John 2:4-12 – Bible Study & Exploration
My Hour Has Not Yet Come
(Verses 4-12) Let’s look at the last part of Jesus’ response to His mother Mary in regard to the wine situation.
Jesus finishes His reply to Mary by saying, “My hour has no yet come.” As we examine this, it’s important that we associate His response to how He’s about to speak to the Pharisee’s, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman in the coming chapters.
Jesus has begun His ministry. This ministry is about doing the business of His Father. This business is about bringing the message of the Kingdom of God to mankind. In order to do this, Jesus will speak from the spirit and not the flesh. The kingdom of God is of spiritual things while the world is of the flesh.
This is why Jesus’ answer, at first glance doesn’t appear to match the request or the statement that was made that prompted Jesus’ answer. You’ll see this more clearly when we examine His response to the Pharisee’s in the temple court, Nicodemus and then to the Samaritan woman.
When Mary was referring to the fact that they were out of wine, she was making a worldly request for help. Jesus’ concern is not of this world but in the kingdom of heaven and spreading that message that He has been tasked to share.
Even though Jesus’ reply to Mary didn’t quite correspond with her request, He would still go on to perform His first recorded miracle. He changed the water into wine. He did do so in order to begin to show His glory to mankind. He did this slowly and in a well timed fashion in order to preserve the time set aside for His hour.
What Is Jesus’ Hour?
Jesus’ hour would come when he had accomplished the spreading of the message of the kingdom of God. And when He had set up His disciples to take over that message along with the message of His crucifixion and resurrection so that they might send it out to the world.
In His hour, He would extend the final covenant with mankind by sharing with His disciples a cup of wine. This cup of wine would symbolize His blood that was about to be shed on the cross for all mankind for the forgiveness of sins. By accepting the covenant, the disciples would take it and drink from it. Then, the covenant was sealed and the disciples became the first members of the church of Christ. The bride of the Lamb. These would be those who will be gathered together (rapture) by Christ before the beginning of the tribulation period.
It Was Not the Hour for Jesus’ Covenant
This is why Jesus had no need for wine at the wedding of Cana. He was thinking of heavenly things, such as His covenant with mankind. It wasn’t time for that, therefore He had no need for wine.
Once this covenant is established forever throughout mankind, Christ’s hour will continue with Him being handed over to be persecuted then put to death on the cross. All for the purpose of baring the weight of our sins and so that He might defeat death and be the first fruits of the resurrection. In this way, all those who accept the blood of His one time sacrifice on the cross, we’ll follow in His resurrection footprints. Paul explains it best.
”But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
Paul explains more clearly the order of the resurrection. He does it in his letter to the Thessalonians. It will occur at the time that Christ returns to gather together (rapture) His church to remove them from the world as it’s prepared to receive the wrath that has been stored up by God.
“According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)