Lesson 3

The First Week

Painting of Saint John writing his Gospel

Synopsis

The Book of Signs begins with a description of Jesus’ first week of public ministry. We can recognize this because the events occur during seven continuous days. The Evangelist uses this structure to introduce us to the main characters of his story and begin to set up his plot. On the first day, we meet John the Baptist. We are also briefly encounter the villains of the story: the Jewish authorities who interrogate John as to why he is baptizing. On day two, John gives witness to Jesus. On days three to five, we meet the first disciples. Finally, on the last day of the week, Jesus converts water into wine. When we interpret this miracle in the light of the Old Testament, we can see that Jesus is signaling the beginning of messianic age of salvation.

Learning Objectives

You will have successfully completed this lesson when you can:

Explain how John the Evangelist has structured the beginning of Jesus’ ministry into a seven-day period.
Describe the main events that occur during this first week.
Explain how Jesus’ first miracle at Cana signaled the beginning of the messianic age of salvation.

Introduction

We will now begin our study of the first part of the Gospel, the Book of Signs. Scholars have suggested many different ways of structuring it. These are valid and complementary. Since, in this course, we will be studying John’s Gospel according to its plot structure, we suggest dividing the Book of Signs into four sections:

The first week of Jesus’ ministry (1:19–2:12)
Jesus’ early ministry (2:1–4:54)
Rising opposition and rejection (5:1–10:42)
The authorities decision to kill Jesus (11:1–12:50)

The First Week of Jesus’ Ministry

After the Prologue, John starts presenting his story about Jesus Christ. He organizes the events that occur in the opening chapters according to a series of days.

The next day… (1:29)

The next day… (1:35)

The next day… (1:43)

On the third day… (2:1)

This is another allusion to the creation account in the first chapter of Genesis. It is also structured according to a series of days.

And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Gn 1:5)

And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gn 1:8)

And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (Gn 1:13)

...

This structure reinforces the idea, already suggested in the Prologue, that Jesus has brought about a new creation.

During this first week, we are introduced to the main characters of the story. On day one, we meet John the Baptist. Then, on the second day, the Baptist gives witness to Jesus. The apostles enter the scene during the following three days: Andrew and an unnamed disciple (probably John himself) appear first, then Peter, and finally Philip and Nathaniel. Finally, on the seventh and last day, during the wedding at Cana, Jesus manifests his glory for the first time by converting water into wine. By telling us that the disciples believed in him, John is inviting us, the reader, to also believe in Jesus. He also tells us that this was his first sign, leading us to expect more and even greater signs to come.

The plot in any good story is built around a conflict which the hero must overcome. In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ adversaries—the Pharisees and other Jewish authorities—won’t start attacking him until chapter five, after he heals a paralytic on the sabbath. However, we are already given hints from the beginning that not all is well. The Evangelist warned us in his Prologue: “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not” (1:11). And now we encounter the Pharisees on the first day, interrogating John the Baptist. The tone of the dialogue suggests an unfriendly attitude.

Day 1 – John the Baptist

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No.” (1:19–21)

John didn’t start his Gospel by telling us about Jesus’ conception, birth, or infancy. Instead, he begins by introducing us to Jesus’ precursor: John the Baptist. We saw how the Prologue had already briefly mentioned him, saying that he had come to bear witness to the light, so it makes sense to start here with him. As we saw in the previous lesson, witnesses play an important role in the History of Salvation because God’s wants his actions to be certified by witnesses.

Before telling us what John the Baptist did, the narrative first tells us who he was, or better said, who he was not. We know from historical sources that he was an extremely popular figure. And Mark tells us that people from all over Judea, but especially from Jerusalem, went to him “and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mk 1:5). All this activity would have naturally aroused the suspicion of the authorities in Jerusalem. The priests and Levites controlled the temple sacrifices and were the ones who could declare people pure or impure. They zealously defended their prerogatives, so they wouldn’t have looked kindly on this type of competition. They, therefore, send out a delegation to investigate the matter.

Since many people thought that the Baptist was the Messiah, the priests first ask him about that, but he replied: “I am not the Christ.” They then ask him if he was Elijah or the prophet. Why Elijah? We learn in 2 Kings 2 that Elijah never died. Instead, he was taken up in a chariot to heaven. Also, Malachi had prophesied:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse. (Mal 4:5–6)

Therefore, the people expected that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah. The Baptist, however, said that he is not Elijah. By this, he meant that he was not the reincarnated Elijah. But we know from Matthew that he was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Mt 17:10–13)

They then ask him is he is the prophet. Why “the” prophet and not just “a” prophet? Israel had had many prophets, but, whenever the New Testament speaks of the prophet, it is referring to a specific prophet, the one promised by Moses.

“And the Lord said to me [Moses], ‘They have rightly said all that they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.’” (Dt 18:17–18)

Moses is regarded by Jews to be the greatest prophet because he is credited with having written the Torah and leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. When he said that God would send another prophet like him, he was pointing to Jesus, the new Moses. But some thought John the Baptist could be the one.

Who was John the Baptist then? In response to this question,

He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (1:23)

This is taken from Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 40 that states that God himself would come with might to save his people and forgive their sins (see Is 40:1-11). The language used makes clear that Isaiah is speaking about a new exodus. As with the Prologue, this section of the Gospel is full of exodus imagery taken from the Old Testament. We just mentioned “the prophet” as referring to the coming of the new Moses. Other images are:

The water used for baptism reminds us of the crossing of the Red Sea. Just as the Israelites were saved from Egypt when the passed through the water, so too are we saved by the water of baptism.

The way through the wilderness or desert reminds us of the 40 years that the Israelites spent wandering through the desert on their way to the Promised Land.

The baptism of people in the Jordan River recalls the end of the Exodus when Joshua led the people through the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

John the Baptist was the forerunner of this new exodus. He prepared the people for it by “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk 1:4).

Day 2 – The Baptist’s Testimony about Jesus

After having pointed out that John the Baptist was not the Messiah, the Gospel then describes the witness he bore to Jesus.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (1:29–34)

Unlike the Synoptics, the Evangelist doesn’t describe Jesus’ baptism. But we learn that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus as a dove. This was the sign God had given him and to which he was supposed to bear witness.

The Baptist also calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Any first century Jew would have recognized in this the Passover lamb (see Ex 12). Remember, the lamb’s blood, painted on the doorposts and lintels of their houses, saved the Israelites from the tenth plague. When the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb, he passed over that house, sparing its inhabitants. But it slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians. This plague forced Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to leave.

In Jewish culture, the Passover lamb is associated with God’s salvation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. By identifying Jesus with the Passover lamb, the Baptist is telling us that Jesus is the true Passover lamb, whose blood will save us from spiritual death and inaugurate the new exodus which will lead us to our heavenly promised land.

However, the Bible never says that the Passover lamb would take away our sin, as John the Baptist had affirmed: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” But the Old Testament does mention another lamb that will do this: Isaiah’s suffering servant.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter…

Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him;

he has put him to grief;

when he makes himself an offering for sin…

he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors. (Is 53:7, 10, 12)

Days 3 and 4 – The First Disciples

Our attention is now drawn to Jesus and the first disciples.

Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. (1:38–39)

“What do you seek?” “Where are you staying?” “It was about the tenth hour.” There are many spiritual reflections we could say about these words. This is certainly good and legitimate. However, since the spiritual sense of the Scriptures is based on the literal sense, we need to first understand the literal sense of the text.

We often think of John the Baptist as a type of hermit, living alone in the desert, eating grasshoppers and wild honey. But the Gospel makes it clear that he had a group of disciples who followed him around. They probably lived with him in the desert, received his baptism of repentance, and listened to his teachings. Two of them are with him when he points Jesus out as the Lamb of God. We learn that one of them is Andrew, Peter’s brother. The Gospel doesn’t name the second disciple, but many scholars think he was John, the author of this Gospel.

After hearing the Baptist’s testimony, the two disciples follow Jesus. This can be interpreted on different levels. On one level, it could mean that the two left John to become Jesus’ disciples. But the literal meaning of the Greek text simply states that they started to walk behind Jesus. Jesus, noticing them, turns around and asks, “What do you seek?” That is, why are you following me?

It is interesting that the disciples don’t answer Jesus’ question. Instead, they respond with another question: “Where are you staying?” John notes that it was about the tenth hour, which would be 4 pm. This information is not just anecdotal. Since it was getting late, the disciples, if they weren’t going to go back with John, would have needed to quickly find a place to stay the night. They were asking whether they could spend it with Jesus.

“They stayed with him that day.” The Greek word menó, translated here as “stay” literally means “to remain”. It will be an important word later on in the Gospel.

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides [menei] in me, and I in him. (6:56)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. (15:4–7)

The text implies that on the next day, Andrew went to find his brother Simon.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (1:40–42)

Jesus says to Simon, “You shall be called Cephas.” The word cephas in Aramaic means “rock”. This verse is very important because it helps us understand Jesus what Jesus meant in Mt 16:18 when he said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Protestants claim that the rock refers to Peter’s confession of faith, that is, his declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But in John’s Gospel, Jesus calls him Peter before he made this profession. This shows that Peter himself must be the rock.

Who were Simon and Andrew? We know, from the Synoptic Gospels, that they were fishermen from Galilee. But when Jesus first met them, they were with John the Baptist in Judea. This means that they must have been religious Jews who were actively looking for the Messiah. That is why they had left their homes to become the Baptist’s disciples.

The Synoptic Gospels make it seem as if Jesus called them out of the blue. That is, he just passed by one day, saw them for the first time, and invited them to follow him. But a closer reading reveals that that was not the case. Reading John and the Synoptics together gives us a fuller picture. Their call was probably a prolonged process that took place over the course of several months. This passage describes their first encounter with Jesus in Judea. They started following him and accompanied him at certain moments (e.g., the wedding at Cana). This must have lasted for some time because we see them travelling around together.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. (1:43)

After this [the cleansing of the temple] he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brethren and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days. (2:12)

After this [speaking with Nicodemus] Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. (3:22)

But they eventually left Jesus to return home and continue their lives as fishermen. It wasn’t until after John the Baptist’s arrest (see Mk 1:14) and the miraculous catch of fish (see Lk 5) that Jesus called them to definitively leave their nets behind and follow him.

Day 5 – Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (1:43–46)

If in the previous two days, the disciples took the initiative to follow Jesus, now it is Jesus who takes the initiative and calls Philip. Then, Philip gives witness to Jesus and calls Nathaniel, inviting him to “come and see” just as Jesus had done with the first two disciples. This episode confirms the importance of witnessing in the life of the Church. Followers of Jesus must bear witness of him to others, inviting them to come and see to get to know Jesus. They, in turn, will become his disciples and repeat the process.

Nazareth was just a small village, so small that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament and didn’t even appear on the maps of the time. It must not have had a good reputation as it seems to be despised, even by fellow Galileans.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” (1:47–50)

When Jesus says to Nathanael that he had seen him under the fig tree, he answers: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” This answer is strange and doesn’t seem to fit the situation. All Jesus said was that he had seen him under the fig tree. Why would this provoke such a strong profession of faith in Nathanael, who didn’t even know Jesus?

Some scholars suppose that Nathanael must have seen something supernatural in Jesus’ reply, and this led him to make this profession of faith. Others think that the key to unlocking this lies in the Old Testament. The name "Nazareth" is derived from the Hebrew word ne·ṣer, which means “branch”. These scholars think that this word could connect this passage to several Old Testament prophecies that speak of the future Messiah, calling him “Branch”.

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men of good omen: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Zec 3:8–10)

And the word of the Lord came to me: “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it upon the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall grow up in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord, and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule upon his throne. (Zec 6:9–13)

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots. (Is 11:1)

Jesse was king David’s father and the stump of Jesse is a biblical image Isaiah used to refer to restored Davidic kingdom after the Babylonian exile. He prophesied that the Davidic kingdom will be destroyed because the people had broken God’s covenant. God will, therefore, have it cut down, like a tree that is felled. But not all is lost. Isaiah saw that a new branch would grow out of the apparently dead stump. His prophecy announces the restoration of the kingdom.

According to Zechariah, this branch-Messiah will be a king who will build the temple, and, in his day, everyone will invite his neighbor under his fig tree. The parallels between these prophecies and the dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael are striking. If Nathanael was a true Israelite in whom there is no guile, as Jesus says, then he would have certainly been familiar with these prophecies and recognized these repetitions. This and Philip’s initial testimony about Jesus led him to make this profession of faith, to which:

Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (1:50–51)

Jesus’ reply calls to mind other passages in the Old Testament.

And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! (Gn 28:12)

Jesus, is the ladder which unites heaven and earth. He is also the Son of man mentioned in Dn 7:13.

I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

Day 7 – The Wedding at Cana

When we study the passage that describes the wedding at Cana, we can discover many levels of meaning. In fact, the text is so rich, a whole book could be written about it. For example, John presents Jesus as the bridegroom of a new marital covenant between God and mankind. And the wedding at Cana is also a key passage for our theological understanding of Mary. Although these themes are important, we won’t discuss theme here. For now, we will look at the literal sense of the text to try to understand the scene and then highlight some of its typological relationships with the Old Testament.

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (2:1–5)

In Jesus’ time, Jewish wedding celebrations could last up to seven days. Family and friends would come together to celebrate the union of the husband and wife. It was the bridegroom’s responsibility to provide for the guests. To run out of wine would have been a great embarrassment that would have stained the family’s reputation for years.

Mary notices this problem and, wanting to help, goes to Jesus and says: “They have no wine.” She simply states the need, but we can assume she expected Jesus to find a solution even though she didn’t explicitly ask him to do something. Simply stating a need is a very feminine way of making a request. The fact that she then tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says suggests that she did expect Jesus to do something.

Jesus’ reply can be difficult for us to understand. First, it seems like he is rebuking his mother. But actually, his answer was not as harsh as it sounds. Modern translations of the text sometimes accentuate this apparent harshness. For example, the RSV translate states: “What have you to do with me?” This sounds to us as if Jesus is rebuking his mother. The original Greek is softer and literally means, “What to me and to you?” This seems to imply that Jesus just meant to say something like: “How does this situation concern us?”

Why did Mary get involved? The fact that Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were all invited guests suggests the wedding was for a relative or close friend. This could explain her concern and desire to help. But even so, Jesus’ question is still valid because they were, after all, just guests. It wasn’t their problem. His answer, therefore, does imply some opposition to Mary’s request, although we shouldn’t take it to be an unqualified rejection, much less a rebuke. In the end, he did do what she asked for.

What could have led Jesus to question his mother? The second part of his answer could help answer this question. Jesus states that his hour has not yet come. In the Gospel, Jesus’ hour always refers to the moment of his passion and death. But why would he have brought this up? His answer seems completely unrelated to Mary’s request. All she said was that they were out of wine, implying he fix the situation. But he responds by saying that his time to die has not yet come. This answer is very strange unless Jesus had somehow connected Mary’s petition with his death. Why and how could this be?

As usual, we can find the answer to this puzzle by reading the gospels in the light of the Old Testament. There, the prophet Isaiah describes another situation in which wine has run out.

The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. … No more do they drink wine with singing.… There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has reached its eventide; the gladness of the earth is banished. (Is 24:7, 9, 11)

Isaiah then continues to say that the Lord himself will one day provide wine. This feast was later referred to as the messianic banquet.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of fat things, a feast of fine wine, of fat things full of marrow, of fine wine well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is cast over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth. (Is 25:6–8)

It is not clear whether Mary had this in mind when she made her request as we aren’t given enough information to know either way for sure. On the one hand, we don’t have to necessarily think that she expected a miracle. All she may have wanted was for Jesus to find a natural solution. On the other hand, Catholic tradition about Mary does make it plausible that she would have known about this prophecy. According to this tradition, she grew up in the temple, studied the Scriptures there, and was also full of grace. In addition, it is hard to image that she never spoke about these things with Jesus during the 30 years they spent together.

Whatever the case about Mary may be, Jesus’ answer does suggest that he did interpret her request this way. But then, despite his reluctance, he fulfills her appeal by performing the miracle.

Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” (2:6–10)

It is noteworthy that Jesus didn’t just provide enough wine to solve the bridegroom’s problem. He provided it superabundantly. The 455 to 680 liters (about 120 to 180 gallons) would have more than met the needs of the guests of small country wedding. Neither did he produce just any wine; he provided the best wine. These two facts are significant.

For those who have the eyes to see, this miracle would have recalled other Old Testament prophecies that state that, in the future age of salvation, God will provide an abundance of sweet wine.

In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen.… The mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. (Am 9:11, 13)

And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine … and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD. (Joel 3:18)

Brant Pitre, in his book Jesus the Bridegroom, shows how ancient Jewish traditions found outside the Bible also express the expectation that the Messiah will miraculously provide abundant wine. For example:

And it will happen that … the Messiah will begin to be revealed. And on one vine will be a thousand branches, and one branch will produce a thousand clusters, and one cluster will produce a thousand grapes, and one grape will produce a liter of wine. (2 Baruch 29:3, 5)

Brant Pitre goes on to say:

When Jesus’ miracle is interpreted in the light of these ancient Jewish expectations of the superabundant wine of God’s banquet, and ancient Jewish hopes for the future, we can see that in providing hundreds of gallons of wine for this small country wedding at Cana, Jesus is signaling to those who have the eyes to see that the ancient Jewish hope for the superabundant wine of the age of salvation is beginning to be fulfilled in himself. (Brant Pitre, Jesus the Bridegroom, Image, New York, 2014, 43)

Other Connections to the Old Testament

It is no coincidence that the first week of Jesus’ public ministry culminated in a wedding. By doing so, John was connecting his story about Jesus to the creation and the exodus events in the Old Testament. The history of salvation also began with a wedding that took place on the 7th day of creation.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman a brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘Woman’, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Gn 2:21–24)

And the Bible also describes God’s covenant with Israel established at Mount Sinai as a wedding.

And you [Israel] grew up and became tall and arrived at full maidenhood… When [the LORD] passed by you again and looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I betrothed myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord GOD, and you became mine... And I decked you with ornaments, and put bracelets on your arms... And I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head... (Ez 16:7–12)

When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (2:3–4)

Throughout this course, we have highlighted the images and vocabulary John took from the creation and the exodus events as described by Old Testament. These repetitions function like clues that allow us to identify Jesus as the new Adam who is bringing forth a new creation in which we can become sons of God. He is also the new Moses who is leading us on a new exodus that will bring us into the promised land of heaven.

But chapter 1 also contains images and vocabulary from the Old Testament’s description of the Davidic kingdom. For example, the word “Christ”. Andrew says to his brother Simon: “‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ)” (1:41).

“Christ” isn’t Jesus’ second name. It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word mashiach, which means “messiah” or the anointed one. It is, therefore, a title. In the Old Testament, this title refers specifically to David and the kings of his line who came after him. The Jews believed that their kings were God’s vassals or lieutenants on earth. The pagans, on the contrary, often divinized their kings. Think of the Roman Caesar, who was considered to be a god. The Jewish kings were called “messiahs” because they were anointed with oil. For example, in 1 Samuel 16 we read how David was anointed:

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. (1 Sam 16:13)

His son Solomon was also anointed when he became king, as was his grandson Rehoboam after him. This continued until the last king. This anointing was a sign that the king had received his authority from God and that they weren’t divine.

Being king and being the Messiah are interrelated. Jesus is the Messiah because he is the King of Israel, as Nathanael proclaims. He was anointed, not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit. This is what John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to. “And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him” (1:32).

John the Evangelist goes to great length in these opening chapters to show us how the creation, the exodus, and the Davidic kingdom were fulfilled in Jesus. The whole of the Old Testament is important, but these three events are the most important things that occur before Jesus’ coming.

Assignments

Explain how John the Evangelist has structured the beginning of Jesus’ ministry into a seven-day period.

Describe the main events that occur on each day of this first week.

Explain how Jesus’ miracle during the wedding at Cana signaled the beginning of the messianic age of salvation.

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