What is the significance of Jesus' first miracle?

Answer 1

1. Of course the first thing about it is that it was the first public miracle that he performed. Though not many people knew about it when it happened, about half of what would be his 12 disciples were there to witness it.
2. In doing it, he was honoring his mother. Even though he told her, "My time has not yet come," and though he was an adult (and the son of God) and didn't have to do it, he showed an example of obedience.
3. He saved the best until last. The new wine given on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:13; Ephesians 5:18) was the Bridegroom giving us the new and "better" covenant (Hebrews 8:5,6).
4. The significance of the act of turning water into wine is an anti-type of when God, through Moses, turned water to blood in Exodus 7:9-19. [This is also a foreshadow of wine representing Christs blood (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20)].

The turning of water to blood...

1. initiated Moses leading his people out of the bondage of Egypt into an earthly liberty; the turning of water into wine initiated Jesus taking His people out of the bondage of the corruption of the world into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8:21).
2. culminated in the firstborn in Egypt being delivered to death, while turning the water into wine culminated in the life of the Firstborn being delivered from death (Colossians 1:18).
3. caused all of the fish in the river to die. When Jesus initiated the new covenant, the catch of the fish (men) are made alive in the net of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:19).
4. was symbolic of death for Egypt, but the water into wine is symbolic of life for the world. (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Answer 2

If Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding (John chapter 2), it would seem no more than a parlour trick. At the end of the Gospel, John tells us that for lack of space he could not write about any more of the things that Jesus did, but here he was writing of a an apparently unimportant miracle where Jesus did not convert anyone nor alleviate suffering. But its real significance is that the author of John's Gospel was attempting to portray Jesus as able to perform the same miracles as claimed for the pagan gods, and more. Just as Dionysis could turn water into wine, so could Jesus. Later (John chapter 5), we see Jesus go to the Asclepium at Bethesda, a temple to the Greek god Asclepius, and heal the lame man that Asclepius had failed to heal for so long.