John 2:9,10 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The governor of the feast called the bridegroom,— The governor's application to the bridegroom, and not to Jesus, shews him to have been ignorant of the miracle; and could have proceeded from no other reason than his persuasion, that this wine had been provided at the expence of the bridegroom. Surprised at the exquisite delicacy of the flavour, he said to the bridegroom, "It is usualwith most men to set forth the good wine— τον καλον οινον, —at the beginning; and when men have drank plentifully,— οταν μεθυσθωσι,— then that which is worse: thou hast proceeded in a different manner; thou hast kept the good wine until now." In which words every discerning reader must remark, that there is not the least room for those many blasphemous insults upon the pure and spotless character of the holy Jesus, which deists and infidels have the hardiness to throw out, as we hinted on John 2:7. For, in the first place, the governor of the feast does not say even so much as that the present guests had drank plentifully; he only urges the common proceedings in such festivals as these; and the words rather countenance a contrary opinion, for he says, "Every man sets forth good wine at the beginning, and when it shall happen that men shall have drank plentifully, then that which is worse: thou (without any connecting particle in the original) hast kept the good wine until now. Thou hast not done as others do; the best wine comes last." Herein is the whole of the comparison: he by no means says that they had drank plentifully, or to excess: it is more than probable, that there was no appearance of such irregularity or excess; seeing that the governor was thus capable of distinguishing the relish of the good wine so instantly, which, when men have well drunk, is not the case; and therefore it is, that, as he says, bad wine is brought last. However, allowing, secondly, that the words, when men have well drunk, did refer to the present guests; yet the true meaning of the original word Μεθυσθωσι, and its use in scripture, shew that it signifies, not criminal drinking, or drinking to excess; its proper and immediate sense is, to drink after sacrificing, and so it is used in a religious import; and in several instances in scripture it is applied to drinking where there could be no excess. See Ephesians 5:18. But, thirdly, allowing both these objections to be true, namely, that these guests had already drunk well, and that the word so rendered does import criminal drinking; yet it will by no means follow, that the miracle which Christ now wrought was intended to encourage any vice of this sort. Far from the mouths of Christians, far from the hearts of men, be the least surmise or supposition of such a sort! It is most reasonable to conclude, that the change of the water into wine drew off their attention wholly from the feast to this divine and wonderful Person, who thus manifested forth his glory,and obtained the faith of his disciples: it is most reasonable to conclude, that this was a great means of sobriety and seriousness, bringing the be-holders to the usual admiration What manner of man is this!