The Biblical account of the miracle Jesus
performed at the Marriage in Cana has been the subject of diverse
interpretations among Christians; especially in the United States where many
denominations advocate for, or require, that Christians totally abstain from
drinking alcoholic beverages. It is
clear that many Biblical references to alcoholic beverages discourage the abuse
of alcohol in excess. (Proverbs 20:1, 21:17, 23:19-21, and 23:29-35; Isaiah
5:11-12 and 22; Habakkuk 2:5; 1 Timothy 3:1-12; Titus 1:5-9; 1Peter 4:1-6; and many more)
Yet, it is also apparent that Jesus drank
wine, during His earthly ministry:
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no
wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at
him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35 ESV) * (See also Matthew 11:18-19)
I am not a trained linguist or
translator. All I know is what I read in
the English language translations of the Bible that are available to me. Some well-meaning preachers have tried to
make a case for abstinence by pointing out that in Biblical times people often
drank wine, rather than water, because the water was not potable. They have rightly said that the wine in those
days varied in alcohol content, and that the common, everyday wine contained
very little alcohol. They maintain, therefore,
the wine Jesus drank, and that resulted from His miracle at Cana, was not
intoxicating.
The scripture says that His enemies accused Jesus
of being a drunkard, and of keeping bad company. We can infer from this that the wine He was drinking was fermented. It also says that the wine the wedding guests
drank in Cana had the well-known effect of making the drinker’s taste less
discriminating, due to intoxication. The
master of ceremonies praised the wine Jesus made for being better than the wine
that had been served previously. It
seems logical, then, to conclude that the wine Jesus made contained alcohol –
all 120 gallons of it:
On the third day
there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was
there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When
the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And
Jesus said to her, “Woman,
what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six
stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding
twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And
they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the
master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master
of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came
from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the
feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good
wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have
kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at
Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
After this he went
down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and
they stayed there for a few days. (John 2:1-12 ESV) *
I have heard some well-meaning members of alcohol-free
denominations bemoan the miracle at Cana, and wonder why Jesus did it, because
it makes it more difficult to make their case for abstinence. Respectfully, I say:
First, we must not try to bend scripture to
prove a point, no matter how important we think it is. We must, also, be
careful that we do not put roadblocks in the way of people who are trying to
find their way to Jesus. (Luke 11:46; Matthew 23:4 and 13-15). Last but not least, Jesus is sinless, and it
is blasphemy to call anything He does a sin.
While Jesus’ enemies falsely accused Him of
being a “winebibber,” there is no record of His ever drinking to excess. He certainly never consumed distilled spirits
like whiskey, vodka, or gin.
By performing this miracle, Jesus revealed His
glory, and as a result His disciples believed in Him. It also seems to me that
the wine Jesus created at the wedding in Cana illustrates the superiority of
the New Covenant to the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was based on earning God’s
favor by obedience to God’s law as given through Moses. The New Covenant promises eternal life in the
very presence of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Clearly, the New Covenant is better than the
Old Covenant.
Again, the whole wisdom of God, as given to us
in the Bible, is that we must not drink to excess or give our lives over to
the control of alcohol. It is not a
matter of whether we are in control of our lives, or alcohol is. That misses the truth, which is that it is a
matter of whether we give Jesus control our lives, rather than alcohol.
To be clear, addiction operates like a
disease. Some people can expose
themselves to the contagion without succumbing to the disease. For addicts, however, their addiction to
psychoactive substances is chronic, progressive, and fatal. For the addicted, controlled drinking is not an
option. Rather, it is a death sentence.
Within the family of believers, we need to be
tolerant of each other. Remember Paul’s
Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 14. One
person may believe that their liberty in Christ allows them a beer or two with
dinner at their favorite restaurant.
Another believer’s conscience may convict them for having a glass of
wine at a friend’s house. For the
believers whose conscience condemns them, using alcohol is a sin – because they
believe it is a sin and do it anyway.
The believer who thinks it is permissible must not try to pressure the
one whose conscience forbids drinking into “relaxing a little” or “loosening up
a bit.” On the other hand, the one who
thinks Christians shouldn’t drink must not condemn the person who thinks it is
okay. Above all, the Christian who
drinks must never do it in circumstances where, by doing so they may cause the
brother or sister whose faith is weaker to fall away from the Lord. Jesus died for that person, and we must not
destroy their faith by disillusioning them.
In modern times, we have a new kind of
addiction to deal with … illegal drugs. I
worked in addiction treatment programs and the criminal justice system for over
21 years. I worked in human services for
another seven years. I have seen
firsthand the devastation that drug abuse causes in the lives of individuals,
communities, and nations. I have detailed
knowledge of the extreme cruelty, barbarity, and lawlessness of the criminal
gangs and cartels that, to our shame, U.S. drug abuse is funding in Mexico and
Central and South America. Further,
these criminal elements are heavily involved in the current illegal migration
across our Southern border, and they have expanded their activities to the
United States. Believers and
nonbelievers alike, please do not be a part of this evil.
Look carefully then
how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time,
because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand
what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is
debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit … making melody to the Lord with your
heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence
for Christ.
(Ephesians 5:15-21
ESV) *
As we are led by the Holy Spirit, each of us must
choose what we do and allow in our lives.
Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Let’s not do anything to it that Jesus wouldn’t
do.
Remember that the Lord said, “A new commandment I give to you, that
you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one
another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV) * Brethren, please
be at peace with one another.
* https://biblehub.com/
