Is this true that Jesus drank alcoholic wine as the lyrics, “Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine”? Some question this. What kind of wine did Jesus drink? Did Jesus drink intoxicating amounts of wine?
The Definition of Biblical Wine
The word “wine” in the Bible is not always alcoholic or equivalent to modern wine. The Bible uses one Greek word for “wine” and “grape juice” which could mean alcoholic wine of varying amounts or non-alcoholic grape juice (1 Tim 3:8; Titus 2:3). The Hebrew word for “wine” is yayin and the Greek is oinos (MT; LXX). Biblical “wine” is grape juice that may or may not have fermented. However, the wine of today has considerably more alcohol than wine in the first century because of modified yeast. The Bible includes a number of examples of unfermented “wine”:
- “Wine” is the blood of the grape (Gen 49:11–12, Heb. yayin, Gr. oinos LXX; Deut 32:14, Heb. chemer; Gr. oinos LXX).
- The vineyard is the place of “red wine” (Isa 27:2, Heb. chemer).
- “Wine” refers to the grape juice from the grapes of the field (Deut 11:14; 2 Chr 31:5, Heb. tirosh; Gr. oinos LXX; Jer 40:10, 12, Heb. yayin; Gr. oinos LXX).
- Scripture describes “wine” that is in the grape (Isa 65:8, Heb. tirosh).
- The grape juice of the wine-press is “wine” (Prov 3:10, Heb. tirosh; Gr. oinos LXX; Isa 16:10; Jer 48:33, Heb. yayin; Gr. oinos LXX).
These references reveal that the word “wine” in Hebrew and Greek often refers to non-alcoholic grape juice in the Bible. Linguistics requires that one begin with the generic meaning and then determine other specific meanings of a word by its context and, or use.
In reading the Old Testament, Bible translations represent six different Hebrew words “wine” for which one word excludes alcohol. This word is asis meaning “sweet grape juice” or “new grape juice.” The word has no reference to alcohol, yet translators have interpreted it as “wine” to avoid interpreting the contexts with nuances and ambiguity. Therefore, the word “wine” does not necessarily mean alcoholic wine in the Bible.
The Bible does not appear to contain one positive statement about intoxicating wine or any such drink. The Bible does include positive words about generic “wine” that is grape juice (Gen 14:18; Num 15:5–10; Deut 14:26; Ps 104:15; Isa 55:1; Amos 9:14; John 2:1–11; 1 Tim 5:23). References to “strong drink” or “liquor” in the Bible refer to cider in biblical translations of sikera, σικερα, according to Danker and Gingrich’s Greek lexicon (cf. Deut 14:26; Luke 1:15; Wycliffe’s Bible).
Ancient Wine and Today’s Wine
In the Bible, alcoholic wine is not like wine today. The sugar of grape juice can only ferment to 3 or 4% alcohol with wild yeast — airborne yeast. For grape juice to exceed 4% alcohol, then the winemaker must add yeast. The yeast added to ancient wines produced between 4–11% alcohol. Alcohol kills these yeast cells and prevents levels of alcohol from exceeding ~10%. Today, wines average 12–20% alcohol due to modern fermentation by adding sulfur dioxide and Saccharomyces (a cultured GMO yeast) to a late harvest of ripened grapes with higher fructose (Winemaker Magazine, Wines & Vines, UC Davis, International Biblical Encyclopedia, “Alcohol in the Church,” Bible Wine). Today’s wine is not like biblical wine in regards to alcoholic content. Due to the later invention of distilling, strong drinks like liquor exceed 20% alcohol for which today’s wine is coming close to matching.
When reading the word “wine” in the Bible, the word may simply refer to grape juice or intoxicating wine not exceeding ~10% alcohol. The reader must interpret the word “wine” within its context to determine if it is alcoholic. However, biblical wine is certainly not like wine today.
Because of the use of the word “wine” in English Bibles, many presume that Jesus drank alcoholic wine. Jesus did not drink modern wine. The methods for fermenting highly-alcoholic wine had not yet been invented. Jesus’s opponents did accuse Him of being a “wine-drinker” from the Greek oinopoteis, because He came freely eating and also drinking grape juice unlike John the Baptist who restricted his eating and drinking (Matt 11:18–19; Luke 7:33–34). These antagonists appear to accuse Jesus of drinking alcoholic wine. However, when the reader considers the wedding that Jesus attended in Cana and Jesus’s institution of the Lord’s Supper, then His drinking of wine is not what many have presumed.
Water to Wine
What about Jesus turning water into wine? Upon reading John 2:1–11 in most English translations, many took the text as stating that Jesus turned water into intoxicating wine at the wedding in Cana, a small town in Galilee (John 2). These scriptures infer that the wedding guests “have well drunk” a large amount of oinos wine. The Greek word translated as “well drunk” is methuo meaning literally to fill or make full, and many times the word means “drunk” depending on the context. Translators correctly render methuo as “drunk” in contexts referring to drunkenness by drinking intoxicating wine or filling oneself with wine (Gingrich and Danker’s lexicon). John’s reference to the guests having “drunk well” and becoming full also implies that the wedding feast was relatively short especially if one takes this word in John 2:10 to mean that the guests were “drunk.”
In this case, Jesus either made more alcoholic wine for those who were drunk or He made more grape juice for those who would have their fill. Which is plausible: that Jesus created intoxicating wine for those who were drunk or that He made fresh “new wine,” grape juice, for those who had drunk well of the previous supply? If one interprets this passage as Jesus making alcoholic wine, then Jesus created more intoxicating wine for those who were already drunk or filled. If one perceives that the wedding guests were simply full of non-alcoholic wine, then Jesus made “new wine” with minimal to no alcohol.
Furthermore, “good wine” was limited late in winter and just before Passover when the wine had aged throughout the year (John 2:13). Jesus providing more aged and intoxicating wine would not have been an apparent miraculous sign. Jesus provided them with “good wine.” Was it “good wine” as though received from the grape press? The making of new wine would magnify Jesus’s sign because this was just before the Passover and before the first harvest of grapes. Therefore, Jesus’s production of fresh grape juice would have been an evident miraculous wonder of God.
The master of the feast depicted the situation that which the guests had filled themselves with wine from the meaning of “filled” of the Greek word methuo in John 2:9–10. A wedding feast may last a day and sometimes more (Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah). John depicted that many would have drunk well of the wine so the guests were full as implied by the Greek word methuo. Being filled with wine tells that this drinking of the wedding feast occurred in a short amount of time within a few hours. The guests would immediately drink the wine that Jesus made. If Jesus made alcoholic wine, Jesus would have made more intoxicating wine amounting to between 120 to 180 gallons of additional alcoholic wine. What would happen if three hundred guests “have well drunk” and then drank an additional 150 gallons of alcoholic wine? Jesus would have given each guest an additional 64 ounces of alcoholic wine. The average person would have drunk another 6–12 drinks of alcoholic wine if there were 300 guests. However, the abundance was part of the miracle like the 12 baskets of bread left over from feeding the 5,000. Maybe the wine was not meant to be consumed immediately.
Even considering a wedding party of a thousand guests who have well drunk, each person would have consumed about 19 ounces of wine. Presuming that this wine contained 10% alcohol because the scenario includes fermented wine and the guests drank it all in one day, Jesus would have aided a thousand people in binge drinking having intoxicated the guests with three additional drinks who were already intoxicated as indicated by the Greek methuo for having “well drunk.” For each guest to have had simply two more drinks, then the wedding would have had at least 1,600 attendees. Despite the number in attendance, Jesus would have presumably contributed a considerable amount of alcohol to those who were already filled with wine. For those proposing that Jesus made highly intoxicating wine like today’s wine, 16–24 ounces would intoxicate anyone at an alcoholic level of 12–15% according to the CDC. Either today’s intoxicating wine or first-century fermented wine appears to be an absurdity at this wedding.
To assume that Jesus made alcoholic wine is to assume that after everyone had drunk all the other wine, then Jesus made more intoxicating wine for all of those who had their fill. The scenario of Jesus producing alcoholic wine appears implausible and uncharacteristic of biblical commands to refrain from drunkenness. If Jesus did make a great amount of fermented wine, He would have aided the sin of drunkenness and excessive drinking and would have participated in a drinking party, which are all condemned by His disciple and apostle Peter in the Scriptures (1 Pet 4:3).
Wine and the Lord’s Supper
Did Jesus use alcoholic wine in the Lord’s Supper? What kind of wine would someone drink at a feast where yeast was thrown out? Many have assumed that Jesus drank wine because many churches have made alcoholic wine a part of the “Eucharist,” the Lord’s Supper. Did Jesus use highly alcoholic wine when He instituted the Lord’s Supper? First, the Scriptures never use the word “wine” in any of the four accounts of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper. Jesus mentioned the specific content of the cup containing “the fruit of the grapevine.” The passages about the Lord’s Supper make no reference to alcoholic wine. The Greek word for “wine” is never used in Scripture to describe any part of the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover Feast. What kind of wine did the Jews use during Passover? Jesus used unleavened bread in the Passover because this is also the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Israel threw out all leaven by God’s command including the leavened bread (Exod 13:6–7). The throwing out of the yeast implies that Israel removed the grape juice fermented by the leavening of yeast. Fermented wine was not likely a part of the Passover taught by Moses. Furthermore, Jesus referred to the contents of the cup as “fruit of the grapevine” in the Lord’s Supper indicating minimal to no fermentation even from wild yeast. The intent of the cup of the Lord was not to intoxicate.
What about those who got drunk by drinking the Lord’s Supper? Getting drunk by bringing intoxicating wine to the Lord’s Supper does not mean that Jesus gave the disciples alcoholic wine in the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:21–22 depicts, “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk [methuo]” (ESV). This passage also uses the Greek word methuo, which can mean drunk or filled (cf. John 2:10). Some ate the Lord’s Supper as a meal so that they were filled and those who drank were also filled not necessarily drunk. However, Paul could have been correcting such intoxication as well. If one assumes that these Christians became drunk in the assembly using the grape juice for the Lord’s Supper, then they must also presume that those drinking brought enough intoxicating wine to get drunk and intended to use such for the Lord’s Supper. The use of alcoholic wine implies that some of these Christians brought intoxicating wine for the church to drink together for the Lord’s Supper. They would also have decided to drink and get drunk from that wine in assembly rather than wait for others. Whether the wine was alcoholic or not, 1 Corinthians 11 neither condones alcoholic wine for the Lord’s Supper nor suggests that Jesus used alcoholic wine for His disciples to commune with Christ in remembrance of His sacrificial blood.
Warnings about Wine
Jesus warned against drunkenness and filling oneself with intoxicating drinks that trap people in this life (Luke 21:34). The Bible warns those who do drink, linger, and look at the cup (Prov 23:29–35; Rom 14:17–22). Christians can and should warn others about alcohol.
The apostle Paul revealed that those who continue in drunkenness will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9–11; Gal 5:19–21). The Greek word translated “drunkenness” literally means “filling oneself” in Scripture (Eph 5:18–19; cf. Rom 13:13). Christ’s Spirit in Galatians 5:19–21 teaches that such “drunkenness” is a “work of the flesh” and “those who are doing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5 also condemned “wild parties” or “revelries” where any of the lists of sins like drunkenness would constitute a party as sinful and carnal. Paul also revealed in 1 Corinthians 6:10 that drunkards “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Drunkenness and filling one’s body with intoxicants is a sin.
Filling oneself with alcohol is evil and compromises the sobriety of the Christian conscience and one’s heart (cf. Rom 2:14–15; 1 John 3:19–21). Christ’s words and those of His apostles and prophets urge all to avoid drunkenness, and so Christians should do likewise and warn others of drunkenness. Peter warned, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Nations want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness [lit. excessive drinking], orgies, drinking parties [lit. drinkings], and lawless idolatry” (1 Pet 4:3). The word for “drunkenness” in 1 Peter 4:3 is not the usual word for drunkenness, but the Greek word is oinophlugia made of two words oinos meaning “wine” and phlugia is “to do something in excess.” Excessive drinking is a sin. Furthermore, “drinking parties” is translated from the Greek word potos, which literally denotes occasions that people gather for the purpose of drinking.
The apostle Paul commanded Christians to remain sober and make no provision to become drunk on any level (1 Thess 5:8). Christ had no part with drunkenness and drinking parties, so His followers must not. According to Romans 14, Christians should not condemn their brother over a drink; although, every Christian has the scriptural example and the foresight to warn against its use and against looking at the cup (Prov 23:29–35; Rom 14:17–22). Solomon warned by the wisdom of God.
Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. (Prov 23:31–33)
Therefore, “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov 20:1). The assertions of positive statements about drinking alcohol in the Bible are private interpretations.
Conclusion
The wine that Jesus drank was not intoxicating. Alcoholic wine is not characteristic of Jesus or any godly behavior in the Bible. Jesus neither encouraged drunkenness nor drank intoxicating wine. No one can rightly reference Jesus to justify excessive drinking, drunkenness, and drinking events. The Bible neither promotes nor supports the drinking of intoxicants. God’s grace compels Christians no longer to continue in any excessive drinking of alcohol because they have been forgiven.
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Rom 13:13–14)
Bibliography
- Jeff Chorniak. “Wild Yeast: The Pros and Cons of Spontaneous Fermentation.” Winemakers Magazine. 2005. <http://winemakermag.com/758-wild-yeast-the-pros-and-cons-of-spontaneous-fermentation>.
- Jean L. Jacobson. “Upsides of Wild Fermentation.” Wine & Vines, 2012. <http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=98687>.
- “Marking Red Table Wine.” University of California Davis, 2016. <http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/pdf/HWM3.pdf>.
- James Orr, M.A., D.D. “Wine; Wine Press.” International Bible Encyclopedia, 1915. <http://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/isb/view.cgi?n=9116>.
- “Alcohol in the Church.” 2016. <http://www.abidingplace.org/features/alcohol-in-the-church.html>.
- Kyle Pope. “Bible Wine.” Olsen Park church of Christ, 2013. <http://www.olsenpark.com/Sermons13/BibleWine.html>.
- Alfred Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1883. <https://www.ccel.org/ccel/edersheim/lifetimes>.
Related posts:
“Reconsider the Biblical Concept of Drunkenness“
The Breath of God 
Thank you!
“Give wine to the poor, so they may become drunk and forget their sorrow”. Proverbs something
Joesph Bolz: “Give wine to the poor, so they may become drunk and forget their sorrow”. Proverbs something
Ha! Ha!
Good try Joseph.
That’s called Proverbs nothing.
That is Proverbs 31:4–7,
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
That is Proverbs 31:4–7.
Remember also Proverb 23:29–35,
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
Those who tarry long over wine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter perverse things.
You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink.”
You are so correct. I missed that one completely. Saw it while perusing Scripture but didn’t read is carefully as I should have.
gary
Because water and grape juice were unsafe to drink during that period of time, fermented wine was safer. To refuse to accept that fact is to deny reality. Not all drinkers of alcohol become addicted, in fact very few do. Grape juice is not only wine, it was unsafe to drink.
For passover women swept their houses to (symbolically) drive out all leaven (yeast) before baking the unleavened bread for the passover meal. Naturally no one could possibly remove every last yeast microorganism; it was symbolic of driving out all sin. Sin puffs up the heart of the sinner as yeast puffs up the bread.
We today bake unleavened bread or buy passover matzos from communion bread bakeries.
Scott, thank you for a carefully written exposition and providing relevant references. Reading and comparing scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit leads to truth and transformation. Opinions and choices that are influenced by culture, and unless each heart can truly surrender to God’s will; as outlined in His Word, conviction and change may be rejected in favor of selfish desire – which is our choice. May each bible-believing Christian purpose in his/her heart as did Daniel not to defile our body/His Temple with food or wine; and not conform to the world’s values, but be transformed by renewing our minds.
Hear, hear Vishnu – and all the more so, as we determine to live for others, and not ourselves. (Romans 14)
Vishnu,
You are absolutely correct when you write that studying Holy Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit leads to the truth. We find the Holy Spirit as teacher in John 14:26 where the Bible says “He will teach you all things”, and again in the 16:13 where we learn He will guide us “into all truth”. The real truth in this case is, you used the Daniel verse (1:8) out of context to prove a personal opinion that has no biblically basis. The verse in question reads: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with king’s food, or with the wine he drank”.
You have to remember that Daniel was a young Jewish lad raised under the law, specifically under Jewish dietary law. Therefore it was obvious that Daniel and his friends would refuse to eat the king’s food and wine. They did that for a number of reasons. For example, the Babylonians could serve him unclean beasts, animals prohibited to the Jews (Lev. 11:4-8, 10-12); Daniel knew that heathen nations of that time first consecrated the meat and wine to their idols; and secondly, the meat might be from animals that had not been slaughtered in the proper manner and still had blood in it (Deut.12:23,24). All of these things were forbidden by the law of Moses. It would have been a major sin for Daniel and his Jewish friends to eat anything offered to or blessed in the name of one of their idols. The Jews scrupulously followed the dietary laws and to be absolutely certain they did not sin, they avoided doing anything which might suggest they are recognizing a heathen god. That’s what Daniel did by refusing the king’s largess.
DANIEL’S DECISION, THEN, WAS A RELIGIOUS ONE AND NOTHING ELSE. Food and wine in and of themselves would not have defiled Daniel, it was the defiled food and wine of a heathen king that would have defiled him. On all other occasions not involving the king’s food and wine, Daniel ate “delicacies, meat and wine” (Daniel 10:3). That was their culture, their way of life.
Therefore, although your use of Daniel to prove your point has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand, your final conclusion bears repeating. Yes, every Bible-believing Christian must purpose in his/her heart to “not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of the mind” (Romans 12:2). And yes, Christians should not defile their bodies by overeating to the point of obesity or overdrinking of wine to the point of drunkenness.
Gary: “And yes, Christians should not defile their bodies by overeating to the point of obesity or overdrinking of wine to the point of drunkenness.”
Nor should we act in such a way to stumble our weaker brothers and sisters, and children around us. Romans 14. 10-15% of our brothers and sisters in humanity – roughly 1 Billion adults cannot handle alcohol, and there roughly 1.925 Billion children under age of 15 [http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/01/30/global-population/] – and I’d include those in our thinking of who is fragile concerning this topic of the weaker brother, or sister. Now we’re at about 3 Billion people on the planet that visa vi alcohol are weaker brothers and sisters that we should be careful with.
Surely the world is NOT caring nor careful with these folks. Concerned Bible believing Christians must be – and we’re called to sacrificially love people for Christ.
Let’s do so!
Seattle,
You’ve said the same thing over and over and over since this thread began, including the statement “to stumble our weaker brother and sisters” and all the statistics about those who can’t handle alcohol, etc.
How about a fresh message from you and some new statistics such as how many people can’t handle eating properly and are grossly obese, knowing this condition is very dangerous to their health…the world needs to care for these folks. Or how about statistics on how many of our brothers and sisters are hooked on drugs and how many of them die each year. These certainly are our weaker brothers and sisters with whom “we should be careful with”.
Then there is the alarming statistic that the divorce rate among Christians is exceeding that of the secular world. That’s a sex thing, you know. Besides the addictions of eating and drugs, the sex addiction is destroying families. As Christians we need to “sacrificially
love them for Christ” too.
Gary, Your facts are not right about divorce or addiction to eating. Furthermore, the article is about Jesus, wine, and alcohol, so we should expect the same from Bruce. New stats would be nice, and that is a two way street.
Hi Scott,
Whatever are you talking about? I wrote no statistics about addiction to eating. I was asking Seattle to provide them. The sole statistic I provided about divorce is spot on. Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, says that of all the people who identify themselves as Christians, 60% of these have been divorced.
According to the American Psychological Association, 40 to 50 % of married couples in the USA divorce. George Barna’s research shows that born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce.
You needn’t trouble yourself researching statistics that prove mine wrong. I’ve noticed that facts concerning the subject of divorce are all over the map. For our purposes, this is probably a minor matter that doesn’t deserve a major discussion. The sad thing is, God hates divorce, and the Christian divorce rate, no matter what the percentage, is very disturbing.
Yes, the ongoing debate has been about the Bible’s teaching of how much wine or alcohol a Christian should or shouldn’t consume, and it seems it has been going on for almost two years now, if not longer. However, the matter of gluttony must be considered along with the discussion of alcohol because of the seven times the word “glutton” appears in the Bible, five times it is coupled with “drunkard”, meaning this is as serious a problem to God as is alcoholism in the Christian community.
For instance, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that more than one in three adults are obese (33%) and one in thirteen (8%) are extremely obese. That 42% who cannot control their eating is a lot higher than the 15% of those who cannot handle alcohol that Seattle keeps harping on.
Nutrition experts are in agreement that obesity leads to many other serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and other malady’s too numerous to mention. Gluttony is as much a disease as is alcoholism. Obese persons cannot control their eating just as drunkards can’t control their drinking.
My post was directed at Seattle’s mantra of “stumbling our weaker brothers and sisters”, whatever that means. Following his phraseology, we shouldn’t stumble our gluttonous weaker brothers and sisters either. It was my belief that the discussion of this blog was about what the Bible teaches concerning drinking wine and strong drink. Constantly reminding us that 15% of the world can’t handle drinking hardly addresses the issue.
If Seattle is so concerned about dealing with the issue of alcoholism, he should open his wallet and contribute heavily to Adult and Teen Challenge USA, a Christian organization offering addiction recovery programs in 200 centers nationwide. In fact, this would apply to everyone reading these posts who share Seattle’s concern for our fallen brothers and sisters.
More nonsense about a “sin” that you accept as “gluttony” that you base on a study about body fat on an antiquated body fat index. The sin of eating in the Bible is rich people eating expensive meats (Ps 141:4; Lam 4:5; Amos 4:1). You imply that a third of people have over 25% body fat that has little to do with genetics. Most obese people I know is not about eating but their genetics or hormones.
You also equate divorce rates of those who claim Christianity but are not evangelical meaning they reject either the trinity, biblical inerrancy, or salvation by grace through faith.
Gary,
You’ve also said the same thing over and over again also. So what’s your point? I’m quoting Romans 14….what is your source. If rather repeat God’s Word over and over. Thank you very much!
God loves is all, and His kindness leads us to repentence!
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Who cares about “additional bucks” and making “extra money. Just give me a good glass of wine.
Appreciate you Scott. God’s heart – the Passion of the Christ – His son Jesus, Who, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising it’s shame” [Heb. 12:2], is for us. Praise God this Christmas – we have such an awesome God and Father. And His heart is surely for the 15% of people who cannot handle alcohol well – especially those who have a genetic and endemic issue with it – like many Native Americans, and Asian peoples. God loves addicts – and like the parable of the Banquet – the rich and lovely did not accept His invitation and Jesus tells us that the poor, crippled, beggars and lepers were invited, and in fact he gave them a seat of honor at the front of the table.
Let’s endeavor to not make our brothers and sisters stumble [Romans 14]. Let’s not take our freedom, and do that with it! Let’s love them and God well! As Jesus said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” [Matthew 11:15]
Merry Christmas all!
Seattle.
Merry Christmas to you as well.
Celebrating the birth of Jesus unites all of us Christians
regardless of our positions on drinking wine.
Gary
Jesus did not establish a celebration of His birth. He established a celebration of his death, burial and resurrection. Men want to do things that are not authorized and neglect what is commanded. Does God honor this?
No one knows Jesus’ birth date or even the day of the year on which He was born. His relatives and associates were hunted down and murdered. The only one who we know of who died a natural death was John, imprisoned on Patmos, ca. 96.
You are grasping at straws. It was fermented wine. And it had nothing to do with the sin of being drunk. More than that one can drink a lot of natural wine without getting drunk. Also you should learn about how alcohol works. When you combine it with a rich food as one would have at a wedding it loses from its effects. More than that if the wedding lasted a longer period of time it would have been plenty of time for it to be consumed. That being said the wine made today in Kfer Canna has lower alcohol than other wines. Also the new wine is the strongest and can make you drunk more easily because it is not entirely fermented. You should learn a bit about wine and alcohol before making a fool of yourself!
“Before making a fool of yourself” – that’s an interesting comment. Jesus told us not to call our brothers and sisters ‘raca’ or ‘fool’. You should learn that before, you know, looking silly…;)
I think it’s safe to say that Jesus, would not have encouraged drunkenness and sin, no matter the other details.
Fabulous research! My Spirit was leaping inside at the glory (the fullness of God’s goodness) and truth coming through this message. Thank you! I was looking for research after my daily reading, which today was in Mark 2, discussing an analogy about new wine in old bottles or wine skins. Their is so much controversy about alcohol today and it is hurting the walk and testimony of Christians. I love having this new knowledge to honor my God and His son with. He would never contradict His own Word and this placed facts regarding that in my heart. Perhaps I should just hit send here but because I just noticed a few other comments I will lovingly add for those that disagree that I am also reminded to walk in love with all and to operate from the following two scriptures regarding this topic personally:
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”
I Corinthians 10:23 NKJV
I need and want to love my neighbor as myself and if something would lead another to stumble I will avoid it.
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
I Corinthians 6:12 NKJV
I need and want to love God with all my heart, soul, and strength so I will honor this temple, my body, for Him. I will not risk being subject to any other power but God’s.
Those are the reasons I dont drink any alcohol. I dont need or want to push the subject on anyone I just love the heart of God seen here in how it might have been in Jesus time. Jesus loves all people very much and demonstrated for us how we are to live like God. So imitate Him!
The Lord bless you for studying and sharing this. Godspeed!
Michelle,
Thank you for contributing such a loving and caring message
to this ongoing debate that has continued for months and months.
One of your statements says “Their is so much controversy about
alcohol today and it is hurting the walk and testimony of Christians”.
In reality, true Bible scholars will tell you there is no huge controversy
about alcohol today. There are so many other things “hurting the walk and
testimony of Christians”, but alcohol certainly isn’t one of them.
Your conclusion was wonderful: “we are to live like God. So imitate Him”.
Jesus, the son of God, made wine (John2: 1-11), Jesus served wine (Matt. 26:27)
and Jesus drank wine (Matt. 11:18,19 and Luke 7:34). Therefore, to honor
God we must imitate Jesus and do the same.
God bless you Michelle,
Gary
“In reality, true Bible scholars will tell you there is no huge controversy
about alcohol today.”
Gary, this is not true from a practical matter. What good is scholarship if it butts its head up against the facts on the ground? The facts on the ground are that 15% of humanity struggles mightily with alcohol, and if we’re to love people, like Jesus’ did – we need to be cognizant and aware of this reality, and of the facts. So whether you or I think there’s no huge controversy – 15% of humanity – or about 1 billion people say otherwise. That’s the issue, imho, and its importance cannot be understated.
Seattle,
So what’s the controversy? No one disputes the fact that a portion of the world’s population struggles with alcohol. The same situation existed during Old Testament times and during Jesus’ and Paul’s times. That’s why there are so many warnings in the Bible about over-drinking and drunkenness. Those are the facts, they are not controversial. Secondly, no one suggests we shouldn’t be concerned with these people and love them and do what we can to help them understand the ramifications, for them, of imbibing. Nothing controversial about this either. I’m afraid you lost me. Specifically, where is the controversy to which you are alluding and to which Biblical scholars maintain there isn’t?
We do well to understand and acknowledge reality, and how our Christian faith informs our words and deeds. Gary, you mention ‘Nobody disputes’ – but there are different ways to dispute. Our behavior – how we act (actions truly do speak so much more loudly than words) which Romans 14 addresses, is another huge way that we dismiss and attempt to make the truth relative and subservient to ourselves (self centeredness – which is sin.) When we act in ways that dismiss massive swaths of humanity and essentially say to them (through our actions) – “DEAL with it! My freedom is more important than compassion and sacrificial love toward you….” – I do not find such behavior fully Christ-like. When you’re around addicts you’ll understand. I am – I understand. Good day. May the Lord bless you with understanding of this – I pray – Gary Meier – my brother in Christ.
The author is a fundamentalist Christian, so he approaches the Bible through that lens — which is wrong. There are verses in the Bible that celebrate the consumption of alcohol: Ecclesiastes 9:7 and Psalm 104 verses 14 & 15, for examples. On the other hand, excessive drinking and drunkenness are condemned in numerous places in the Bible. The point is this: Drinking alcohol in moderation is not ungodly.
Hey Chris,
So Scott’s a fundamentalist, and he’s wrong? Sounds like you have your own fundamentalism at play. Kind of ironic, eh? Maybe your fundamentalism is wrong.
I know this – Jesus would not have us stumble our brothers and sisters (Romans 14) – 15% of whom physically cannot handle alcohol. And this is to love them, as Jesus would. That alone should make us ponder our fundamental assertions.
Jesus is our Savior and Lord.
Bruce