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“There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee... And when the Lord came there, he said to Him... Mother: there is no wine here... He said to Her... Jesus: what do I and You have, Woman? My time has not yet come” (cf. John 2:1-4), - that is, I do not act by force, but let them themselves notice that there is not enough wine, and everyone will want to drink; He said so in order to demonstrate His gift in their glorious eyes. Mary was hasty, for which reason he brought Her to his senses. Or: “The time has not come for Me” - (meaning) that is, the time of His death. Namely, since (if) the guests got drunk (John 2:10), then He would hardly have escaped torment if He had poured out His gifts on them by force; for then was (only yet) the beginning of His Gospel 80 . And since Mary thought that the reason for His miracles was the desire to gain glory and honor for Himself from the crowd of Jews, therefore He said: “My time has not come” (cf. John 2:4). For he did not do the deed according to the calculation that Mary was thinking about, but rather (because) he wanted to suppress this thought of Hers. However, Mary knew about the miracle that He intended to perform, since Scripture says: “she kept everything... in Her heart” (Luke 2:51), and also: “(everything) that My Son says... do to you” (cf. John 2:5). Mary saw that there was a shortage of wine, and knew that it was not without a reason that He came to this wedding. The Greek text says: “he lay down, and there was not enough wine” (cf. John 2:3). And when the Mother told Him about this, Jesus replied: “My time has not come” (cf. John 2:4), that is, it has precisely come. From this, Mary learned that He would perform a sign there, and when Jesus rebuked her bewilderment, she said this to the servants: “Whatever He tells you, do it” (cf. John 2:5) 81. Further, they say that Mary was sad because those who celebrated the marriage had to bring wine on the occasion of His coming, and (therefore) said: they abhor You, since through Your fault they fell into ridicule. He brought them to shame, because (those present) will hear that You came when they lacked wine. “He says to Him: Son, there is no wine here... He says to Her... Jesus: What do I and You have, Woman?” (cf. John 2:3–4) - What bad did Mary say? Mary, they say, doubted His word, because she said: “There is no wine here,” - therefore (He answered): “What do I and You, Woman?” That Mary understood that Christ intended to perform a miracle when He answered Her in this way is evident from the words She spoke to the servants: “Whatever he says... to you... do” (cf. John 2:5). Also: “The time had not come for Me” (cf. John 2:4) - means that after showing His power in the desert by victory over the enemy, He appeared at the wonderful marriage as a giant, destined to perform a wondrous thing. Mary went to become the executor of His will instead of the apostles, and since She could neither predict nor warn His word, he stopped Her because she was hasty. “My time has not come” (cf. John 2:4), that is, (when) they want to drink and it turns out that there is not enough wine, then a miraculous sign will happen. So after His victory over the underworld, when the Mother saw Him, (then) she wanted to hug Him like a Mother (John 20:11–17) 82. And when Mary followed Him even to the Cross, from that day he handed Her over to John, saying: “Woman, behold Thy son,” and to the disciple: “Behold, Thy Mother” (John 19:26–27), with which words he again forbade Her to approach Him, since he said: From now on John is Thy son 83. Why did the Lord at the beginning of His signs transform (change) the nature of water? To show that the Deity, who transformed nature in the water-pots, also changed nature in the womb of the Virgin, just as at the end of His signs He opened the tomb, in order to show that the greed of death did not prevail over Him. He confirmed both great changes, that is, in His birth and death, as if with a seal, when the water, which according to its nature undergoes transformation (into wine) in the vine, turned (into it) in stone waterpots without any assistance from nature, just as His flesh was miraculously conceived in the Virgin and wonderfully created without a husband. So, he made wine from water (in order) to assure everyone of how His conception and birth took place. He called six water-bearers (John 2:6) as a witness to the one Virgin who gave birth to Him. The water-carriers conceived in a new way, not according to their custom, and gave birth to wine, and gave birth no more. So the Virgin conceived and gave birth to Emmanuel, and gave birth no more. The birth (of wine) by water carriers was the birth from little into much, from lack into abundance, from pure water into good wine; Mary's conception took place from abundance to poverty, from glory to disgrace. In addition, these waterpots were like springs, representing and signifying the purification of the Jews; The Lord mixed in with them the knowledge of His teaching in order to show that He came, of course, through the law and the prophets, but at the other end (in order) to change everything in the same way with His teaching, just as He changed water into wine there. And this says: “every man first serves ... good wine, then worse” (cf. John 2:10), in order to make it clear that what preceded was, as it were, a granary 84, since “the law was given through Moses; But grace and truth came through Jesus” (John 1:17). The earthly bridegroom called the heavenly bridegroom, and the Lord, having prepared Himself for marriage, came to the marriage. He who prepared a meal for the whole universe in His Kingdom was called to those reclining, and gave them the gift of marriage, so that they might be comforted. He did not disdain the riches of the poverty of those who could not offer even worse wine according to the number of those invited, and if something from His abundance had not been poured out on them, they would have risen from the feast thirsty and sad. But in His turn, the Lord called them to marriage, just as He Himself was called together with the disciples. However, although He repeatedly reclined at their table, their souls despised His meal, just as their fathers turned away from the manna in the wilderness (Num. 11:4-6). The angels ate from the table of Abraham and Lot (Gen. 18:1–8, 19:1–3), and the Lord did not disdain to eat and drink with them. They called Him and came to them, but (when) He called them, they did not want to come to Him for marriage. They called Him, and He did not refuse; He called them, and they refused His feast (Luke 14:15–20). He honored those who invited, but they despised the inviters. He gave joy to those called (to marriage), and they killed His servants. He made up for the lack (of wine) at the marriage, but they rejected His entire meal. He made them glad with good wine; they grieved and angered Him; instead of the most pleasant wine they gave Him gall (Matthew 27:34) and vinegar (Matthew 27:48, Mark 15, etc.) Having been called, the Lord did not come with the others who were called, who preceded Him, in order to destroy the first and worst wine, but then He came to bring (with Him) the most pleasant wine. The Lord was called together with others, since His appearance did not distinguish him from them, and he performed a miraculous sign, through which they learned that by His nature He was not equal to them. For if His appearance led them to the idea of ​​His equality with them, then, at the same time, He taught them with His miraculous sign that He was greater than them. Silently he turned the water into wine, so that His Divine silence would turn the master of the feast into a messenger, joyfully announcing this joy to those reclining. For wine by its nature makes (a person) happy. Since His command quickly made wine, which was superior in taste to all types of wine, therefore, for the sake of (this) superiority, they asked and found out who was its lord and creator. The winner, returning from the battle, received the marriage with his feast on the third day, in order to teach that after victory the victors would have joy. This incident, at the same time, clearly shows that Christ, although he was invited as a third-party guest, is (in fact) the Lord of the marriage, for He filled up the deficiency in the marriage with His word, which makes up for everything that is imperfect. Moreover, in that miracle, the Lord did not create a completely new thing and did not limit His action to the same old thing as it was before, for he did not offer them water instead of wine to drink, but also did not go completely beyond the boundaries of that thing, for the wine that he made was made from the water that was created (previously). So, he did not show there a newly created thing, but he changed the same old thing, so that by changing it he would show himself as its Master, and so that from the fact that no one else had made it, they would understand that it was not despised or rejected (by Him). In the same way, at the end of time, the same creatures will be renewed, since that will, which with one command immediately changed simple water into pleasant wine, at the end of time will be able to restore to the whole creation a form whose goodness is inexpressible 85 . And, finally, he performed this miracle in order to teach, by changing rough things into attractive ones, that they are not evil by nature, but that their Creator is wise by His nature, for He knew that it was necessary to create things for testing and correction, that is, so that the righteous would be tempted and achieve reward, while criminals would be corrected and thus benefit. For He who, by His command, made the all-destroying fire from a destroyer into a sweet comforter, 86 He at the end of time will command harmful things, and they will become useful, and he will give command to evil things, and they will produce joy. First, He accustomed the mouths of people to the taste of His wine, in order to later conquer their hearing and lead (it) to the perception of His sweet teaching. “The time is fulfilled” (cf. Mark 1:15), that is, those times that passed in the succession of generations. The first period (extended) from Adam to Noah with the union that the Sethites (descendants of Seth) established, when they separated from the family of Cainites (descendants of Cain) and moved away from it. The second period is from Noah to Abraham, when it was forbidden to eat blood. “Let you,” says (the Lord), “all... like... the herbs of the field, only blood with soul... do not eat” (cf. Gen. 9:3-4). From the time of Abraham to Moses there was a period of circumcision outside the law, and from Moses to the appearance of Christ there was a period of law; From now on, the times have come to an end, since there is no longer anyone who could change and continue 87. Moreover, in primitive times, from Abel to Noah, arbitrary gifts were brought (to God). “He will comfort us,” he says, “with his sacrifices” (cf. Gen. 5:29). Then (after the flood) Noah made a sacrifice on an altar built on Mount Cordui (cf. Gen. 8:20) 88. This was followed by the sacrifice of Abraham on the mountain of the Amorites (Gen. 22:1-19), Jacob in Bethel (Gen. 28:18-19), Joshua (Joshua) in the middle of the Jordan River at the place of passage (Josh. 4:9); then the sacrifices in Shiloh, where the tabernacle was erected (Josh. 18:1), and after this - the sacrifice of Solomon in the first temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:5, 2 Chronicles 6:12), and the sacrifice of Christ, which He established in His Church until the end of the age, for it no longer changes. Because “he has fulfilled this time” (cf. Mark 1:15), because “from this time,” as the evangelist says, “the Kingdom of God will be preached” (cf. Luke 16:16). Or: “all times are fulfilled” (cf. Mark 1:15), that is, the times of Israel. “His disciples... baptized and” (cf. John 3:22, 4:2), since they themselves were baptized, for it could not be that they baptized others without being baptized themselves, which he teaches in the following words: (those) “who are baptized lack nothing” (cf. John 13:10). This, if you like, can be attributed to the fact that they were baptized with water, otherwise listen to what he said to them: “You are clean through my word that I spoke to you” (cf. John 15:3). So, you must agree that the word of Christ was baptism for them, for baptism itself is sanctified by the same word, just as John was sanctified and sanctified the baptism entrusted to him by the command that he received (Luke 3:2). Others say that instead of baptism for them it was when He gave them (His) Body. After all, how could they baptize or be baptized if they did not have faith in His Flesh and Blood? For as a warning he said to them: “Unless you eat His Flesh and drink His Blood, you have no life” (cf. John 6:53), and when they became angry and grumbled, Jesus “said to the twelve: Do you also want to go away? And Simon answered Him: “We have believed and known” (cf. John 6:67–69) 89. How did they believe, if not through the same means through which other Jews could believe in Him, that is, listen to Him and understand? He chose James 90, a publican, to give his comrades the determination to follow Christ. He saw sinners and called them, and commanded them to recline with Him. A wonderful sight! The angels stand before Him with fear, and the tax collectors recline with Him with joy. Blessed spirits tremble at His greatness, and sinners eat and drink with Him. The scribes, burned with hatred, are distressed, but the tax collectors rejoice in mercy. He saw heaven and was amazed, he saw hell and went mad with rage. Satan saw and was exhausted, he saw death and lost his strength, the scribes saw and went away ashamed, the Pharisees saw and were embarrassed. There was joy in heaven and rejoicing among the angels, for the enemies were subdued, the disobedient were brought into obedience, sinners were restored, and publicans were justified. Although others reproached Him (Matthew 16:22), He did not reject the shame of the cross, and although His enemies laughed at Him (Matthew 9:11, Luke 15:1-2, etc.), He did not withdraw from the company of tax collectors, but despised ridicule and despised praise, both accomplishing the salvation of people. “We labored all night” (Luke 5:5) - which words denote the teaching of the prophets, sent down from above into the world, which is represented by the image of the sea. The two boats are circumcision and foreskin. And that “they gave a sign to their companions” (Luke 5:7), (this) mysteriously (designates) the seventy-two disciples, since the (twelve) apostles were not enough for the catch and harvest (Luke 5:10, John 4:35–37). “When the Lord saw their faith, he said to him, “Your sins have been forgiven” (cf. Matt. 9:2). Note that the faith of some brings comfort to others. He did not demand faith from the sick man himself, because he was like a destroyed building and did not realize his situation, just as he does not demand anything from that only son, but from his father (Luke 9:38), and from that daughter, but from the Canaanite mother, who says: “and the dogs are fed" (cf. Matt. 15:27). So, let Your care 91 be for the salvation of our soul, when we ask for this, so that our soul does not relax and suffer in the same way as this (sick) one was weakened and suffered torment because of his sins. Indeed, the word of the Lord of all comes to him, and cleanses and heals him: cleanses his secret sins and heals his visible ones. his flesh, and thus through visible and hidden deeds it became clear that He (Christ) is God in the hidden and man in the visible, for from His external human image it was obvious that He was a man, and because of His internal greatness it was probable that He was God. “Your sins have been forgiven” (cf. Matt. 9:2). What sins did he forgive? Of course, those that he committed against Him. So, in what way was He hostile to the law? And what did the people owe to Him or to His Father, who did not feel His power in any matter: neither in righteousness, nor in legislation (cf. Acts 17:27) 92? So, how did Jesus forgive sins, who enter into debt to the God of the law, if he was not united with Him by birth 93? Obviously, this says that He is His Son. Since the paralytic sinned against Him, he punished him in the flesh 94, they say: why was it necessary for the Lord to say: “He has forgiven you your sins” (cf. Matt. 9:2)? Of course, He would not have needed this if he (the patient) had been struck by relaxation not because of sins 95 . And why did He forgive him if the paralytic was not His debtor? Or: if he was not His debtor, then what benefit was it to him that the Lord said: “Thy sins be forgiven thee?” For even if the sins were not forgiven, they would not have harmed the paralytic in the least, as long as by mercy and goodness he was freed from punishment 96 . After this, the Scripture also says the following: “the Pharisees... and the scribes complain and say:... with publicans and sinners... you eat and drink. The Lord said to them: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (cf. Luke 5:30–32). And it is known beyond any doubt that among Israel there were healthy and righteous people 97. (This means) the feat of Jesus, who exhausted Himself for the sake of people and healed and justified them, is not contrary to the law. And as for the pagans, they, too, in all respects turned out to be healthy and righteous on earth before their Creator, and (therefore) there was no need for the one who appeared after 98, for the healthy do not need a doctor, and the righteous do not need grace. All the time that our Lord spent on this earth, he compares it with the bridal chamber, and himself with the Bridegroom: “the groom’s companions cannot fast while the groom... is with them” (cf. Mark 2:19). “Behold, your disciples do on the Sabbath day what they ought not to do” (cf. Matt. 12:2). But first the Lord instructed them and made them righteous in the truth, so that they would not be too surprised when He destroys the law with the fullness of His teaching. His Father destroyed it in order to show that the creation (of the world), industry and the economy of the law belonged to Him, and in order to certify that it (the law) was the medicine of cutting off, which the true physician offered to those afflicted with diseases from head to toe 99 . “They began to pluck the ears of corn, grind them, and eat them” (cf. Matt. 12:1). Here is given (to us) an example and a certain sample 100. For the law forbade eating of the first fruits until they were brought to the altar (Ex. 23:19, 34:26, Deut. 14:23). And they took and ate the fruit of the firstfruits, which before the harvest should have been taken to the priests (Deut. 18:4, Neh. 10:37, Ezek. 44:30). The Pharisees were not so wise as to blame the disciples on this matter, but, as it is written, they blamed them for ruining the Sabbath. With truly clear evidence, the Lord contrasted them with the example of King David (Matthew 12:3–4, 1 Sam. 21:4–6), how he was not punished for such an action, as well as for some others. David should not have eaten 101 because he was not a priest 102 - although David, of course, was a priest, (but) because he was the abode of the Holy Spirit. And when they, of course, did not come to their senses, then he clearly exposed them from his own actions, saying: “Their priests in the church violate the Sabbath and are without sin” (cf. Matt. 12:5). But the Lord also showed us something else. Before the persecution, David should not have approached the sacred; when they began to persecute him, he received the power to take it and eat it. In the same way, the Lord, after His persecution, divided His Flesh and His Blood to His disciples and faithful. “The Sabbath was created for the sake of man” (cf. Mark 2:27), for rest occurs after six days, and therefore for the sake of man, because for this reason (Saturday) received its name (that is, man was created on the sixth day). So, the Sabbath was not established for the sake of God, but for the sake of man, and therefore the man who gave it is its lord. The meaning of this place is as follows: since then it was still only the beginning of His Gospel, and Christ had not yet revealed himself in His miracles as God, then by the drunken guests He could have been mistaken for a sorcerer and killed if He had performed a miracle at the wrong time. The thought of Saint Ephraim, apparently, is this: Mary knew that Christ would perform a miracle at the wedding, but at what time and how it would be performed, she was perplexed about it. When she saw that there was not enough wine, she doubted that a miracle would really be performed here, and therefore said: “They... have no wine” (John 2:3). Christ answered: “My time has not come” (cf. John 2:4), that is, there is no time for Me, or: it is not necessary for My time to come, since it has already come and is always there. From these words, Mary understood that Her doubt had no reason for itself, and therefore said to the servants: “whatever she tells you, do it” (cf. John 2:5). Mary, the Mother of the Lord, is here confused with Mary Magdalene, which often occurs in these interpretations of St. Ephraim. The holy author thinks that Mary wanted to approach the Son crucified on the Cross and embrace Him, but was restrained by the words of Christ, who entrusted Her to John. Literally: “to restore the taste, the sweetness of which is indescribable.” Those. to the youths in the cave (Dan.2). So it is in Saint Ephraim’s interpretations of the book of Genesis. The meaning of the last words of Saint Ephraim, apparently, is this: some think that for the apostles, instead of baptism, the Eucharistic Body of Christ served, basing their opinion on the close connection of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism. For, on the one hand, for baptism, which the apostles themselves received and gave to others, faith in the Eucharist is necessary, as is clear from the words of Christ, but, on the other hand, we must agree that baptism necessarily precedes participation in the Eucharist or is combined with it in one action. It should be noted that Saint Ephraim gives here the opinion of “others”, and not his own This is how it is read in both Armenian manuscripts. These words contain a prayer to Christ. These words refute the delusions of the Marcionites, who considered the creation of the world and legislation to be the work not of Christ and His Father, but of another god hostile to the human race. Those. how could Jesus forgive sins against the law if He is not the God of the law? According to another reading: “Iaisva”. If the Marcionites say: why did the Lord need to say: “Your sins are forgiven”? - you should answer like this: to show that sin was the cause of the sickness of the paralytic. That is if the sins had been committed by the paralytic not against Christ, but against another god, then there would be no need to forgive him them, but it would only be enough to heal him. Saint Ephraim again directs his speech against the Marcionites. Isaiah 1:6: “From the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no healthy place for him, Israel.” That is This example shows that the Old Testament ritual law was abolished by Christ. Holy bread (cf. Ex. 29:32). He was not a priest by birth, since he did not belong to the family of Levi and Aaron. You might be interested in: