Evidence in Jn 2:1–12 that the Cana Wedding is not Jesus’ Wedding. In its present form the Cana story
cannot report Jesus’ marriage. First, a bridegroom invites guests, he is not
invited to his own wedding; yet, Jesus is “invited” to the wedding. Second,
Jesus’ rather harsh response to his mother, who remains anonymous throughout
the Johannine narrative, points to the Jesus story developed by the Fourth
Evangelist: “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
Jesus’ hour is a theme of the Fourth Evangelist (cf. 7:30–31; 8:20; 12:23–33;
16:2; and 17:1). The full Johannine narrative alone explains Jesus’ words to
his mother; as W. Meeks pointed out, the reader of John “cannot understand any
part of the Fourth Gospel until he understands the whole.” Third, after the
head waiter tastes the better wine he calls “the bridegroom” and complains to
him—even criticizes him—for keeping the good wine until last. The implication
is that the bridegroom cannot be Jesus. Fourth, the “first” of Jesus’ signs
manifested Jesus’ glory, as being from above (3:13–16), a Johannine theme.
Fifth, the culmination of the story is clear: “and his disciples believed in
him.” C. H. Dodd explained correctly that the good wine represented the
revealed knowledge of God made possible in Jesus; thus, the Cana story “is
highly theological in character.” (James H. Charlesworth, “Is It Conceivable
that Jesus Married Magdalene?: Searching for Evidence in Johannine Traditions,”
in Jesus as Mirrored: The Genius in the New Testament [London: T&T
Clark, 2019], 476-77)
