Why does the Bible speak of Jesus miraculously changing from water to wine? Why all this moral decadence?
Answer:
There are Christians who strongly maintain that Jesus never drank alcohol. They argue that the word translated by wine can at the same time indicate an alcoholic drink and non-alcoholic, and there is no evidence that he ever drank anything fermented.
Others, on the other hand, say that Jesus certainly drank wine. At that time, the alcohol or fermentation rate is not the same as today. They also tell us that the Bible does not prohibit drinking wine and that there is no medical evidence to show that wine consumed in moderation is harmful to health.
At the time of the New Testament, water was unfit for consumption. Without the modern efforts to purify this water, it would continue to contain bacteria, viruses and all sorts of pollutants. This is still the case in many Third World countries. As a result of this, people drank more often wine that was free from such contamination. Paul even advised Timothy not to drink only water (which caused him health concerns), but also to drink wine for the sake of his health. “Do not continue to drink only water; But make use of a little wine, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments “(1 Timothy 5:23).
The latest scientific (medical) findings have proved that drinking wine in moderation helps the heart, reduces cholesterol and lowers high blood pressure.
Of course, the Bible condemns drunkenness and alcoholism. The apostle Paul warns us against any excess of wine. “Do not get drunk with wine: it is debauchery. Be, on the contrary, filled with the Spirit “(Ephesians 5:18).
Titus 1: 7 declares that the minister of God must neither devote himself to wine nor be a drunkard. The abuse of wine is a sin (1 Timothy 3: 8).
I have witnessed the damage caused by alcoholism in a person’s life, but I have also seen so many people have a drink without suffering any harm. For a very long time this has been a point on which most Christians agree. However, the problem has gone beyond the borders of Christianity. In recent years, alcohol has also become a cause for concern in Islam, due to the fact that many Muslims live in Europe and unfortunately many of them have also become accustomed to trying to drink a little and sometimes too much.
Wine is not bad, it is the abuse that is made of it which is bad and this is what the Bible condemns. There are many things that are not bad in themselves, but as the saying goes: the excess of everything is harmful.
One thing is certain. Jesus never sinned. If drinking any wine is a sin, then Jesus is a sinner. He drank and passed a cup, the fruit of the vine, to his disciples. He changed water into wine, and it was the best wine, according to the steward of the wedding feast. However, he came to die on the Cross so that His perfect and sinless life should be offered because of our sins. Our sins were accounted to Him so that His righteousness could be credited to us.
