Bible Lesson 8

El Primer Milagro – The First Miracle

Here we witness Jesus’ first miracle, which is such an interesting choice. Why at a wedding? And why wine? At any rate, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to say about the character of our God: Jesus makes any party way better!

Personally, I wish I could have seen this interaction between Jesus and Mary. What was Jesus’ tone when he told his mom that the wine problem was none of his business? And what prompted Mary to tell the servants to do whatever Jesus instructed?

Then we see Jesus in the temple, and again he is breaking stereotypes. What a messy, chaotic scene this must have been! May we be equally zealous for the purity of God’s new temple, the Church!

How to Use This Page:

1. Listen to the audio as you read along with the Spanish on the left.

2. Open the English translation, and read the two side-by-side, making sure you understand the Spanish.

3. Close the English, and listen to the audio again, reading along in Spanish.

4. Close the Spanish, and listen once more. Maybe shut your eyes, and just try to catch as much as you can.


Al tercer día se celebró una boda en Caná de Galilea, y la madre de Jesús se encontraba allí.  También habían sido invitados a la boda Jesús y sus discípulos.  Cuando el vino se acabó, la madre de Jesús le dijo:

—Ya no tienen vino.

—Mujer, ¿eso qué tiene que ver conmigo? —respondió Jesús—. Todavía no ha llegado mi hora.

Su madre dijo a los sirvientes:

—Hagan lo que él les ordene.

Había allí seis tinajas de piedra, de las que usan los judíos en sus ceremonias de purificación. En cada una cabían unos cien litros.

Jesús dijo a los sirvientes:

—Llenen de agua las tinajas.

Y los sirvientes las llenaron hasta el borde.

—Ahora saquen un poco y llévenlo al encargado del banquete —les dijo Jesús.

Así lo hicieron. El encargado del banquete probó el agua convertida en vino sin saber de dónde había salido, aunque sí lo sabían los sirvientes que habían sacado el agua. Entonces llamó aparte al novio y le dijo:

—Todos sirven primero el mejor vino, y cuando los invitados ya han bebido mucho, entonces sirven el más barato; pero tú has guardado el mejor vino hasta ahora.

Ésta, la primera de sus señales, la hizo Jesús en Caná de Galilea. Así reveló su gloria, y sus discípulos creyeron en él.

Después de esto Jesús bajó a Capernaúm con su madre, sus hermanos y sus discípulos, y se quedaron allí unos días.

Cuando se aproximaba la Pascua de los judíos, subió Jesús a Jerusalén. Y en el templo halló a los que vendían bueyes, ovejas y palomas, e instalados en sus mesas a los que cambiaban dinero. Entonces, haciendo un látigo de cuerdas, echó a todos del templo, juntamente con sus ovejas y sus bueyes; regó por el suelo las monedas de los que cambiaban dinero y derribó sus mesas. A los que vendían las palomas les dijo:

—¡Saquen esto de aquí! ¿Cómo se atreven a convertir la casa de mi Padre en un mercado?

Sus discípulos se acordaron de que está escrito: «El celo por tu casa me consumirá.»

On the third day a wedding was celebrated in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus found herself there. Also had been invited to the wedding Jesus and his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him:

“They don’t have any more wine.!

“Woman, what does that have to do with me?” responded Jesus. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants:

“Do that which he tells you.”

There were six jars of stone there, of the kind the Jews use in their purification ceremonies. In each one fit about 100 liters.

Jesus said to the servants:

“Fill the jars with water.”

And the servants filled them to the brim.

“Now take out a little and bring it to the one in charge of the banquet.” Jesus told them.

They did just this. The one in charge of the banquet tried the water converted into wine without knowing from where it had come, although the servants did know who had drawn the water. Then he called the groom aside and told him:

“Everyone serves first the best wine, and when the guests have already drunk much, then they serve the cheaper; but you have kept the best wine till now.”

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. Thus he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

After this Jesus went down to Caperneum with his mother, his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there some days.

When the day of Passover was coming near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And in the temple he found those who were selling oxen, sheep and doves, and set up at their tables those who exchanged money. Then, making a whip out of cords, he threw them out of the temple, together with the sheep and oxen; he spilled to the floor the coins that they exchanged and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves he said:

“Get all this out of here! How do you dare to convert the house of my Father into a market?”

His disciples remembered that it is written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Marriage at Cana, by Giotto. c. 1306

Marriage at Cana, by Giotto. c. 1306

Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple. By El Greco, 1570

Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple. By El Greco, 1570