Subject: did the wine from the water make you dr |
Bible Note: Greetings Retxar! There are two positions that I take about this issue. One is opinion only, the other is based upon the meaning of the words. The first (opinion only) is that Christ did not make alcoholic wine. I can not prove this based upon the words only, for the word 'oinos' can mean either fermented or unfermented. But, I am personally in agreement with the following two quotes. a) "In 1907, Dr. R.A. Torrey wrote: "The wine provided for the marriage festivities at Cana failed. A cloud was about to fall over the joy of what is properly a festive occasion. Jesus came to the rescue. He provided wine, but there is not a hint that the wine He made was intoxicating. It was a fewsh-made wine. New-made wine is never intoxicating. It is not intoxicating until sometime after the process of fermentation has set in. Fermentation is a process of decay. There is not a hint that our Lord produced alcohol, which is a product of decay and death. he produced a living wine uncontaminated by fermentation." b) The second quote is from Dr. William Pettingill, who wrote: "I do not pretend to know the nature of the wine furnished by our Lord at the wedding of Cana, but I am satisfied that there was little resemblance in it to the thing described in the Scriptures of God as biting like a serpent and stinging like an adder (Prov. 23:29-32). Doubtless rather it was like the heavenly fruit of the vine that He will drink new with His own in His Father's Kingdom (Mt. 26:29). No wonder the governor of the wedding feast at Cana pronounced it the best wine kept until last. Never before had he tasted such wine, and never did he taste it again." What I can show from Scripture though is that 'wine' had many different meanings in the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, it is not sound to simply assume that 'wine' was always fermented. I would never be dogmatic about this issue, but it is an issue which I have had to deal with as a pastor, so I have thought and prayed much about it. I have seen the results of alcohol first hand and I personally don't think that Christians should have anything to do with it, nor do I believe that Christ produced over 120 gallons of it! :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |