The Science of Jesus' Miracle in John 2 - Cliff Lewis PhD

In some respects, it seems like Jesus’ first miracle is underwhelming. He’s turning one beverage into another. So what, we might say. But this isn’t squirting some flavoring into your bottled water. This man, who walked and talked like the rest of us, is revealing a glory such that it evoked the fear, love, and trust of the disciples. They “believed in him” (John 2:11). While it’s true that some creatures or things have a glory unto themselves, like the brilliance of the sun or king dressed in all his splendor, Jesus’ glory is found nowhere else in creation. Even this seemingly humble miracle shows that this man has the forces of creation at his fingertips. In this man we find God himself at work.

This is what Dr. Lewis wonderfully explains for us in his brief article on the miracle at the wedding in Cana.

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In John 2 is the story of the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus changes water into wine. Verse 11 tells us that this was the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs and that “thus revealed his glory” (NIV). At first thought, the task of changing water into wine appears similar to a parlor trick one might see on a David Copperfield special. Of course, David Copperfield would not really be turning the water into wine but would instead swap wine for water with sleight of hand while diverting the audience’s attention with his other hand.

However, Jesus really did change the water into wine, thus revealing his glory. At a molecular level, the water, basically hydrogen and oxygen, was changed into wine that contains sugars, yeast, and water, which contain carbon and nitrogen along with oxygen and hydrogen. Thus, by changing water into wine Jesus demonstrated his authority over even the atomic structure of atoms by commanding oxygen and hydrogen atoms to disassemble and reform into other atoms of different configurations.

The amount of energy it would take to perform this atomic deconstruction and reconstruction is staggering. This intermolecular energy being released is the source of the explosive energy from an atomic bomb. However, since Jesus caused the wine atoms to come back together, he would have to put this astronomical amount of energy into the atoms in order to have them reconstruct. To do so without any visible energy transformation of the liquid (John does not say anything about people noticing the transformation) indicates a mastery of natural law far beyond our current comprehension. And he accomplished it with no physical exertion.

With this single act Jesus proves that the basic forces in nature are at his command and control. Certainly one who controls the basic forces in nature controls all of nature, thus Jesus truly revealed his complete control of the physical universe through this act.

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Think about this. At the same time that Jesus was laying in his mother’s arms, while he walked from one town to the next preaching and teaching the Gospel, even as he suffered upon the cross, he was upholding and sustaining creation in power and might. But the greatest sign of Jesus’ glory was not a fantastic display of heavenly light (Luke 9:28-36), nor was it in his ability to create bread and fish from thin air (John 6:1-15). Jesus’ ultimate glory for the sake of sinners like us is the suffering of the cross and the new life of resurrection. It’s found in the marks in his hands from the nails and pierced side that still bears the spear’s thrust (John 20:27). These are the proof that Christ suffered and died so that you might have life eternal.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).