What does John 2:1 mean?
"The third day" probably means the third day after Jesus recruited Philip and Nathanael. It probably doesn't mean "Tuesday," since in the Jewish tradition, virgin brides married on Wednesday, and widows married on Thursdays. A wedding in Jesus' era was not a single-day event. Since messengers and other travelers took time to move, it was hard to predict exactly when a person would arrive. A typical celebration could last a week.We don't know specifically where it was, but Cana is the hometown of Nathanael (John 21:2). Nathanael might have been the original invitee, for that reason. It's possible that Jesus' mother, Mary, was helping to serve guests at the wedding, explaining her involvement in verse 3. The wording between verses 1 and 2 seems to suggest that Mary was already there, and Jesus and His disciples came later. Wedding symbolism is common in the Bible, with God often compared to a groom, and His people compared to a bride.