Water And Wine

Ὡς δὲ ἐγεύσατο ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γεγενημένον, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεὶ πόθεν ἐστὶν οἱ δὲ διάκονοι ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἡντληκότες τὸ ὕδωρ, φωνεῖ τὸν νυμφίον ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος πρῶτον τὸν καλὸν οἶνον τίθησι, καὶ ὅταν μεθυσθῶσι, τότε τὸν ἐλάσσω · σὺ τετήρηκας τὸν καλὸν οἶνον ἕως ἄρτι. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ οἶνον ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κάλλιστον.Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θαύματα· πολλῷ βελτίω τῶν διὰ φύσεως τελουμένων. Τοῦ μὲν οὖν τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γενέσθαι, μάρτυρες οἱ διάκονοι, οἱ ἡντληκότες τὸ ὕδωρ· τοῦ δὲ κάλλιστον γενέσθαι , ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος· ἅπερ πάντα, τοῦ χρόνου προϊόντος , ἔμελλον κηρυχθέντα πιστωθῆναι βεβαιότερον τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Δύνασαι δὲ νοῆσαι οἶνον μὲν τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν λόγον, ὕδωρ δὲ πάντα τὰ πρὸ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· ὑδαρέστερα γὰρ ἦσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λόγου τελείωσιν μὴ φθάνοντα. Οἷον τί φημι Δέδωκε νόμους διαφόρους τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὁ Κύριος, ἕνα τὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, δεύτερον τὸν ἐπὶ Νῶε,τρίτον τὸν ἐπὶ ᾿Αβραὰμ τῆς περιτομῆς, τέταρτον τὸν διὰ τοῦ Μωσέως, πέμπτον διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. Πάντες οὖν οὗτοι , ὡς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἀκρίβειαν καὶ δύναμιν συγκρινόμενοι, ὑδαρεῖς εἰσιν, εἴτις ἁπλῶς αὐτοὺς καὶ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα νοεῖ. Εἰ δ' ἐμβαθύνας τῷ πνεύματι, κατανοήσει τὰ κεκρυμμένα, εὐρήσει τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γεγενημένον· τὰ γὰρ ἁπλῶς λεγόμενα καὶ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα νοούμενα τοῖς πολλοῖς ὕδωρ ὄντα, πάντως ὁ πνευματικῶς ἀνακρίνων, εὐρήσει οἶνον κάλλιστον, ὕστερον πινόμενον, καὶ τηρούμενον παρὰ τοῦ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ · ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς ἐδείχθη τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ιὠαννὴν, Κεφαλὴ B' Source: Migne PG 123.1193b-d

The master of the feast tasted the water which had been turned into wine, and he did not know whence it came; only the servants who had drawn the water knew. The master of the feast then called to the bridegroom, and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk he serves the worst, but you have kept the good wine until now. 1 He did not simply make wine but the best wine. For such are the wonders of Christ, that they are much better than what is brought about by nature. And that the water was turned into wine, the servants who tasted the water were witnesses, but that it was the best the master of the wedding feast gave witness, which signifies that everything preached in times before was made made more believable to the hearers, since one is able to understand the wine as the word of the Gospel, and water as what came before the Gospel, which was a tasteless liquid and did not bring to perfection. For the sake of an example I will say that the Lord gave various laws to men, one in paradise, the second in the time of Noah, the third to Abraham, which was circumcision, the fourth to Moses, and the fifth through the prophets. All these, then, when compared to the revelations and power of the Gospel, were water, if someone understands them simply according to the letter, But if someone walks according to the spirit and understands hidden things, he shall find water turned into wine. For what is simply said and understood according to the letter is like water to many, but he who judges spiritually finds the best wine and drinks what has been brought forth by Christ the bridegroom, for in the last times the Gospel has been set forth. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 2 1 Jn 7.37-38