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What is the meaning of the stone jars at Cana in John 2?

January 17, 2024January 16, 2024 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year B for Epiphany 3 is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. (The ecumenical lectionary has a reading for Mark instead, but in the Church of England version of the lectionary, it is the reading on Epiphany 3 in Year B … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 6 Comments

The meaning of the water turned to wine at Cana in John 2 video discussion

January 16, 2024January 15, 2024 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year B for Epiphany 3 is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. (The ecumenical version of the lectionary has a reading from Mark; in the Church of England version of the lectionary, it was also the reading on Epiphany 3 in … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 3 Comments

What is the wedding at Cana in John 2 all about?

January 26, 2023January 24, 2023 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year A for Epiphany 4 (which is also the reading in Year C for Epiphany 3) is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. (In the Church of England version of the lectionary, it was also the reading in Years B and C … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 7 Comments

Reading and preaching from John 2: a conversation

January 14, 2022January 12, 2022 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year C for Epiphany 3 is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. It offers us a good example of John’s remarkable ability in story-telling, where he combines an intense attention to realistic detail with powerful evocation of the scene. In 11 short … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 5 Comments

How should interpret the six stone water jars at Cana in John2?

January 13, 2022January 10, 2022 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year C for Epiphany 3 is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. (In the Church of England version of the lectionary, it was also the reading on Epiphany 3 in Year B, though the ecumenical lectionary had a reading for Mark … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 64 Comments

Are the six stone jars in John 2 historic or symbolic?

January 20, 2021January 19, 2021 by Ian Paul

The Sunday lectionary gospel in Year B (as well as in Year C) for Epiphany 3 is John 2.1–11, the ‘sign’ of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. It offers us a good example of John’s remarkable ability in story-telling, where he combines an intense attention to realistic detail with powerful … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies 13 Comments

How should we interpret the six stone jars in John 2?

January 18, 2019January 15, 2019 by Ian Paul

This Sunday’s lectionary gospel (for Epiphany 3) is John 2.1–11. So I reproduce here an edited version of the article I posted last July, with some additional comments about symbolism. The miracle of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana comes early in John’s gospel, in John 2.1–11, and it offers us … Continue Reading

Categories Biblical Studies, Preaching 60 Comments

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Find out more about Ian Paul

Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Associate Senior Research Fellow, Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod and Archbishops' Council. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo

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Recent Posts

  • Living in Love and Faith—a personal reflectionFebruary 3, 2026
  • Will God actually provide for our needs in Matthew 6?February 2, 2026
  • Longing for the new creation in Romans 8 video discussionFebruary 2, 2026
  • How the 144,000 in Rev 7 express the whole gospelJanuary 30, 2026
  • What does Jesus mean when he calls us to ‘repent’?January 29, 2026

Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A


My Recent Publications

  • P 180 What is Sex For?: A Pastoral Theology of Our Sexed Bodies
  • The New Testament's Vision of Mission
  • The Practice of Evangelical Spirituality
  • The Scriptures in the book of Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature
  • The Apocalypse of John among its critics
  • Exploring the New Testament
  • Revelation - Faithfulness in Testing Times
  • How to Interpret the Bible
  • Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Revelation
  • Kingdom, Hope and the End of the World
  • Grove: Women and Authority
  • Grove: Same Sex Unions
  • The Book of Revelation
  • Being Messy, Being Church
  • Grove: Evangelical Leadership

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Publications Ian Paul has written or contributed to.

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