

There appears to me to be in this passage an undesigned coincidence, very slight and trivial indeed in its character, but not on that account less valuable as a mark of truth. These water-pots had to be filled before Jesus could perform the miracle. It follows, therefore, that they had been emptied of their contents—the water had been drawn out of them. But for what purpose was it used, and why were these vessels here? It was for purifying. For “all the Jews,” as St. Mark tells us more at large (7:3), “except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.” The vessels, therefore, being now empty, indicates that the guests had done with them—that the meal, therefore, was advanced; for it was before they sat down to it that they performed their ablutions—a circumstance which accords with the moment when our Lord is represented as doing this miracle; for the governor of the feast said to the bridegroom, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine … but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” It is satisfactory, that in the record of a great miracle, like this, the minor circumstances in connection with it should be in keeping with one another.