Seminaries and Institutes
John 2: Jesus Begins His Work

“John 2: Jesus Begins His Work,” New Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2003)

“John 2,” New Testament Student Study Guide

John 2

Jesus Begins His Work

Jesus was thirty years old when He began His ministry going among the people teaching, blessing, and performing many miracles. In John 2 you will read about Jesus’ first recorded miracle at a wedding in Cana, a town about ten miles north of Nazareth. Jesus then went to Jerusalem to attend the Passover. The cleansing of the temple John wrote about in this chapter is the first time Jesus did this. He cleansed the temple again in the last week before He was crucified (see Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19).

Studying the Scriptures

Do two of the following activities (A–C) as you study John 2.

  1. Water into Wine

    Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that the wine spoken of in John 2:1–11 was a drink made from the “‘fruit of the vine’ (Matt. 26:29), a light, sweet wine (normally unfermented); eaten with bread it was one of the staple foods of the day” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:136).

    1. What effect did this miracle have on Jesus’ followers? (see v. 11).

    2. What did they (and you) learn about Jesus from what He did in this story?

  2. Cleansing the Temple

    1. According to John 2:13–17, what did Jesus do that upset so many people? Why?

    2. What does this account teach us about how Jesus wants us to treat God’s sacred buildings?

    3. List three things you could do to show more reverence for a house of God.

  3. A Temple Raised in Three Days?

    What “temple” was Jesus referring to in John 2:19 (see Matthew 27:62–64 for additional help).