Rethinking a Messiah’s Miracle
WWJB? It’s a legitimate question. Jesus drank with the best of them.1 He made choice wine from water at a wedding in Cana—and lots of it. About 150 gallons. In case you’re wondering, that’s about 800 bottles. And it was good stuff.
“You saved the best for last,” said the master of the banquet to the bridegroom.2 All proof that Jesus approved of earthly celebrations and drinking, despite the fact that some fundamentalists make the ludicrous claim that his wine wasn’t fermented. It was. The Greek word used is oinos, which means fermented drink derived from grapes. In fact, in the Torah, God told the Israelites to use a portion of their tithe to buy food, wine, and strong drink—whatever their appetites craved—for an annual party.3 Like the Cana wedding, it was a time of rejoicing, which the Psalmist echoed when he said “He makes wine that gladdens the heart of man [and woman].”4 The scriptures tell us the abundance of wine is a divine blessing.5
Don’t get nervous, teetotalers. God does not approve of alcohol abuse. Paul told his hearers “don’t get drunk with wine”6 in the Greek continuous tense; meaning don’t be in the habit of overindulging.7 The implication is, it’s fine to tie one on with restraint once in a while, as the Israelites were encouraged to do once a year; just beware of the dangers of drunkenness, in other words, alcoholism. It will ruin your life. Today, unlike biblical times, it is complicated by the deadly combination of drinking and driving.
But what of societies where moderate imbibing is practiced responsibly? If Jesus was invited to a wedding in Belgium or Germany or the home of an American microbrewer, and his mother Mary was worried because they ran out of beer, what would he brew? You can bet your bottom dollar it wouldn’t be Bud Lite.
As a microbrew enthusiast I’d like to offer a few suggestions. Just as the water-into-wine miracle teaches us about God’s lavish provision, his concern over a host’s embarrassment about a poorly planned wedding party, and the importance of bounteous celebrations of life and love, our delving into a WWJB scenario will uncover eye-opening revelations. Ones you can test out in real life. And, if you’re inclined, at the local pub.
We already began with what he wouldn’t brew. Let’s explore that further. As much as I love the Canadian Ale, La Fin du Monde, a robust, flavorful triple-fermentation with a nine percent wallop, I doubt Jesus would brew it. Why? The English translation of this French-named beer is “The End of the World.” My contention is Jesus doesn’t want to send us that message. Some Evangelical Christians delight in saying his return is imminent along with seven years of harrowing tribulation with nothing to look forward to but Judgment Day. They then use this claim to convince you to “accept Jesus” so you’re spared the horror. As I have written elsewhere,8 this interpretation of New Testament eschatology is misguided and naïve. Jesus spoke of the end of the age, meaning the era of Jewish Temple worship (which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD), not the end of the world. Lavish provision and celebrations of life are still in play. We may need to limit them for ourselves at times, but not due to a looming apocalyptic global catastrophe, but rather so we can show concern for the poor and empower them to join the party. Spiritual manipulation through fear is not what Jesus is about, which also highlights how his teaching on hell is misinterpreted.9
1. Matthew 11:19
2. John 2:1-10
3. Deuteronomy 14:26
4. Psalm 104:14-15
5. Genesis 27:28
6. Ephesians 5:18
7. Darwin Chandler, The Royal Law of Liberty, pages 252-253
8. Michael Camp, Last Days Delusions
9. Michael Camp, Embrace Universal Life
To be continued…
As I am not a lover of beer, I can still relate to your thoughts. I enjoy and prefer a mixed drink once in awhile but as you say, I do not like being drunk or being with drunks. Not a control freak per se but I do like to have my wits about me at all times and that simply cannot be done with too much ale or alcohol. My real concern hear is not the drink but the celebration of life. I love to celebrate !!!! Those who see only the bad side of life and the terrible need there is in our surroundings do not live with the balance that allows us to be healthy physically, mentally and spiritually and in tune with God. Love cannot exist without balance. We should never forget the poor and try to help in every way possible but at the same time transformation and salvation is taking place every moment of everyday and we must thank God for it all. We should celebrate the beauty that God has created both humanity and nature. If we go around wearing black “sack cloth” all our lives in recognition of the poor we loose out on being the person God needs to work with God’s self in healing this world. The poor need our love, laughter, friendship, celebration just as much as they need food or clothing. Hope is brought about by finding the good in life now and in the future. Just as drinking a good brew or a miked drink brings momentary happiness to the senses, so does love bring eternal joy and happiness to ourselves and those to whom we minister in the name of Jesus. I think Jesus loved to celebrate !!!!
Does the Bible forbid or condemn alcohol?
No. It does, however, clearly condemn the practice of drunkenness, commands us not to love alcohol, and even cautions us not to like it too much. In the Old Testament, there are about 113 neutral references to alcohol, including the “non-references” such as winepresses or wineskins, seventy negative, and only thirty-one positive. In a couple of cases, there were times where alcohol was temporarily forbidden, like before the priests entered the tabernacle (Leviticus 10:8-11), when priests were to enter the inner court (Ezekiel 44:21), or during a time of the Vow of the Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-20). As well, there were some who were temporarily not to drink, like Samson’s mother while she was pregnant with him (Judges 13:4). A temporary or even permanent banishment on something is not the same thing as a total condemnation. Other things, such as sexual relations, have been temporarily forbidden, like when Moses was consecrating the Israelites to prepare for the Lord’s visit (Exodus 19:15); but this is no way condemns sex. Daniel made the personal choice not to “defile” himself with King Nebuchadnezzar’s “royal food and wine” (Daniel 1:8), but it is unclear if that decision was based solely on the wine. The Ten Commandments and the ordinances, property rights, sundry laws, and covenant with God (Exodus chapter 20-24; Deuteronomy 5:7-21) say nothing whatsoever about alcohol.
The New Testament is more consistently negative in its approach to alcohol. There are about fifteen neutral, twenty-seven negative, and only three positive references. There was one individual, John the Baptist, whom we know of, who was not to ever drink (Luke 1:13-15), but Scripture does not tell us why. But again, while we see multiple warnings against drunkenness in the New Testament, at no point do we find the universal statement to all readers that one “shall not” or even “should not” ever consume alcohol.
Did Jesus drink alcohol? Did He endorse or condemn it?
Jesus neither endorsed it nor condemned it, but it is unknown whether He ever drank it. In fact, Jesus did not say anything about alcohol. He could have easily included the subject in one or more of His teachings, even just to say it is okay in moderation, one should avoid it, or never touch it, but He did not. One thing He did say in regard to eating in general was that it is not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him unclean (or ‘defiles’ him), but rather was comes out of a man’s heart (Matthew 15:17-18). Some have contended that this offers proof that Christ was okay with drinking in moderation, but I personally would not take it that far. This statement may or may not have had a thing to do with alcohol, but Christ did not mention any specifics.
In regard to the “wine” at the wedding in Cana, whether or not it was fermented, the Word does not say if He drank any of it. If Christ did actually consume any alcohol in Cana or elsewhere, He did not get drunk because He was without sin. We can also conclude that alcohol was not a considerable nor regular factor in His life, if it was at all.
We know at one point the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a drunkard (Luke 7:34), which suggests that He at least was seen in the company of individuals who were drinking, and probably drinking too much. Some have concluded from this that Christ did drink, but again this was just an accusation, and it does not prove anything. We, of course, know that His ministry was for the lost and the unsaved, which is why He was in the company of at least some drunkards to begin with.
Another place people say Jesus drank fermented wine was at the Last Supper. But if you study Scripture where this event is recorded, Matthew 26:27, Mark 14:23, and Luke 22:17, you will find no reference to wine, only the “cup.” In the proceeding verses (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:19), only the NLT uses the word “wine” while all the other translations say the “fruit of the vine.” There are specific words for “wine,” as we have seen, so the accuracy here of the NLT may be questionable. My conclusion is that the Last Supper, by the description in Scripture, did not contain fermented wine. “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; (28) For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”–Matthew 26:27-28 (KJV)
Find out much more, Google: “A Toast to the Holy Ghost?”
http://www.libatique.com
so, Kelly, if I may ask, since the setting of the last supper was a seder meal and since the intended audience would have known that “the cup” at a seder would have been wine, is the lack of the word “oinos” and the use of “poterion” really a proof of the negative? A consideration of the context seems to point to real wine. Here is another quote ” And with that he offered Socrates the cup.” The sentence doesn’t need the word “hemlock” for us to understand, no more than would “And he took the cup and gave thanks” need any further explanation to a first century christian/jew or God-fearer.
I like the outside the box thinking here. If I may interject though, brewing wine in Jesus day was strictly forbidden by anyone but the clergy, or else it was not Kosher and therefore could not be imbibed by law abiding Jews. If Jesus was a homebrewer, his followers would have a distinct advantage over Jews that paid the church heavy taxes (presumably, in occupied roman times)
I have kept my own yeast culture for many years now and the similarities between it and the stories told of Jesus are striking as well. Not just the water into wine story, or the turning of one loaf into many. Is it possible that some of the parables of Jesus are meant to educate the citizenry of the technology of fermentation? “Beware the yeast of the Pharisee’s and the yeast of Herod” Mark 8:15
An often confusing parable that just might be a fair warning to those that thought that it be easier to just pay taxes, instead of teaching a poorly educated group the intricacies and dangers of fementation
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Consider the parable of walking on water, have you ever brewed with a top fermenting yeast?
I have also “killed my yeast culture several times, miraculously though, if I give it a feeding then seal it up in darkness, it will revive itself in about 3 days!
The fact that there were poor and destitute people that couldn’t afford taxes on food, or hungry Harlots and tax collectors who were denied access to Kosher foodstuffs, Is known. Jesus was undoubtedly compassionate. All that remains is how Jesus learned the secrets of fermentation, an easy task if one were to venture beyond the borders to the east and study other culture that were less controlling of this technology.
I think Jesus drank Merlot so Miles was probably unchristlike when he said “I’m not drinking and f***ing merlot” in Sideways. Not that he was trying to be Christian, but he was harping on a bit.
I covered Jesus and wine on my own blog recently http://www.regularwino.com/history/what-wine-did-jesus-drink/
Got any WWJB bracelets?