Atonement In The Book Of John

In the second chapter of John, Jesus and his disciples are called to a wedding feast in Cana, where the Savior performs one of the greatest miracles recorded by the beloved apostle: the changing of water into wine. This passage is significant because it is contains the first sign John recounts to establish the divinity of Christ. To early Christians, this doctrine was central to understanding and accepting Jesus of Nazareth as the covenant Messiah, come to live among his people. Moreover, this doctrine provides the key for modern Saints to better understand Christ’s role as our Savior, and to more fully accept and apply his Atonement in our lives.

The book of John captures a broad panorama of the indescribable life of Jesus Christ—from premortal

The imagery of the preceding Logos Hymn—including spirit becoming flesh and blood—is echoed throughout John’s account of this miracle. This passage is replete with symbolic devices, including Christ’s use of the word “woman” when he addresses his mother. What might simply seem like an offhanded, degrading response on Christ’s part, is actually his very sacred way of clarifying the important role played by Mary, and on a grander scale all women, in the salvation of humankind. Throughout the Bible, a “woman” is directly referred to as such at every major event—at the Creation, the Fall, the Incarnation, the Death, the Resurrection, and in an eschatological sense at the Second Coming. It is undeniably significant that Christ uses this title here, to symbolically reiterate Mary’s role as the means of the Incarnation, and as a witness of his divinity. Another symbolic detail of John’s account is the six water pots Jesus calls for; six is a reference to the imperfect, or rather incomplete law of Moses, that Jesus has come to

The nature of this miracle—essentially reorganizing matter—emphasizes Christ’s role as the creator, or organizer of all creation. His ability to organize and reorganize matter, as physically manifested in this story, can provide a new perspective from which to view the Atonement. I learned from this passage that just as Christ can organize and reorganize matter at will, so too can he mold me into something new. The imagery of the sacrament contained in this passage is purposeful; as I renew my covenants with my Savior each week, I am able to offer up my heart to him, to be reorganized and made stronger. And perhaps, one day at a time--even as he changed the water to wine, the spirit to flesh, the divine to mortal—he will take my imperfect soul and make me like him