John 2: Water to Wine and Cleansing the Temple

Choice #3 John 2. Water to Wine and Cleansing the Temple

Why Jesus addresses his Mother as “Woman.” In the course manual it concludes that the title “Woman” as the Savior uses it in the scripture found in John 2 is a term of respect.

(4-11) John 2:4. What of Jesus’ Addressing His Mother as “Woman”?

“. . . The noun of address, ‘Woman,’ as applied by a son to his mother may sound to our ears somewhat harsh, if not disrespectful; but its use was really an expression of opposite import. To every son the mother ought to be preeminently the woman of women; she is the one woman in the world to whom the son owes his earthly existence; and though the title ‘Mother’ belongs to every woman who has earned the honors of maternity, yet to no child is there more than one woman whom by natural right he can address by that title of respectful acknowledgment. When, in the last dread scenes of His mortal existence, Christ hung in dying agony upon the cross, He looked down upon the weeping Mary, His mother, and commended her to the care of the beloved apostle John, with the words: ‘Woman, behold thy son!’ Can it be thought that in this supreme moment, our Lord’s concern for the mother from whom He was about to be separated by death was associated with any emotion other than that of honor, tenderness and love?” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, pp. 144–45.)

How much constitutes a “Firkin”?

A firkin is about nine gallons. Thus each of the six water-pots contained around 18 to 27 gallons of water, with the result that Jesus then created between 100 to 150 gallons of wine—a miracle showing that the wedding celebration was quite large.

What impresses me the most about the miracle found in John 2:1-11?

I think it has to be when the Savior says to his mother, as found in the JST, “Woman, what will thou have me to do for the? that will I do: for mine hour is not yet come.” I love that he did that for his mother, and I also am impressed that she was able to know to tell his servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” And they did it.

How does the institute student manual help in understanding why Jesus Christ would refer to his mother as woman?

The student manual describes it as a term of respect, referring to when the Savior hung dying in agony upon the cross, commending her to the care of the apostle John. “Woman, behold thy son!”

In what ways are Jesus Christ’s actions in John 2:13-16 symbolic of what He desires of each of us?

Jesus’ actions were that he made a whip and drove the money changers out of the temple. From that I get that we are all to enter the temple and leave our worldly possessions behind, even our worldly attitudes. That we should all keep the temple pure and undefiled by the world.