Verse 46
He came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
Therefore ... seems to make some event previously related the reason of Jesus' going on to Cana a second time. The fact of the Galileans having received him as soon as he entered the province appears to be that reason. Jesus did not remain in the area where they had hailed him, due to the improper basis upon which they received him, that is, as a mere miracle worker and not as the Saviour of the world. John's perception of this may account for the fact that, of all the miracles Jesus did, John recorded only the seven signs, chosen it seems for their spiritual implications and for their validity as proofs af Jesus' deity. Therefore Jesus went on to Cana, located not very far from Nazareth which was a seat of unbelief against him. There at Cana he continued his ministry.
THE SECOND SIGN
As noted repeatedly, this is the second sign only in the sense of being the second recorded by John. See under preceding verses.
The identity of this person is not known. Some have supposed that he might have been Chuza, the steward of King Herod (Luke 8:3), or Manaen (Acts 13:1), the king's foster-brother; but these are just guesses. Not even the title "nobleman" is certainly understood. Trench said, "The precise meaning of `nobleman' can never be exactly fixed ... Either he is one of the king's party, a royalist, one who sided with the faction of the Herods ... a king's officer ... or one attached to the court."[9]
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