In John's account of the Wedding Feast at Cana, Jesus is at the centre of this story - see verses 11 and 12: "...He let His glory be seen, and His disciples believed in Him." John presents the turning of the six jars of water into wine as the first of the seven "signs" of Jesus. These signs were meant to point beyond themselves, to show His presence and His power to save so that all might come to believe.

The water was meant for the Jewish rite of purification but its transformation into a copious quantity of fine quality wine symbolised the overflowing of the Spirit and the Messianic promises fulfilled (see Isaiah 25:6). This replacement of the water by the wine indicates a new order and a new creation.

While Jesus is the focal point of this incident, His Mother has a special role to play. She is the first person mentioned in this account and she is the catalyst for this first sign. It is she who makes known the situation and elicits Jesus' response. And she it is who who tells the servants to obey Him who is the new law and the new command. Her awareness of the needs of the poor, her compassion, and then her obedience as well as her trust in His word make her the church, the new covenant people, with full understanding of the Christian life as it should be practised.