It is wide spread belief from around were i live that Jesus drank non-alcoholic wine. Is this true.
2007-09-15 08:24:14 · 23 answers · asked by Monkey Man 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I live in Northern Ireland
2007-09-15 08:44:52 · update #1
No, contrary to the beliefs of some denominations, the Jews did indeed drink alcoholic wine.
How did Noah die? He got drunk and overdosed on wine!
(Not Ribena, as some of the Baptists use in Communion!)
It was also quite possible that the wine in those days might possibly have been weaker than today's.
As yet, there is no evidence to suggest that wine in Biblical times was in fact just grape juice (the Marriage in Cana strengthens the case for the pro-alcoholic wine view).
At no time did Jesus encourage total abstinence from alcohol. I believe his words were to be wary of it.
PS The only argument for the 'Jesus didn't drink alcohol' side is that in ancient Hebrew the word for 'wine' was the same as the word for 'grape juice'. However, scholars do not believe this.
2007-09-15 08:26:28 · answer #1 · answered by Bubbles 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The wedding in Cana, Jesus' first miracle recorded is a good place to look. In John chapter 2 opens with a wedding in Cana, a mundane celebration in a tiny village. And what is the terrible problem that Jesus is called upon to address? The party has run out wine!
John is at some pains to show that it was real wine. That's why he has the master of the feast comment on how good the wine is. "Most people serve the best wine first and bring out the second-rate stuff after everyone is too drunk to tell the difference. But you have saved the best wine till now." Jesus not only made wine; he made really good wine. (Imagine what the response would be if it was just grape juice!) Scandalous!
I think the whole debate about whether the wine was fermented imposes modern categories on ancient events. Wine was fermented because that's simply what happens to grape juice when you try to store it without refrigeration. The longer you store it the more alcoholic it becomes---up to a point. Still, I think the miracle was scandalous to first century Pharisees just as it would be to the self-righteous legalists in the church today.
2007-09-15 15:39:49 · answer #2 · answered by thundercatt9 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People say that when Jesus turned water into wine, that it was alcoholic. That statement reveals how little one truly knows the Lord. #1. Jesus was a nazarite. He took the Nazarite vow, which is to not cut His hair and bingo....not drink alcoholic beverages. Jesus is perfectly holy without one blemish of sin. To say He partook of something that He forbids in Scripture is completely insane!! When wine is new, it is grape juice. It has to sit and ferment a long time to become intoxicating. Jesus did not drink alcoholic beverages. Do I drink? Never have I had the desire. Do I believe that one will go to hell if they have an ocassional drink? Absolutely not! But, my body as a Christian, is the temple of the Lord. It matters what i put into it. I can not, you can not be filled with the spirit of God if we dabble in the world. You are cheating your own growth in God when you do. So, one needs to decide...what do I want more, the presence of God or temporal pleasures?? I choose the Lord hands down!
2007-09-15 15:42:51 · answer #3 · answered by HeVn Bd 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not at all. Remember, if Jesus really existed, he lived in ancient times. They did not have the capacity to remove alcohol from wine or beer.
Also, what difference would it make if he consumed alcohol? Everyone did at the time, it was a part of most ancient cultures. Water was scarce, so they drank wine.
2007-09-15 15:28:45 · answer #4 · answered by Rat 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
At the wedding of Cannan, one of the guests remarks that the best wine is usually served first. The reason for serving the best wine first, is because afterwords, people will start to get drunk and not notice you're serving cheaper wine. That story clearly shows Jesus creating alcoholic wine for others to consume, which means he has no problem with the consumption of alcoholic wine, or even drunkenness for special occasions.
2007-09-15 15:30:07 · answer #5 · answered by wondermus 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, in fact at his first miracle when he turned the water into wine, a prominent person actually said that that wine was the superior wine. Jesus turned the water into the best wine. Jesus drank alcoholic wines but as God teaches, in moderation.
2007-09-15 15:31:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would even wager that non-alcoholic wine did not exist at the time. Wine is the product of the fermentation of grape juice by yeast. Alcohol, specifically ethanol, is a product of this process, and is not easy to remove from the end result, without distillation or a knowledge of chemistry that was not available 2000 years ago.
2007-09-15 15:30:27 · answer #7 · answered by That Guy 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No. He drank real wine. What is wrong with alcohol in moderation? This seems like a last minute thing they made up to reconcile a belief they made up with the Bible.
2007-09-15 15:42:52 · answer #8 · answered by superninfreak777 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Grape juice was equivalent to new wine in his day.
The only difference was how long did the wine ferment.
The longer the fermentation, the stronger the wine was.
There was no such thing as non alcoholic wine during Christ's day.
2007-09-15 15:31:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course he drank alcoholic wine as did everyone of the time. I have heard this before about the non-alcoholic stuff, it is just ridiculous
2007-09-15 15:30:27 · answer #10 · answered by Dan H 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋