John 2:1-25 Summary

Jesus and His family and disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana; however, a problem arose when the wine for the celebration ran out, which would have greatly embarrassed the groom and bride.  At the request of His mother, Jesus solved the problem by supernaturally turning water into fine wine (an alcoholic drink); though some may have abused His gift.  Jews were obligated to observe the annual Passover Feast which memorialized the exodus from slavery in Egypt (Deut. 16:1-8).  More so, the Jewish temple was to be the place where people—Jews and Gentiles—came to pray, sacrifice, and worship God.  However, when Jesus arrived at the temple He was greatly upset that many had converted it into a marketplace for personal gain rather than a holy place of worship to the Lord.  Jesus drove out the animals and moneychangers in order to restore the proper function of the temple.  It appears Jesus cleansed the temple again toward the end of His earthly ministry and it was at that time the Jewish leadership sought to kill Him (Mark 11:15-18).  In time, the Jewish temple would be destroyed (in 70 A.D.), and worship would not be geographically dependent (John 4:20-24).