ine; and when men have drunk freely, then that
which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now. This
beginning of His signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested
His glory; and His disciples believed on Him."--JOHN ii. 1-11.

Having recorded the testimony borne to Jesus by the Baptist, and having
cited instances in which the overmastering personality of Jesus elicited
from simple-hearted and godly men the acknowledgment of His majesty,
John now proceeds to relate the homely incident which gave occasion to
the first public act in which His greatness was exhibited. Testimony
comes first; inward and intuitive recognition of the greatness declared
by that testimony second; perception that His works are beyond the reach
of human power comes last. But in the case of these first disciples,
while this order was indeed maintained, there was no great interval
between each step in it. It was but the "third day" after they had in
their hearts felt His impressiveness that He "manifested forth His
glory" to them in this first sign.

From the place where they first met Him to Cana of Galilee was a
distance of twenty-one or twenty-two miles.[9] Thither Jesus repaired to
be present at a marriage. His mother was already there, and when Jesus
arrived, accompanied by His new-found friends, all were invited to
remain and share in the festivities. Owing probably to this unexpected
increase to the number of the guests, the wine begins to fail. Among the
minor trials of life there are few which produce more awkwardness than
the failure to provide suitable entertainment for a specially festive
occasion. Mary, with the practised eye of a woman whose business it was
to observe such matters, and perhaps with a near relative's charge and
liberty in the house, perceives the predicament and whispers to her Son,
"They have no wine." This she said, not to hint that Jesus would do well
to retire with His too many friends, nor that He would cover the lack of
wine by brilliant conversation, but because she had ever been accustomed
to turn to this Son in all her difficulties, and now that she sees Him
acknowledged by others her own faith in Him is stimulated.

Considering the simple manner in which He had walked in, and taken His
place among the other guests, and partaken of the refreshment, and
joined in the conversation and mirth of the day, it would seem more
likely that she should have had no definite expectation as to the