In this story, found only in the Gospel of John, Jesus and Mary are at a wedding. It seems that Mary is one of the wedding coordinators, and when the wine begins to run out, she becomes alarmed. She tells Jesus that they are out of wine. Jesus responds to his mother's prompting with some very blunt words. He says, “Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4).

Mary, however, does not seem to be offended. Her son eventually responds to her concern, though. The wine that he creates from the water is so good that one of the guests comments that usually one puts out the best wine first, and when it has been consumed puts out the lower-quality wine, but at this wedding, the best was saved for last. This miracle is significant, because it is one of Jesus' first acts at the very beginning of his public ministry. Because this was a significant turning point for Jesus, his reluctance may have been warranted — when he said “My hour has not yet come,” he might have had in mind everything that was to happen to him in the future.

This story has also been quoted as an antecedent to the later mystery of the Eucharist in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, in which bread and wine become body and blood. Another echo of this story is seen when Jesus is stretched out upon the cross and a soldier pierces his side with a sword and both blood and water stream from the wound.

Perhaps the most popular bit of folk piety, however, that rose from this passage is the idea that Mary is a great intercessor because in this story at least, she was able to get Jesus to do the thing she most wanted him to do, even though it went against his initial wishes. People reading this story in the Bible see a different side of Mary, who is a strong and determined woman who has the power to get things accomplished.