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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Jesus Went to a Wedding
It comes as a surprise to some, but Jesus was a social person. Many picture Him a one who did nothing but “preach,” but when He came to earth, He “was made in the likeness of man...found in fashion as a man,” Philippians 2:7, 8. As a human, He had social needs.
An acquaintance invited Jesus to his wedding, and Jesus went, as recorded in John 2:1-11. His mother was there, as were some of His apostles. In most respects, this was an ordinary social gathering honoring a couple’s marriage. One event makes this noteworthy, and it remains a controversy even today. Jesus performed a miracle.
His mother informed Him that the wine supply had been depleted. Jesus solved that problem by turning six water pots of water into six water pots of wine. Later, the ruler of the feast commented that Jesus’ wine was the “good wine,” 2:10. Unquestionably, Jesus did make wine from water.
Some today say that if Jesus made wine, then we can drink wine today. To that statement I give my wholehearted agreement. But before we jump on the "social drinking” bandwagon, let us look at the facts on what that “good wine” was. The following is a collection of comments made by those who are knowledgeable on the subject of wine in ancient times.
- “It is an unscholarly determination that concludes the Greek word oinos must always mean an intoxicant anywhere it is used. Both New Testament and classical usage indicate the word may mean a number of things. Thayer shows that oinos is even used of the vine itself (cf. Revelation 6:6) rather than the juice. In classical Greek, usage may be cited to show oinos designating the grape itself, the juice still in the grape, the fresh pressed juice, and various non-intoxicating drinks.”
- “There was nothing in Bible times which corresponds to intoxicating drinks of today. Natural fermentation produces a maximum of only about 14 percent content of alcohol, since a higher alcoholic content kills the yeast cells which produce it. In order to obtain a higher percentage of alcohol, freezing or distillation must be used, processes not known in ancient times. Actually, wine in ancient Palestine contained not over 5-8% alcohol. This constituted the strong drink of the Bible (which was forbidden in the Law of Moses, Leviticus 10:9, CBG).”
Joseph P. Free
Archaeology and Bible History, p.352.
- “The moral influence of Jesus’ miracle will be determined by the character of the wine. It is pertinent to ask, Is it not derogatory to the character of Christ and the teachings of the Bible to suppose that he exerted his miraculous power to produce, according to Alvord, 126 gallons of intoxicating wine?—wine which inspiration had denounced as a ‘mocker,’ as ‘biting like a serpent,’ and ‘stinging like an adder,’ as ‘the poison of dragons,’ ‘the cruel venom of asps,’ and which the Holy Spirit had selected as the emblem of the wrath of God Almighty? Is it probable that he gave that to the guests after they had used the wine provided by the host, and which, it is claimed, is intoxicating?”
William Patton
Bible Wines, p. 75
- “The ratio of water might vary, but only barbarians drink it unmixed, and a mixture of wine and water of equal parts was seen as ‘strong drink’ and forbidden. The term ‘wine’ (oinos, cbg) in the ancient world, then, did not mean wine as we know it today, but wine mixed with water. In order to consume the amount of alcohol in two martinis by drinking wine containing three parts water to one part wine, one would have to drink over twenty-two glasses. In other words, it is possible to become intoxicated from mixed wine, but one’s drinking would affect the bladder long before it affected the mind.”
- “Ancient testimony indicates that at least four methods were known and used in ancient times to preserve grape juice from fermentation:
- Boiling the juice down to a syrup.
- Separating the fermentable pulp from the juice of the grape by means of filtration.
- Placing the grape juice in sealed jars, which were immersed in cold water.
- Fumigating with sulphur the wine jars before sealing them.”
Samuel Bacchiocchi
Wine in the Bible, p. 38.
- “It is widely believed that in the ancient world it was much easier to preserve fermented wine than unfermented grape juice. Such a belief rests on the mistaken assumption that the preservation of fermented wine was a simple process requiring only that the pressed grape juice be allowed to ferment. The truth is quite different. Fermented wines are subject to a number of infections which cause them to become sour, malodorous and moldy. Pliny frankly acknowledges that ‘it is a peculiarity of wine among liquids to go moldy or else to turn into vinegar; and whole volumes of instructions on how to remedy this have been published.’”
Samuel Bacchiocchi, p. 30.
These quotes should help us respond to those who seek to justify “social drinking” by asserting that Jesus approved beverage alcohol by His miracle in Cana of Galilee.
Remember: alcohol damns internally, externally and eternally. Don’t let it get you.
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“First, you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.”
“Alcohol produces artificial happiness, artificial courage, artificial gaiety and artificial self-satisfaction. Unfortunately, it also produces crime, disease and degradation.”
“Wine has drowned more men than the sea.”
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
“83% of fire deaths, 72% of sexual abuse, 69% of drownings, 50% of murders and traffic deaths, 54% of all violent crimes and 70% of aggravated assaults are attributed to alcohol.”
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Warm Weather and Immodest Dress
As the weather warms up, we generally wear less and/or lighter clothing. There is nothing wrong with adjusting our clothing to fit the weather, so long as our clothing adequately covers our bodies. The fashion of the world, of course, is to wear scanty, provocative clothing, especially when the weather is warm. Unfortunately, some in the church will be influenced more by the fashion of the world than they are by the word of the Lord.
Your Bible says, "In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety…" (1 Timothy 2:9). Certainly the same is required of men. In case some woman wants to know what modest apparel is, then she should read verse 10: "But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." It is modest if it is becoming (appropriate, suitable, proper) to women professing godliness.
It is a fact that times have changed, and styles have changed, and society has changed, but the word of God has not changed and human nature has not changed. Several years ago a well-known preacher wrote the following.
"What is wrong with mixed swimming? I can't speak for the ladies, but I can speak for the men. There's not an ordinary man who can look at a woman clad in nothing but a bathing suit for a long time without entertaining evil thoughts. 'But,' some will say, 'it does not bother me.' One who says that may be so young that his passions have not arisen, or he may be so old they have subsided, or he may be so ignorant he doesn't know what is going on, or he may not be normal, or he may be lying. He fits into one of these five categories, or he is a spiritual giant; but spiritual giants don't spend their time at mixed swimming parties."
Our Lord warned against looking and lusting when he said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart," (Matthew 5:27-28).
I know there are those who accuse anyone who warns against the evils of immodest dress of being "evil-minded." This accusation has intimidated many preachers and caused them to stop preaching against immodest dress. I pray I might never be intimidated by such charges. I hasten to say also that the danger of lust is not the only reason Christians should dress modestly and decently. The matter of our good influence should be weighed carefully in determining how we are to dress.
In the forty-odd years I have been preaching I guess I have heard all the arguments as to why the Bible injunction with reference to modesty does not have to be obeyed. Here are some of them: "Nobody thinks about it anymore." "In some cultures the women go bare-breasted." "Time was when a woman was immodest if her ankle showed." "Some are going to lust anyway." And on, and on, and on the arguments go. But the real reason most members of the church persist in wearing clothing that is less than modest and decent is simply this: God's will is not important enough for them to yield their own will to Him.
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