WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY ABOUT WINE? Dr. Greg Tyree

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1 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY ABOUT WINE? Dr. Greg Tyree INRODUCTION There are fewer things more controversial to Evangelical Christians as the topic of Wine in the Bible, or The Christian s Freedom to Drink Wine. Some argue that wine is totally forbidden (in the Bible) for all believers, while others just as passionately defend their right to drink. Their reasoning goes something like this: The Bible does not speak against drinking but against excessive drinking. All things are lawful in moderation. Perhaps you believe that way. Many Christians see this topic as a peripheral one, but we must not relegate it to the realm of the mundane for the following reasons: 1) The Bible speaks on the subject 2) Alcohol has wreaked havoc on society, the home, and the church 3) A new generation is adopting (and carrying further) an apathetic view of the subject One must not think that this is a trivial matter blown out of proportion by those fundamentalists. Rather it boils down to this: do we believe the Bible or not? Let me say at the beginning that I am a tee-total-er. That is, I believe that Christians should totally abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages. The purpose of this brief presentation is to demonstrate Scripturally why I believe this way. THE WORDS FOR WINE The word wine(s) and the phrase strong drink (all together) appear about 255 times in the Bible (KJV). There is no shortage of Biblical sources for our discussion. Many assume that the use of the word wine in the Bible always means the same thing as it does today. In modern times, the word wine almost always (if not always) means a fermented drink from the fruit of the vine. Even Sparkling Grape Juice will have the phrase non-alcoholic on the label, because people assume that wine is in the bottle. When we speak of wine in the Bible, we must employ the words that the Bible used, and in the CONTEXT in which they were used. We must not make the mistake of imposing our culture on the text of the Bible. Old Testament (Hebrew) Yayain: What is pressed out, as juice from a grape (Young s Concordance). This is fermented wine. Tirosh: What is possessed (new wine). Dr. Greg Tyree 1

2 Yain: The same root word in the Greek, not confined to intoxicating liquor made of fruits by alcoholic fermentation of their expressed juices, but more frequently referring to a thick, non-intoxicating syrup, or jam, produced by boiling (Dr. William Kanoy, Wine, page 3). New Testament (Greek) Oinos (oinon, oine): Drink made from any fruit, grain (dates, apples, pears, barley) or lotus seed. As with the Hebrew Yain, the word referred to fresh fruits, raisins, jam (which could be boiled and mixed with water to make a drink). Since in both the Old and New Testaments words are employed that can mean either intoxicating or non-intoxicating wine, the context must establish which is used. THE LAW OF FIRST MENTION This law states that the first mention of a subject in the Bible should greatly influence the way we interpret subsequent occurrences of that subject. The first mention of bad wine in the Bible is in Genesis 9:20-25 (for the meaning of bad wine, see below): 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father s nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. The use of wine here resulted in: 1) Nakedness 2) Sexual Perversion 3) Family Division 4) The Curse of a Grandchild and his Progeny We see the same results from wine in Genesis 19:30-36: 30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us Dr. Greg Tyree 2

3 make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. ABSTENANCE FROM WINE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR HOLINESS 1) The Priests (Lev. 10:8-11) 2) The Nazarites (Num. 6:2, 3, 20, 21; Jud. 13:3-7) Consider the Nazarite vow in Numbers 6: 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. The word separate is the same word that is used for Christians to be separate. 3) Kings and Judges (Prov. 31:4-7) 4) Pastors (Elders) and Deacons (1 Tim. 3:3) Neutral Uses of the Word THREE CLASSES OF WINE There are times when the context does not indicate the type of wine (i.e., fermented or nonfermented ). Bad Uses of the Word 1) As the Cause of Intoxication (This is Not Disputed) 2) As the Cause of Violence and Woe (Prov. 4:17; Prov. 23:29, 30) 3) As the Cause of Self-Security and Irreligion (Isa. 55:12) 4) As Poisonous and Destructive (Prov. 23:31; Deut. 22:33; 32:24, 33; Hab. 2:15) 5) As Condemning Those Who are Devoted to Drink (Isa. 5:22; 1 Cor. 6:10) 6) As the Emblem of Punishment and Eternal Ruin (Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Jer. 25:15; Rev. 14:10) Good Uses of the Word 1) Presented at the Altar as an Offering to God (Num. 18:12) 2) Classed Among the Blessings, the Comforts, the Necessities of Life (Gen. 27:28; Isa. 65:8) 3) The Emblem of Spiritual Blessings (Isa. 55:1; Ps. 104:15) 4) The Emblem of the Blood of the Atonement (Matt. 26:26-28) 5) New Wine (Isa. 65:8; Joel: 1-12; Isa. 24:7; Prov. 3:9, 10; Neh. 13:5) Dr. Greg Tyree 3

4 THE LORD S FIRST MIRACLE The Lord s first miracle, turning water into wine, gives the wine advocates plenty of ammunition to defend their right to drink. But did Jesus turn water into fermented wine? (Note: This miracle is not about wine but about Jesus credibility as the Messiah. However, since wine advocates always refer to this text, we shall consider it for our purposes here.) Let s consider the text in John 2:1-11: 1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. Remember that the word wine does not have to mean fermented. The context determines that this is not fermented wine for the following reasons: 1) The same God (Jesus) who wrote that wine is a mocker (Prov. 20:1: Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.) would not have created that same kind of fermented wine of which He was so critical. 2) The wedding feast had been going on for three days (the Greek in verse one strongly suggests this, as well as the fact they had run out of wine. The Jewish wedding feasts ran for about seven days). If fermented wine was being consumed here then Jesus was contributing to a drunken brawl! Imagine what the atmosphere would have been like had they been drinking for three days. 3) A lot of the wine had been consumed since the host ran out. The fact that everyone seems rational and functional implies that they were drinking something other than alcohol. 4) Jesus made about 135 gallons of wine. Ask yourself if Jesus made 135 gallons (possibly 2000 servings!), in addition to the three days of wine they had already consumed. 5) Most hosts would serve the best quality of wine at the beginning of a feast, and when the guests had consumed enough to deaden the taste buds (thus, well drunk - KJV) they would serve the lower quality of wine. If the guests were drinking alcohol, they would not have been able to distinguish between the two. In other words, Jesus pure, sweet, and fresh wine was so good, even taste buds that had been desensitized by much consumption could tell the difference! Dr. Greg Tyree 4

5 6) Jesus took His mother to the wedding feast. Jesus was a gentleman. Jesus would not have taken His mother to a drunken party. WINE AND WINESKINS Another favorite text of the wine advocates is Matthew 9:14-17: 14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. This text does not speak of the validity or refutation of wine-drinking; it is actually neutral. The verses serve as a metaphor for something else. It merely tells us what the ancients did with old and new wine. Consider the words of Dr. William Kanoy: Only a determination to misread this metaphorical illustration of the subject which Jesus was discussing with the disciples of John can pervert the passage into a recommendation or sanction for habitual use of intoxicating liquors. That the Oinon, that is fresh grape juice (if literally translated), referred to had not been fermented to the still liquid form is clear, for if it had been so it would not burst the old wine skins by beginning to ferment in them on account of yeast or acid with which the old wine skins were saturated, setting up alcoholic action. To keep the juice of the grapes sweet and wholesome, it needed to be specially prepared before being poured into new skins, where it would keep pure as a syrup or jam. This passage in no way, shape, or form neither condones nor necessitates the use of alcoholic beverages. Matthew 26:26-30 reads: THE LORD S TABLE (PASSOVER) 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. This is perhaps the most critical of all the texts considered, for here Jesus establishes an ordinance that must be carried out until He returns! The question is, Did Jesus use fermented wine to establish the Lord s Supper; and if so does He expect us to do the same today? Dr. Greg Tyree 5

6 Let s be honest. If Jesus did use fermented wine to establish Communion, then we should- no, we must- also use fermented wine. Who are we to change the substance of the elements that we are commanded to use? But there is no need to do that. We shall see here that Jesus did not use fermented wine to establish the Last Supper, nor do we need to utilize it now. Indeed, we must reject the thought altogether. Here are some reasons: 1) This happened at the Passover. God forbade even the presence of bharm (yeast, leaven, ferment) at the Passover, because it is the cause of putrefaction (Ex. 34; Lev. 10). 2) Jesus words here, and Paul s reiteration of them in 1 Corinthians, do not include the word wine. (Note: Not one New Testament passage of the Lord s Supper uses the word wine. Just a thought.) 3) Jesus describes what He is using as fruit of the vine. This does not require that it be fermented wine, and may preclude it from being intoxicating wine. The vine does not bear intoxicating drink. 4) The Jewish Mishna teaches that four cups of wine is to be consumed by everyone 12 years and up. If this was fermented, it would have been the equivalent of 6 ounces of pure alcohol, or 12 ounces of proof spirit (Kanoy, page 12). 5) Jesus is our High Priest. We have already established that Priests were not to drink alcohol. 6) If leaven represents sin, how can fermentation (leaven) or fermented wine possibly represent the blood of Christ!? 7) Why would God require unfermented bread but allow fermented wine? Add to this that in today s environment, churches that use fermented wine in communion expose alcoholics with the worst kind of temptation. You may argue, But our church gives a choice. Consider this: is communion the time to establish a difference between people (i.e., drinkers and non-drinkers)? Shouldn t communion eliminate differences? Also, as both choices are being passed to the congregation, won t the wine, even if declined, be a stumbling block to the one who is tempted? This could even cause them to fall. Shame in us for such a flippant and uncompassionate attitude about the most sacred of ordinances! WINE AT THE CRUCIFIXION? 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. 22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. (Mark 15:20-24) Dr. Greg Tyree 6

7 Notice that Jesus refused the wine. The offer of mixed wine was an act of mercy on behalf of the Centurion, because it would have served as a kind of opiate that would have minimized Jesus pain. But it was necessary that Jesus experience the full thrust of suffering. Consider Paul s commentary: 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor. 5:6-8). A LITTLE WINE FOR THE STOMACH S SAKE It has been asked, How can Paul, who forbids pastors to drink (1 Tim. 3), tell Timothy (a pastor) to drink a little wine for his stomach s sake? The verse reads: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach s sake and thine often infirmities (1 Tim. 5:23). Many people know that wine does not make the stomach feel better, and ultimately there is no medicinal value in alcohol (though some, obviously, argue this point). But we do know that juice makes the stomach feel better. In addition, our text can be rendered, No longer drink only water, implying that Paul is telling Timothy to add wine to his water. Since God does not contradict Himself, Paul must mean unfermented wine, since he has already forbade Timothy, as a pastor, to drink wine (obviously fermented). PRESERVING WINE IN ITS NON-FERMENTED STATE While space does not allow an extensive development of this phase of our discussion, I want to point out a few facts. First, the ancients were not as ignorant as we sometimes think. We believe that since the Bible takes place in a primitive culture, and a hot one at that, that by these mere facts their grape juice would have fermented. This reasoning fails to take into account that nature does not produce alcohol. Nor does this reasoning consider that the people of the Bible had ways of preserving their food and beverages. Second, it is abundantly clear that the people of the Bible preserved the fruit of the vine by making it into a kind of paste or jam (molasses) or thick spread that would be squeezed from skins and then mixed with water (as much as 4 to 10 parts), and most often boiled (alcohol evaporates before the boiling point). Almost every resource I consulted, both religious and secular, affirms this fact. CONCLUSION Finally, the people of the Bible, just like today, had its share of alcohol abusers (although obviously not to the extent of the modern American culture). The Bible gives ample warning against substance abuse. We must take heed! Dr. Greg Tyree 7

8 The fact that God mandated abstinence for those who would be holy and set apart proves that all wines were not the same, and that godly people need to seriously consider their use of wine. I have and will abstain from alcohol as a beverage. This is not a preference; it is a conviction. Some will insist that I am bringing my Southern biases to the Northeast; that this is merely a Bible Belt thing. No; it is a Bible Thing. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. I pray that you will do the same. BIBLIOGRAPHY DeJong, Alexander and Martin Doot. Dying for a Drink, William B. Eerdman s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Harmon, Steve. Wine and the Bible, Mainesville Baptist Church, Mainesville, Ohio Kanoy, William. Wine, Fellowship Tract League, Lebanon, Ohio, Patton, William. Bible Wines or the Laws of Fermentation, The Challenge Press, Little Rock Arkansas, 19. Phillips. Rod. A Short History of Wine, Allen Lane- The Penguin Press, New York, New York, Rehrer, Ronald. Now What Do I do? A Guide on Alcohol and Drugs for Youth, Concordia Press, St. Louis, Missouri, Wilkerson, David. Sipping Saints, Spire Books, Old Tappan, New Jersey, Dr. Greg Tyree 8