I want to know if Jesus ever drank any alcohol (at all) while he was
on earth. If he didn't, did he say we shouldn't drink it.

Hi there,

One of the problems with answering this question, is whether you take
the side of some devout Christians who are adamant that any reference
to wine in the Bible actually means unfermented grape juice. So for
our purposes I am taking any Biblical reference to wine as meaning
alcoholic wine. Follow the links for information on the original words
used, and why it was actually alcoholic wine Jesus drank.

Here are two passages which state or imply that Jesus was a drinker:


Matthew 11:18 + Luke:33
-----------------------

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and
you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and "sinners."'" (Luke 7:33-34)

Jesus contrasted Himself with John the Baptist. Jesus said that John
did not eat bread nor drink wine, but Jesus did eat and drink. This
gives the impression that Jesus ate bread and drank wine. Furthermore,
because Jesus ate and drank, He was called a "glutton" and a
"drunkard." This implies that Jesus possibly drank wine (although I'm
sure He didn't get drunk!).
http://www.layhands.com/CanChristiansDrinkAlcohol.htm


John:19-29-30
-------------

"A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put
the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus'
lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished."
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:29-30)
http://www.layhands.com/CanChristiansDrinkAlcohol.htm

A discussion on Jesus drinking fermented wine on the cross is here:
http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ376.HTM


You can search many different versions of the bible via:
http://searchenginez.com/online_bible.html

There's a good chance that he smoked dope as well:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/backissues/cc11/christ.html



Search strategy: "jesus drank wine"

Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga

Thanks robertskelton-ga! Nice answer. I was interested in the dope
link to. Thanks also everyone else for your comments.

Notwithstanding Robert Skelton's fine answer, one should realise that
religion and beliefs are something that is beyond "facts".
Anabaptists, Seventh Day Adventists and many other groups believe that
we shouldn't consume alcohol. In Catholicism, on the other hand, wine
has a symbolic significance (as Jesus' blood).

Historically speaking, wine was a popular drink during Jesus' era, for
the mere reason that it could be preserved. Jesus was a Jew, and Jews
are not prohibited from alcohol consumption, as long as the wine was
made by Jews. These two "facts" might suggest that Jesus indeed drank,
but it shouldn't mean that other interpretations are not "right", as
there is no "right" answer.

A related topic has been discussed here:

Google Answers - Water instead of wine 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=18937

In John 2:1-11 you can read of Jesus' first recorded miracle, which
was changing water into wine at a wedding in the village of Cana.  The
account certainly sounds as if it was real wine, not just juice. 
Furthermore, since Jesus saw fit to provide this wine at the end of
the wedding, when many guests were already drunk, it would certainly
seem that he didn't have a problem with people drinking it.  Here's a
link to the passage (from two different translations):
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=John+2%3A1-11&NIV_version=yes&NKJV_version=yes&language=english&x=15&y=15

Cheers,
--Byrd

It seems that primarily in American religions, the consumption of
alcohol is many times viewed as a "sin," a view which I have never
understood because of the many references to wine in the Christian
bible.  Certainly, wine or any other alcohol should be consumed in
moderation and with respect.  I am of the opinion that Yeshua did
drink wine and probably enjoyed it.

With regards to the feast at Cana, I have always wondered why it is
not mentioned who was married there.

...those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. (Gal. 5:24)

"Faithful is the word: If anyone reaches out to overseership, he
desires a good work. Then the overseer must be blameless...not a
drinker, not a contentious one, not greedy of ill gain..." (1 Tim.
3:1-3, A Literal Translation of the Bible, Jay P. Green, Sr. General
Editor and Translator)

F. R. Lees, D. Burns, and W. Patton have quoted ancient writers to
demonstrate that the word oinos (wine) SOMETIMES meant alcoholic wine
and SOMETIMES meant non-alcoholic wine. Ancient writers described
methods to PRESERVE it for long periods WITHOUT fermenting.

[Matt. 11:18,19:] "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they
say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and
they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of
publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."...

"Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and
sinners." It is on such authority that the advocates of alcoholic
wines claim that Christ was accustomed to use them. At best, it is
only inferential... We notice that the same authority which said he
was a "wine-bibber" also said he was "gluttonous." And on two other
occasions [John 7:20, 8:48] they said he had a devil. If we believe
the first charge on the authority of his enemies, we must also believe
the second and the third...It should also be remembered that his
enemies were unscrupulous, malignant, and not noted for their
truthfulness.

(Rev. William Patton 1871, Laws of Fermentation and the Wines of the
Ancients, pages 77, 78)

V. 19. A MAN GLUTTONOUS, AND A WINEBIBBER ... Wicklif (1380) and
Tyndale (1534) translate 'drynker of wyne'...

The diet of John was simple and uniform--such as the wilderness
spontaneously provided; his dress was rough and hairy; his residence
was away from the haunts of man; and his manner was austere...

Jesus...did not hold himself aloof from village, town, and city, nor
adopt singular attire, nor use the monotonous food of the
wilderness...

The reasoning that "John drank no wine, while Christ did, THEREFORE we
may," overlooks or confounds the most important distinctions... It
ignores the fact that John, as a Nazarite, abstained from ALL solid
produce of the vine, and from ALL juice of the grape, and that Jesus,
not being a Nazarite, was not under the same obligation, and did not
so abstain, as we know from the account of the Last Supper; but the
inference that THEREFORE Jesus partook of INTOXICATING liquor (such as
Solomon and Habakkuk condemned) is wholly unsupported and unjustified.
The contrast was neither universal nor special, but GENERAL, and hence
the inference is illogical. It is not necessary to assume that Christ
drank ALL kinds of wine--good, bad, or indifferent--BECAUSE John
abstained from all kinds, much less that He drank ONLY intoxicating
wine!

(Dr. Frederic Richard Lees & Rev. Dawson Burns 1870, Temperance Bible
Commentary, pages 267, 268)

Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes? 
Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.
Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;
At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
"They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?"
(Prov. 23:29-35)

I'm a very strong beleiver AGAINST alcohol.  Being a Christian i'm
constantly getting mocked even by my Christian friends.  I highly
reccomend a book written by William Patton called "Bible Wines".  This
book is clear to me and backed up my beleifs that Jesus, in no way
would promote something so deadly, something that ruins so many lives.
 Why would anyone want to even tempt themselves with something so
deadly?  Alcohol causes nothing but problems.

Most Christians hate it that i'm so against drinking and some get
hostile.  I know where I stand and I know i'm right. My personal
statement I always use is,  First of all look at the affects of
alcohol on MILLIONS of people and the lives it is ruining, causeing
people to do something that they NEVER would have done if they hadn't
taken that first drink.  People become alcoholics from the first
drink, I have examples of people I know personally and have watched
their lives crash before my eyes.

DO you think Jesus would hand a child a stick of dynamite and a match
and say don't hurt yourself?  The affects of alcohol are far worse
then a stick of dynamite.

Matt

Jesus made a parable about cleaning up your life before filling
yourself with faith.  The parable was a caution about putting new wine
into old wine skins, because the new wine (grape juice boiled down to
2/3 content) would ferment much faster in the old wine skin, the
violent fermentation process would burst the sack and spill the wine. 
Rather Jesus said you needed a new wine skin to hold new juice. 
What's so powerfull about this arguement is that:
1. Jesus is the speaker, Salvation and wine is his topic.
2. The wine skin is the audience.
3. The old wine is the sin of man.
4. The new wine is the life of faith
5. The new wine skin is salvation.

IF the parable was interpreted to mean that wine was meant to be
fermented, then the new model of salvation would involve being reborn
new skin, filled with the fruits of the holy spirit/word, and then
returning happily into a life of sin.  ( note that the product is
useless (bursted) smells terrible and is flamable )

If the parable was interpreted to mean that win was UNfermented, then
the model of salvation involves a rebirth (new skin) a filling of the
holy spirit/word, a peacefull exhistence until called upon by the
keeper of the vineyard.

-Sean(AT)kubin(DOT)net