The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-23
Jesus and the Drinking OF Wine.

Jesus and the Drinking OF Wine.
This question, asked OF us by a New Jer'
sey friend, is easily answered:
"In your editorial under the head OF a Question
Christians Cannot Debate you aver that Christians
with the example OF Jxsus before them. cannot CON
sistently Q ,ndemn the use OF intoxicating drinks = =
beverage: also that CHRIST Himself was q drinEer oil
wine. VIII you kindly tell mo how you MAKE ou' the
above. and where In tho Bible It says that cHRi'I In
dulged in Intoxicating drinkst wv. L. b.
In the SD and 34th verses Of the 18th chap
ter OF st. Luke 1t is written:
-For Jouy the Baptist came neither eating bread nor
drinking wine: and ye say. lie hath a devil. The Son
OF man IL come eating and drinking; and ye say. Be
hold . riuttonous man. and . winebibber. 4 friend OF
publicans and sinners
"When they wanted vino" at the mar
rage in Cana of Galilee." as the cd chapter
OF st. John records. 1.-The mother OF JESUS
saith unto him. They havo no wine.' Then
this occurred:
"Jtsus saith unto them. Fill the water pots with
water. And they niied them up to the brim. And He
saith unto them. Draw out now. and bear unto the
governor Of tho feast. And they bare II. When tho
ruler Of the feast had tasted the water that was made
wine. and knew not whence II was. Out the servants
which drew the water knew. the governor Of the feast
called the bridegroom. 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"
1t appears. therefore, that JESUS not only
furnished a miraculous supply OF wine. but
that he produced it after the guests had
already "well drunk; and among those
guests. as the Evangelist records. were
both JESUS and His disciples. the obvious
inference being that He partook Of the bev-
erage along with the others. He would
not nave made this beginning OF mir
acles" by changing water into wine II He
had objected to the use OF wine even in con-
siderable quantities.
st. MATTHEW tells us that Mt the %institu-
ton OF the Holy Supper. JESUS took the
cup ant gave thanks. and gave it to them.
saying. Drink we all OF 1t. But J. say unto
you. 1 will not drink h%enceforth OF this fruit
Of the vine until that day when l drink it
new with you in my Fathers Kingdom"
st. PAUL admonishes st. TIMOTHY to
"drink no longer water. but use a little
wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often
infirmities." At the time Of JESUS. too, the
drinking OF wine to intoxication was an even
more serious evil in society than it is now.
In the early Christian community intern
peranco was q danger against which st.
PAUL and st. PETER often warn the
churches. 1t is thus made plain that the
wine used was Intoxicating. and hat its ex-
cessive use was both frequent and re-
garded as a vice. though complete absten-
ton from its consumption. as in the case
OF the Nazarites when under their vow. was
a mark ofextraordinary nsceticism. Among
the Jews the drinking OF wine was general.
An attempt has been made to prove that
the wine miraculously produced and appar-
emily habitually used by JESUS was infer
mented. but the theory Is utterly unten-
able. 1t has not a leg to stand upon. The
wines used by the ancients were ~intoxicat-
Ing. and drunkenness was consequently a
terrible evil in tho society OF the time. 1t
was a grave evil even in the days of
NOAH, who. as we arc told in Genesis.
planted n vineyard and did drink
Of the wine and was drunken The
shameless daughters Of LOT made their
father drink wine so that he became stupid
ly drunk" yet its use is not forbidden in the
Old Testament. unless to tho priests during
their performance of sacred functions. they
being at liberty to drink it at other lines.
Though intoxicating, its use as n beverage
was permitted. it was described us a bless
ing, and it was employed for sacred pur-
poses. 1t was poured out as a drink offer
ing to GOD. 1t is said OF it that it "maketh
glad tho heart of man" and "cheercth both
and man.
Our New Jersey friend must see. then.
that Christians. under tho law Of their
religion and the precept and example OF
JESUS. have no ground for debating whether
the use OF Intoxicating beverages is sinful.
Neither is there any reason for such debate
among Mohammedans. for in express terms
the drinking OF those beverages Is forbid
den to them as a sin.