The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (114 page)

1:42 Cephas:
A rendering of the Aramaic word
kepha',
meaning "rock". With one exception from the fifth century
B.C.
, this term was not generally used as a personal name before Jesus renamed Simon. The name
Peter
is its Greek equivalent. See word study:
Peter
at Mt 16. 
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1:44 Bethsaida:
A village on the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee.
Nathanael:
Also called "Bartholomew" in the Synoptic Gospels. See chart:
The Twelve Apostles
at Mk 3. 
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1:45 Moses . . . the prophets:
Introduces a theme of scriptural fulfillment that runs throughout the Gospel narrative (2:22; 5:46; 7:38; 10:35; etc.). 
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1:46 Nazareth:
A small and secluded Galilean village considered unimportant to many in Israel. 
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1:47 an Israelite indeed:
i.e., a descendant of the patriarch Jacob, who was renamed "Israel" (Gen 32:28). Ironically, Jacob himself was known for his beguiling ways, especially when he intercepted the family blessing intended for his older brother Esau (Gen 27:35). 
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1:49 Son of God . . . King of Israel:
Titles closely connected in ancient Israel, where King David and his successors are called the "sons" of Yahweh (2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:26-27). Unlike his Davidic predecessors, however, Jesus is the Son of God by nature and not by a covenant of divine adoption (1:18) (CCC 441-42). • Nathanael speaks from his knowledge of the OT.
(1)
That he was "called" while sitting "under the fig tree" (1:48) recalls how neighbors will "invite" one another under their "fig tree" in the messianic age (Zech 3:10). Judaism linked this hope with the coming of the royal "Branch", a messianic figure mentioned by Zechariah (Zech 3:8; 6:11-13) and modeled on his contemporary Zerubbabel, who rebuilt the Temple after the Exile (Hag 1:14; Zech 4:9).
(2)
Mention of Jesus' hometown suggests a connection with Is 11:1, where the "branch" that will sprout from David is a term (Heb.
netser
) linked to the word "Nazareth" (1:46). Once these oracles converged in the mind of Nathanael, he could reason that Jesus is the messianic "Branch" and thus the royal Son of God. •
Allegorically
(St. Augustine,
Tract. on John 7,
21): the shade of the fig tree is the shadow of sin and death. Nathanael is the Church, who is known in advance by the mercy of God, cleansed of all guilt and impurity, and summoned by the apostles to come forth from darkness to live in the light. 
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1:51 ascending and descending:
An allusion to Jacob's dream in Gen 28:11-15. • Jacob dreamed of a ladder spanning heaven and earth that enabled the angels to pass in and out of the world. Moved by the experience, he renamed the place where he slept "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven" (Gen 28:17). Jesus puts himself in the center of this vision, claiming that
(1)
he is the place where heaven touches down to earth;
(2)
he is the true house of God; and
(3)
he is the mediator through whom the angels exercise their ministry. See notes on Jn 2:19 and Heb 1:14.
the Son of man:
Alludes to the heavenly figure of Dan 7:13. See topical essay:
Jesus, the Son of Man
at Lk 17. 
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2:1 the third day:
Chronologically, this refers to the third day since Jesus' encounter with Nathanael (1:43-51). Theologically, it has two levels of significance.
(1)
The third day is actually the seventh day of Jesus' opening week of ministry. The evangelist hints at this when he delineates the successive days in 1:29, 35, 43, and 2:1, implying that the creation fashioned in seven days (Gen 1:1-2:3) is being transformed and renewed through Jesus (2 Cor 5:17; Rev 21:1-5).
(2)
Jesus manifests his glory on the third day at Cana (2:11), just as he reveals his glory by rising on the third day after his death (1 Cor 15:4). See word study:
Signs.
marriage at Cana:
Jewish weddings, like this one five miles north of Nazareth, could be celebrated for an entire week or more (Judg 14:12; Tob 11:19). Curiously, the young couple is never identified, leaving Jesus and his Mother to hold center stage for the entire episode (2:111). • Traditional exegesis holds that Jesus sanctifies the covenant of marriage by his presence at the wedding at Cana (CCC 1613). 
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2:3 the mother of Jesus:
Mary is never called by her personal name in the Fourth Gospel (2:12; 19:25).
no wine:
An embarrassing predicament for the young couple. Mary's concern for the situation may suggest she is a relative of the wedding party. • Vatican II affirms the propriety of the title "Advocate" for the Mother of Jesus (
Lumen Gentium,
62). It means that just as Mary intervened at Cana for the needs of others, so she continues to make heavenly intercession for the needs of the saints on earth (CCC 969). 
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2:4 woman:
Although it might offend the standards of modern etiquette, this was a title of respect and endearment in antiquity (4:21; 8:10; 20:13). There is, however, no ancient example of a son addressing his mother in this way. • Genesis 3 is the reverse image of the Cana episode. As Eve prompted Adam to defy the Lord and drag the human family into sin, so Mary prompts Jesus, the new Adam, to initiate his mission of salvation. The description of Mary even alludes to Gen 3:15, where Yahweh speaks of a "woman" whose son will trample the devil underfoot (CCC 489, 494).
what have you to do with me?
The expression is a Hebrew idiom rendered in Greek (literally, "what to me and to you?"). It typically presupposes some perceived tension between two parties having contrary perspectives (Judg 11:12; 1 Kings 17:18; Mk 5:7), though not always (2 Chron 35:21). When the idiom is used in response to a person's request, either stated or implied, the speaker sometimes capitulates to the expressed will of the other (2 Kings 3:13) and sometimes not (2 Sam 16:10). Here the former pattern is evident: Jesus complies with Mary's request (Jn 2:7-8), and Mary herself appears perfectly confident that Jesus will respond favorably to her petition (2:5). In effect, Jesus would not have initiated the miracle at Cana, but neither does he refuse his Mother's prompting.
My hour has not yet come:
The assertion hides an important assumption. The statement would seem exaggerated unless the provision of wine was somehow connected with Jesus' appointed "hour". This points beyond the historical hour of his Passion to the commemoration of that hour in the eucharistic liturgy, where Christ is present behind the visible sign of wine (CCC 2618). See topical essay:
The "Hour" of Jesus
at Jn 4. 
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2:5 Do whatever he tells you:
The final words of Mary in the NT, which ring out as her spiritual testament for all disciples of Jesus. • The command to follow Jesus echoes the command to follow Joseph in Gen 41:55. As the patriarch went on to provide bread in abundance during a time of famine, so Jesus supplies wine in abundance at a time of need. 
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