Let us see what a miracle the Lord performs in such a marriage and in such a union of God with the soul. He transforms water into wine, fills our six stone waterpots. By "water" you can understand our wateriness, humidity, and relaxation in life and opinions; under the five "water-carriers" are the five senses with which we err in business; under the sixth water-pot is reason, by which we waver in opinions. Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of the Gospel, healing our falls, whether in active, mental or contemplative life, transforms the liquid and unsolid in us into "wine," that is, into life and teaching, which binds and rejoices, and in this way our six water-pots are filled with this wonderful drink: the senses, so that we do not err in our activity, the intellect, so that we do not err in opinions.

Consider that there were stone water pots there according to the custom of Jewish purification. The word "Judas" means "confession." The confessor is cleansed in the five senses with which he previously sinned. The eye saw badly; but the eye weeps during confession and thus serves for purification. The ear heard the songs of fornication; it again inclines to the words of the mouth of God. So it is with other feelings. Reason sins in opinions; he again cleanses the former evil, bowing down to correct philosophizing. Aqueous pots are "stone" either because our composition is made of earth, or because the intended containers of such wine must be hard and indestructible. Paul's mind was a stone waterpot even at the time when he persecuted, for he was zealous for the traditions of his fathers more than all his peers (Gal. 1:14); and at the time when he preached, for he had such power in words that the Lycaonians, as the first in word, considered him to be Hermias (Acts 14:12).

When the steward had tasted the water that had become wine, and he did not know where the wine came from, only the servants who drew the water knew, then the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every man first gives good wine, and when they are drunk, then the worst, and you have kept the good wine until now."

The master of the feast asks not the servants, but the bridegroom. Why? Of course, according to the Divine dispensation. If he had asked the ministers, they would certainly have discovered the miracle; but no one would have believed them, for it was the beginning of signs, and no one had yet a great understanding of Christ, so that no one would have believed if the ministers had told of the miracle. However, when after this He performed other miracles, the present was to be made reliable, and the ministers who told everyone about Him could gradually gain confidence. For this reason the Lord arranged it so that it was not the ministers who were questioned, but the bridegroom. The Lord did not just create wine from water, but beautiful wine. For the miracles of Christ are such that they are far superior to what is done by nature. That the water was transformed into wine is testified by the ministers who drew the water; that it was beautiful – the master of the feast. All these things were preached in the course of time, and those who heard of them had to be convinced very firmly.

By "wine" you can understand the teaching of the Gospel, and by "water" everything that preceded the Gospel, which was very watery and did not have the perfection of the Gospel teaching. Let me give an example: the Lord gave man various laws, one in paradise (Gen. 2:16-17), another under Noah (Gen. 9), a third under Abraham about circumcision (Gen. 17), a fourth through Moses (Exodus 19:20), and a fifth through the prophets. All these laws, in comparison with the accuracy and power of the Gospel, are watery, if anyone understands them simply and literally. But if anyone delves into their spirit and understands what is hidden in them, he will find water transformed into wine. For he who discerns spiritually what is said simply and understood by many literally, will undoubtedly find in this water the beautiful wine, which is afterwards drunk and preserved by the bridegroom Christ, since the Gospel has appeared in the last times.

Thus Jesus began the miracles in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

That the Lord began to work miracles after His baptism, we have spoken about this before. But it seems that He performed the first miracle precisely by transforming water into wine. For it is said: "Thus He laid the "beginning" of miracles. But another will say: if this miracle is the beginning of miracles, then not all of them, but only those performed in Cana of Galilee; since He performed various miracles in Cana, it is the beginning of them. Although we have much to confirm that the present miracle is the beginning of all miracles, because the words: "And He manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him" show that before this He did not perform another miracle by which He would manifest His glory; however, let us not argue whether it was the first miracle or another.

How did He manifest His glory? After all, few were present at this event, and it was not done in the presence of the people? But if not then, then later everyone should have heard about this miracle, as it is proclaimed to this day, and did not remain unknown. Understand the words: "His disciples believed in Him" in such a way that they had great and strongest faith in Him. Of course, they had believed before, but they did not believe so firmly.

After this He came to Capernaum, Himself and His Mother, and His brethren, and His disciples; and there they stayed a few days. The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and Jesus came to Jerusalem and found that oxen, sheep, and pigeons were being sold in the temple, and money changers were sitting. And having made a whip of cords, he drove out of the temple all the sheep and oxen; and scattered the money of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; And he said to those who sold doves, Take this from hence, and do not make my Father's house a house of trade. At this His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for Thy house devours Me" (Psalm 68:10).

The Lord comes to Capernaum for no other purpose than to leave His Mother there, so as not to lead her everywhere with Him. Since they went to Cana for the wedding, and the marriage took place, He returned the Mother to Capernaum to Her house. And that for this very reason the Lord comes to Capernaum is revealed from the fact that He stayed there for a few days, and did not perform miracles there, because the inhabitants of that city had no faith in Him, which is why the Lord in another place expresses woe to him (Matt. 11:23). – With the words: "Pascha was approaching," the Evangelist shows that Jesus was baptized shortly before Pascha. Having come to Jerusalem, He performs a deed that reveals complete autocracy, namely: He drives out of the temple those who sold sheep and oxen. Although Matthew (21:12-13) tells of this, know that He did it more than once. What is narrated in Matthew He does close to His sufferings, but the present – in John – He does at the beginning of the signs. Wherefore here he said with indulgence: "Do not make My Father's house a house of commerce." For the miracles were just beginning, and He did not yet have the boldness that miracles did. And there, that is, in Matthew, he says: "Do not make a den of thieves." He clearly called them robbers, as profiting by unjust means. For whoever values a thing of little value dearly, and on occasion takes advantage of the poor and widows (as those who buy up necessities and then sell afterwards do), what else does he do but rob, taking advantage of the misfortune of his neighbors? Why does He completely expel such people from the temple? Not without reason: He will heal on the Sabbath, and as it were break the law concerning it; therefore, lest He should then be considered an adversary of God, He now warns of such a thought. For whoever has shown such zeal for the temple will not reject God, the Lord of the temple. And he drove out, not simply, but by striking with a whip from the ropes, and overturned the tables, and scattered the money changers, and decided to do a very dangerous thing. And whoever puts himself in danger for the house of God will allow himself to depart from the law of God, not as an opponent of God, but, without a doubt, as the Son, who has equal authority with God and the Father, who gave the law of the Sabbath. Wherefore He did not say, "The house of God," but, "The house of My Father," showing that He, as the Son, has authority over all that belongs to the Father. Moneychangers are those who sell small coins or nummas. Like the merchants of that time, many of the high priests sin: when they sell "oxen" in the church, not giving honor to those who are distinguished in the teacher's word, but giving it to those who wish to do evil, when they sell "sheep" – the common and ordinary people, "doves" – spiritual gifts, and when they place to the highest degree those who give more; such the Lord "drives out" of the sanctuary, finding them unworthy of the high priesthood according to His judgment. Likewise, if someone sells a large or small coin, that is, an opinion and a word, and being a teacher, but not foreseeing the benefit, does not proclaim the word of the Gospel, then the Lord "overturns" both his "table," that is, the title of teacher, and the teaching, which he withholds out of malice, not giving it to everyone; while the Lord Jesus dismisses such a person from power, and places another worthy one on the teacher's table. The disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for thy house devours me" (Psalm 68:10). A little more time they grow in goodness, and already they remember passages from the Scriptures, and, finding evidence in them, they are more and more confirmed in their knowledge of Christ.

And the Jews said, "By what sign wilt thou prove to us that thou hast authority to do such things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." And the Jews said, "This temple has been built for forty-six years, and you will build it in three days?" And He spoke of the temple of His body. And when He rose from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had spoken these things, and believed the Scriptures and the word that Jesus had spoken.

When the Jews saw that the Lord was doing this with great authority, and said, "Do not make my Father's house a market," they said, "Assure us by some miracle that you are the Son of God, and that you have been sent by him." For how can it be seen that the Lord of this house is Thy Father? And He answered them in a flowing way, saying: "Destroy this temple," no doubt speaking of His body, because in it dwelt all the Divinity of the Only-begotten. By the word "destroy" he does not encourage them to kill (away with such a thought!), but, knowing their intention to do so, hints at what will happen without delay. Let the Arians also hear how the Lord and the destroyer of death says: "I will raise up." He did not say, "The Father will raise up," but "I" will raise up using my own power, and not needing someone else's from outside. But the Jews, thinking that He is speaking of a soulless temple, laugh at Him. How, they say, do you say that you will raise it up in three days, when it was built for forty-six years? It should be known that when the temple was first built under Solomon, then everything was needlessly completed in twenty years. Later, when the Jews were allowed to build the temple after their captivity, they began to renew it during the reign of Cyrus; then, meeting with an obstacle from the envious, they continued the construction until the reign of Artaxerxes; under him, enjoying complete security, they could finish this matter with great difficulty. But when it is said that the Jews held a spear in one hand and a building tool in the other, they were so much in fear of the neighboring Idumeans, and not of the Persians, for they enjoyed complete safety from them, that is, from the Persians, as I have said. Of this building, which took place after the captivity, it is said that it lasted forty-six years, because the Jews were hindered, and therefore they extended it from the reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes. And it is not surprising that the Jews did not understand Jesus' words, as did the disciples. For them there were two great difficulties: one was that the matter of the resurrection was very incomprehensible, especially since they did not know it at all; the other is that he who lives in the body is God. However, after the resurrection, the disciples understood and believed the Scriptures. What Scripture? And to everyone who precedes the resurrection, and, as the clearest, this: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Psalm 15:10), and this: "The Lord desires to cleanse him from his wound, and to show him light" (Isaiah 53:11). For these passages of Scripture very clearly precede the resurrection. Apollinaris tries to find here a defense of his heresy. Wishing to confirm that the flesh of the Lord was without a soul, he says: the flesh is called a temple, but the temple is soulless; therefore, it is also soulless. Thunderstruck and spinning! Thou shalt make the flesh of the Lord, perhaps, both trees and stones, since the temple is made of them?! When you hear the words of the Lord: "My soul is now troubled" (John 12:27) and "I have power to lay down My life" (John 10:18), how do you understand them? If you say that this is not said about the verbal and rational soul, then where do you put the words: "Father! into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46)? Will you understand this about the foolish soul? And this: "Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell" (Psalm 15:10), what do you think? But perish with your like-minded people.

And when he was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many saw the miracles which he wrought, and believed in his name. But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew them all, and had no need for anyone to bear witness to man; for He Himself knew what was in man.

Chapter Three