经文研读
John 2:11 — The First Sign at Cana
John 2:11 identifies the water-to-wine miracle as the first of Jesus' signs, revealing his glory and grounding the disciples' faith in him.
经文
- 11.這 是 耶 穌 所 行 的 頭 一 件 神 蹟 ， 是 在 加 利 利 的 迦 拿 行 的 ， 顯 出 他 的 榮 耀 來 ； 他 的 門 徒 就 信 他 了 。This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
这段经文的意思
Verse 11 functions as the narrator's editorial conclusion to the wedding-at-Cana narrative (verses 1–10). It names the miracle as 'the beginning of his signs' — a deliberate Johannine framing. The Greek construction (as reflected in the English translation) marks this as the first in a sequence, signaling that what follows in the Gospel is a curated selection of works meant to point beyond themselves to who Jesus is.
The verse makes two explicit claims about what the sign accomplishes. First, Jesus 'manifested his glory' — the same glory later referenced in the resurrection and in John's prologue. Second, the disciples 'believed on him.' In John's vocabulary, believing is not a one-time decision but a continuing orientation; here it is grounded in a concrete act they witnessed, not in a doctrine they were taught.
Calling the event a 'sign' rather than a 'miracle' is a textual detail the verse preserves. Signs are observable acts that carry meaning beyond themselves; they invite interpretation. The narrator tells the reader what the sign means — glory revealed — so that the reader, like the disciples, is led to faith.
背景
Verses 1–10 set the scene: at a wedding in Cana of Galilee where the wine has run out, Jesus transforms water in six stone jars used for Jewish purification into wine. The ruler of the feast, tasting the result, comments on the unexpected quality of the wine. The reader has witnessed the act; verse 11 then tells the reader what the act means.
Verses 12–25 provide the wider context. After Cana, Jesus goes briefly to Capernaum, then to Jerusalem for the Passover, where he clears the temple and speaks of raising 'this temple' in three days — words the disciples later connect to his body and resurrection (verse 22). The chapter closes by noting that many believed in Jerusalem because of his signs, yet Jesus did not entrust himself to them (verses 23–25). The Cana sign, then, is the opening move in a Gospel that repeatedly weighs signs and the faith they provoke.
常见问题
Why is this miracle called the 'beginning' of his signs?
The verse explicitly identifies it as the first of Jesus' signs. John presents the public ministry as a sequence of selected signs, and this one — the water-to-wine at Cana — is the opening example, marking the point from which the following signs unfold in the Gospel.
What does 'manifested his glory' mean here?
The verse says Jesus revealed his glory through this sign. Within the Gospel's vocabulary, glory is the visible presence of who he is; the sign at Cana makes that glory perceptible in a concrete event, so that those present — and the reader — can recognize it.
How is the disciples' belief described in this verse?
The verse states that the disciples believed on him as a result of the sign. The connection is causal: they witnessed the act, and the result was faith. The verse does not say they fully understood everything, only that they believed — trust grounded in what they had seen Jesus do.