1Two days later there was a wedding celebration in Cana town, in Galilee district. Jesus’ mother was there.
2Jesus and we his disciples were also there, because we had been invited {someone had invited us} also.
3When the guests had drunk all the wine that was there, Jesus’ mother said to him, “The wine is all gone; can you do something about that?”
4Jesus said to her, “Ma’am/Woman, ◄do not tell me what to do!/why do you tell me what to do?► [RHQ] It is not yet time [MTY] to show that I am the Messiah by working miracles.”
5Then Jesus’ mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you!”
6There were six empty stone jars there. The Jews habitually put water in them to use for washing things to make them acceptable to God. Each jar held ◄20 to 30 gallons/80 to 120 liters►.
7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water!” So they filled the jars to the brim.
8Then he told them, “Now, ladle out some of it and take it ◄to the head waiter/to the master of ceremonies►.” So the servants did that.
9◄The head waiter/The master of ceremonies► tasted the water, which had now become wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants who had ladled out the wine knew. The wine was delicious! So he called the bridegroom over,
10and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first. Then when the guests have drunk so much that they cannot tell the difference, they serve the cheap wine. But you have not done what others do. You have kept the best wine until now!”
11That was the first miracle that Jesus did. He did it in Cana town, in Galilee district. By doing it he showed how awesome he is, and as a result, we his disciples believed that he truly was the Messiah.
12Jesus then went down to Capernaum city with his mother and younger brothers and us his disciples. We stayed there several days.
13Later, when it was almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, Jesus and we his disciples went up to Jerusalem.
14There, in the Temple courtyard, he saw some men who were selling cattle, sheep, and pigeons for sacrifices. He also saw men who were sitting at tables, making a big profit as they gave people Temple tax coins in exchange for their Roman coins.
15Then Jesus made a whip from some cords and used it to chase out the sheep and cattle from the Temple courtyard. By overturning their tables he scattered the coins of the men who were exchanging them.
16He said to those who were selling doves, “Take these doves away from here! Stop defiling my Father’s Temple by making it a market!”
17Then we disciples remembered that these words had been written {that someone/David had written these words} in the Scriptures prophesying what the Messiah would say: “Others [PRS] will strongly oppose me because I greatly desire that people respect your Sacred Tent.”
18So one of the Jewish leaders [SYN] replied to him, “What miracle will you perform to show us that you have authority from God to do these things?”
19Jesus replied to them, “If/When you destroy this temple, I will build it again within three days.”
20So the Jewish leaders [SYN] said, “We have been building this Temple for 46 years and it is not finished yet! So ◄there is no way you will build it within three days!/how will you build it within three days?► [RHQ]”
21But when Jesus said that about the temple, he was really talking about his own body.
22Later, after Jesus had died and had become alive again, we his disciples remembered the words he had said. As a result, we believed what had been prophesied in the Scriptures about the Messiah becoming alive again, and we believed that what Jesus said was true.
23While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people came to believe that he was the Messiah because they saw the miracles he was performing.
24But he did not let them tell him what he should do as the Messiah, because he knew within himself what they were all thinking.
25He did not need anyone to tell him what others were thinking, because he already knew what they were thinking and wanting.