At a wedding in Cana, the wine ran out. Mary turned to Jesus, the servants filled six stone jars with water, and the Savior’s first recorded miracle showed His glory.
Jesus, His disciples and His mother, Mary, were guests at a wedding in Cana, a village in Galilee. Partway through the celebration the wine ran out. Mary told Jesus, “They have no wine.” He answered that His hour had not yet come, but Mary turned to the servants and said, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
Six large stone jars stood nearby, used for Jewish washing rituals. Jesus told the servants to fill them with water, and they filled them to the brim. When the man in charge of the feast tasted it, it had become wine, better than what had been served before. This was the first of His miracles, and His disciples believed on Him.
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: a guest who showed His glory
Mary: His mother, who trusted Him
The servants: who filled the jars and knew the secret
The ruler of the feast: who tasted the good wine
Where and when
A wedding in Cana of Galilee, near the very start of Jesus’s ministry.
Watch for the Savior
Watch who does the ordinary part, and who does the miracle.
Eight stops from the wedding to His glory. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
Part 2 of 7
The story, plainly
Four scenes: running out, filling the jars, the taste, and belief. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
John 2:3“when they Meaning: lacked, ran out of. wine”
John 2:4“Meaning: a respectful way to address a woman, as Elder Talmage explains.”
John 2:6“six Meaning: large water jars. of stone”
John 2:6“two or three Meaning: a measure of about nine gallons. apiece”
John 2:8“the Meaning: the man in charge of the banquet.”
John 2:11“Meaning: showed openly. his glory”
Part 3 of 7
Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. The ring, the empty cup, the hourglass, the pointing hand, the jar, the brim, the ladle, the goblet and the sun. John 2:1–11
Part 4 of 7
Where are you?
Running out, waiting, doing the ordinary, or seeing His glory. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Who did what?
Everyone at the wedding had a part. Tap each card to see what they said or did, then add your own part.
“Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” John 2:5
Part 5 of 7
Their world, their words
A little background on weddings and stone jars helps the miracle come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Church resource · Student manual
Stone jars
“Vessels made of stone retained their ritual purity, while ceramic vessels could become ritually impure.”4
Jars for washing, not for wine.
Church resource · Student manual
How much?
A firkin “was about nine gallons,” so the six pots “could have held between 100 and 160 gallons.”4
He gave abundantly.
Church resource · Talmage
“Woman”
Elder James E. Talmage: “its use was really an expression of opposite import,” honor, not harshness.4
He said it again from the cross.
Church resource · JST
What wilt thou?
The Joseph Smith Translation of John 2:4: “Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do.”4
The same word Jesus used from the cross when He tenderly gave His mother into John’s care.2
Word study · English
firkin “firkins” (John 2:6)
The student manual: a firkin “was about nine gallons (34 liters).”4
Six jars of two or three firkins each. He didn’t just fix the problem; He filled it to overflowing.1
What the text does not say
John doesn’t say how the water changed, or even when. He tells us who acted on His word: Mary trusted, the servants filled the jars, and only they knew where the good wine came from. The quiet obedience is part of the miracle.1
Part 6 of 7
Look to Him
He cares about ordinary needs, He works in the Father’s timing, and He saves the best for last.
“She had unshakable confidence in Him and in His divine power.”
“Can it be thought that in this supreme moment, our Lord’s concern for the mother from whom He was about to be separated by death was associated with any emotion other than that of honor, tenderness and love?”
Elder James E. Talmage, quoted in the student manual4
Jesus (John 19)
At the cross
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!” John 19:26
King Benjamin (Book of Mormon)
A changed nature
We can become new “through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” The One who changed water can change hearts. Mosiah 3:19
Part 7 of 7
Seek Him today
A question to ask in prayer
What is He asking me to do right now, even if it seems ordinary? John 2:5
Listen for a simple, clear task. Then fill your jar to the brim.
Try it today
One way to do whatever He says each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven days of filling the jars. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
Read John 2:3–7 slowly. Picture yourself as one of the servants carrying water. What would it feel like to watch Him change it? John 2:3–7
A verse to hold
Talk about it
What problem did the wedding family have?
What did Mary tell the servants?
What did the servants have to do?
What can this miracle teach us about how Jesus changes us?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Church leader
Elder L. Whitney Clayton, “Whatsoever He Saith unto You, Do It” (2017)
Mary’s trust at Cana, and how obedience in advance brings miracles into our lives.5
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in John 2:1–11; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
