The six stone waterpots would have held between 120-180 gallons. The Jewish purification rituals were extensive. The last book of the Mishnah contained 126 chapters with 1,001 separate items of purification. There are two special tractates with instructions about purifying hands and vessels, the latter containing over 30 chapters! Judaism had become a religion that emphasized external cleansing and rituals, but often their hearts were far from God (Mark 7:6-8 ). John notes that the servants filled the waterpots to the brim, so there would be no room for wine to be added. We’re not told how Jesus did the miracle. He simply told the servants to draw some water out of the pots and take it to the headwaiter. Somewhere in the process, the water had become wine.