Subject: making wine.Did Jesus make a mistake. |
Bible Note: Hi Tim, I saw your post earlier from the other thread, but after the time that I originally posted. And yes, I'm aware of the translation concerns, but I was speaking more about people being mistaken to think that drinking alcohol (in any amount) is the sin. To give credance to my claim, I cited the rules for becoming a deacon established in the early church which relate that a deacon should not be given to much wine--it doesn't say "no wine at all", but "to much wine." Drinking is not the sin, drunkeness is. Eating is not the sin, gluttony is. Admiration of beauty is not the sin, lust is. These were my points; however today many seem to think that drinking even one drop of alcohol is a sin. I personally believe that Jesus made a pure wine at the wedding, the taste and effects of which we cannot probably comprehend. People recognized it as wine by taste, but were amazed about its extraordinary qualities. The mistaken assumption (and the charge leveled at Jesus) is that Jesus made wine, and drinking is a sin; therefore making Jesus a sinner and contributing to the sin of others. This is certainly not so, and my clarification about a drink vs drunkeness certainly helps a person to understand much better than saying that Jesus made grape juice (which sounds like a side-step to the alcohol question). If he did make grape juice, perfect; but understand that having a glass of wine with a meal is an ancient tradition and no more evil that taking a bite of steak. Take care (I always enjoy your posts, Tim), -Rob |