If Jesus turned water to wine, was he enabling people to overindulge and sin, tempting them in a way?

Question

By providing so much alcohol for them, was he not tempting them to sin? Would Jesus parade some prostitutes before horny men as well? I think he was just beggin' for them to get themselves drunk.

Answer 1

Funny, Jesus was an enabler.

Answer 2

I wouldn't say so. People can drink without overindulging. It was a wedding, so obviously a large party would need a lot of drink.

I'm living in Spain at the moment, and am astounded at the different attitudes regarding alcohol over here. For them, beer, wine, champagne, sangria aren't even really considered "alcohol". It is served at fast food places for goodness sake! Drinking is very casual and normal, just as if somebody had water or milk (maybe more acceptable, considering wine is cheaper than water here).

So, no, I wouldn't consider it a temptation.
However, it is interesting to note, I think I remember that in the story people commented on how the wedding hosts saved the "best wine" for last, which was unusual, because they would usually start with the nice stuff, and after everbody was too drunk to tell, they would bring out the second-rate stuff. Perhaps everybody already "overindulged"?

Answer 3

Drinking wine is not a sin. Becoming drunk with wine is.

Jesus turning the water into wine punctuates the principle of the new wine...or the new covenant. Not to drink until drunk.

Questions like these make those who ask them seem rather small minded and uneducated. Not that you are, but you turned a very good question into instigation.

Answer 4

His turning water into wine was done for two reasons: 1) it was a prefigurement of his turning bread and wine into the His Body and Blood. 2) Mary tells the server, "Do as he commands." Which is a prefigurement of going to Jesus through Mary.

And of course wine played a much larger role in daily life than it does now. People started drinking wine when they were young thus they were able to drink more without getting drunk....much like modern day Europeans.

Answer 5

Most (if not all) sins can be viewed as perversions of good things. Sex is a gift from God, but promiscuity brings self-hate, disease, and a crumbling society. Material goods can bring comfort, but greed hurts others and breeds self-absorption. Being responsible is a true and honorable course, but it makes pride possible which is a most destructive force, etc. etc.

Wine makes the heart merry. It is a gift from God (and it contains alcohol.) But humans in their misguided perceptions of self-interest often abuse it. The phenomenon you describe of good being turned to evil is abundantly seen throughout the world in many forms.

It's not just wine. We have turned many of God's wonderful gifts into perverse and harmful uses.

Answer 6

The Wine is not the issue of sin, it is ones lack of self control. The Bible actually perscribes alittle wine for upset stomachs. Yet not to overdo it.
Just in the way sex in itself is certainly not sinful, it is Gods gift to mankind, however when perverted the gift becomes a curse.

Answer 7

If temptation is the problem, then alcohol is not to blame.
It is the mind that is weak. The person makes excuses for their weakness.
I prefer to get horny without using alcohol as a crutch.

Answer 8

OK,

since we have the Internet our jobs are our bosses tempting us to spend the whole day surfing the web

When our friends tell us a secret are they tempting us to to tell the whole world

and I could ask more ???s but I wont just think about and stop being so critical............

Answer 9

Why must people assume that Jesus was some strict straight and narrow guy who never diod anything that was fun or "unchristian" Just becaise Calvin and Luther were sadistic masochists, doesn't mean everyone else was. lighten up, he was at a party.

Answer 10

No, just like he was not encouraging gluttony when he miraculously fed a multitude on bread and a few fishes.