by Mark Mayberry
Synopsis: Noting the differences between ancient wines and modern alcoholic beverages, Mark seeks to apply biblical principles to the question of social drinking.
While attending a wedding feast in Cana, Jesus demonstrated His power by changing water into wine. He converted one liquid into another that had an entirely different chemical composition. Many cite this passage as justification for social drinking and the consumption of modern-day alcoholic beverages.
When the New Testament discusses wine, the Greek word is oinos. BDAG indicates that oinos carries several distinct meanings: "(1) a beverage made from fermented juice of the grape, wine… (2) punishments that God inflicts on the wicked, wine, figurative extension of 1, in apocalyptic symbolism, to 'drink' as wine; (3) the plant that makes the production of wine possible, vine or vineyard, eventually the product wine, effect for cause (Rev. 6:6)" (BDAG, 701).
While Louw and Nida state that oinos frequently refers to "a fermented beverage made from the juice of grapes—'wine'" (6.197), they also acknowledge that it can also apply to "newly pressed grape juice, unfermented or in the initial stages of fermentation—'new wine, grape juice'" (6.198). In summary, oinos can refer to fermented wine, unfermented grape juice, and symbolically describes the wrath of God. Context helps us discern the difference.
John 2:6 states there were six stone waterpots present that were normally used in the Jewish purification rituals. When Jesus was informed that they had run out of wine, He ordered that these pots be filled with water. Afterward, He said, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." Note the response:
When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now" (John 2:9-10).
What kind of "wine" did Jesus create? While ancient wines could be fermented, not every biblical reference is definitive in this regard. Sometimes wine is symbolic of divine wrath (Isa. 63:3; Rev. 14:10). Clusters of grapes in the vineyard are also called "wine" (Isa. 65:8; Rev. 6:6).
Before we are confused by the headwaiter's statement, note that he does not suggest that everyone present was in a state of staggering inebriation. How many bowls of ice cream can you consume and still experience the same pleasure that is associated with the first? After a while, it begins to taste the same. The law of diminishing returns applies to food and drink. Our taste buds become desensitized; our ability to perceive differences in quality is lost. This is true of wine, or grape juice, or even Blue-Bell ice cream. His statement means that the "wine" Jesus created was remarkably superior in quality to that which had been previously served.
Consider also the quantity of "wine" that was served at the wedding feast in Cana: "Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each" (John 2:6, NASB). Collectively, these pots held 180 gallons of liquid. If the crowd was huge, and individual guests only consumed a limited quantity of a weakly-fermented beverage, there would have been no problem. If Jesus made unfermented wine, i.e., fresh grape juice, there would have been no problem. However, would our Lord have contributed to widespread public intoxication? It is unthinkable that Jesus Christ, our Perfect Sacrifice, would have committed such a sin (Hab. 2:15-16).
Moreover, we must differentiate between modern and ancient wines. Many mistakenly assume that alcoholic beverages commonly consumed today were freely available in antiquity. Distilled beverages and fortified wines contain a much higher percentage of alcohol than those that were commonly consumed in Bible times.
Undoubtedly, people in ancient times consumed fermented wine. Consider the numerous warnings, in both the Old and New Testaments, against the effects of intoxication and drunkenness (Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35; Eph. 5:18; 1 Pet. 4:3). Note also Jesus' illustration of the uniqueness of His ministry: "Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matt. 9:17; cf. Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38).
A wineskin (askos) refers to "a leather bag" (BDAG, 143) that was frequently made from whole animal hides. Fermentation causes the liquid to expand and the leather to stretch: "In the process of fermentation carbon dioxide gas is released, creating pressure within the container" (Bandstra, 1069). While new wineskins are pliable, older wineskins lose their elasticity. Accordingly, new wine (which is currently undergoing fermentation) is placed in new wineskins.
While many biblical references to wine imply fermentation, there is a significant difference between the alcohol content of ancient and modern wines. Today, wines start with approximately five percent alcohol content and go up to around seventeen percent. Beer and wine produced in ancient Palestine generally reached around five to eight percent alcohol content by volume, depending upon rainfall, soil quality, terrain, temperature, etc.—which limited the natural sugar content in grape juice and the malt that was used (Free, 352; cf. Deason, 2015 ECI Conference on "Social Drinking").
Ancient wines were not served at full strength but were cut with water, often on the ratio of five parts water to one part wine. If you start with one gallon of wine containing eight percent (8%) alcohol and mix it with five gallons of water, the resulting six gallons will have a one-point three percent (1.3%) alcohol content.
On the day of Pentecost, while most observers were amazed by the miraculous signs, some critics mockingly said, "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:12-13). Peter responded, "These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day" (Acts 2:15). In other words, he said, "It's nine in the morning!" Can a person imbibing today's alcoholic beverages become intoxicated by 9 a.m. if he starts drinking at daybreak? Of course! Peter's defense was two-fold: First, the accusation was absurd. The inspired apostles spoke with clarity, while excessive alcohol slurs one's speech, making it difficult for others to understand. Second, his statement, "It is only the third hour of the day," implies the low alcohol content of typical first-century wines.
Equating wine from Bible times with modern wines is like comparing apples to oranges! Alcoholic beverages commonly available today are considerably stronger than those of antiquity. Modern fortified wines usually contain between 17-21 percent alcohol while ordinary unfortified wines contain from 14-17 percent or less. Distilled beverages have substantially higher percentages of alcohol. So, to speak of "wine" (without recognizing the difference between ancient and modern practices) leaves an erroneous impression.
How does Sacred Scripture identify wine that was at maximum strength? It is often called "strong drink." The Hebrew word shekar, translated "strong drink," derived from shakar (to be or become drunk or drunken), refers to "intoxicating drink, strong drink" (Thomas, 7941). Gesenius defines it as "strong drink, intoxicating liquor, whether wine, or intoxicating drink like wine, made from barley, or distilled from honey or dates" (823).
While strong drink could be poured out as a drink offering (Num. 28:7; Deut. 14:26), and offered to the dying and desperate (Prov. 31:6), the Old Testament consistently warns against its intoxicating effects (Ps. 69:12; Prov. 20:1; Isa. 24:9). Indulgence in strong drink was frequent among false priests and prophets (Isa. 28:7; 56:12; Mic. 2:11), and of wicked and wayward Israel (Isa. 5:11, 22; 29:9). However, it was prohibited to faithful priests (Lev. 10:9), wise kings (Prov 31:4), and Nazarites (Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7, 14). Note the restraint of Israel and Hannah regarding such (Deut. 29:6; 1 Sam. 1:15).
That Bible wines were usually diluted with water is seen in John's apocalyptic allusion to divine judgment: "He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger" (Rev. 14:9-10). The Greek adjective akratos, here rendered "full strength," refers to that which is "unmixed" (Thomas, 194). "Unmixed" oinos is descriptive "of God's anger in full strength" (Rev. 14:10) (BDAG, 38-39). Louw and Nida say it pertains "to being pure in the sense of not being diluted and hence at full strength" (79.99). The Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint says it is descriptive of wine that is "unmixed, very strong." The powerfully intoxicating effect of unmixed wine, i.e., wine at full strength, is seen in extra-biblical usage (3 Macc. 5:1-2; Ps. of Sol. 8:14-22), and in relevant Old Testament passages (Ps. 75:6-8; Jer. 25:15-18).
Here is the point: If strong drink is consistently condemned in Scripture, and if the full outpouring of divine wrath is likened to wine that is unmixed (i.e., full strength), and if typical were normally cut with water, so that the resulting beverage contained only a small percentage of alcohol, then how should Christians view the intoxicating beverages that are commonly available today? We should avoid them at all costs. We are deceiving ourselves if we argue that Jesus' miracle at Cana justifies social drinking.
Finally, consider the repeated apostolic admonition, "Be sober" (1 Thess. 5:6, 8; 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). The Greek word nēphō, translated "be sober," also means "to abstain from wine" (Thomas, 3525). BDAG says it is used figuratively in the NT, signifying that believers should "be free from every form of mental and spiritual 'drunkenness,' from excess, passion, rashness, confusion, etc. be well-balanced, self-controlled." The consumption of contemporary alcoholic beverages serves as a barrier and a stumbling block to the fulfillment of this inspired injunction.
Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Bandstra, B.L. "Wine." The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, MI: William. B. Eerdmans, 1979-1988.
Deason, Jim, ed. "2015 ECI Conference on 'Social Drinking.'" Exploring Current Issues, 2015. http://eciconference.com/page2/page6/page5.html.
Free, Joseph P. Archaeology and Bible History. Wheaton, IL: Scripture Press Publications, Inc., 1964.
Gesenius, Wilhelm, and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2003.
Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.
Lust, Johan, Erik Eynikel, and Katrin Hauspie. A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint: Revised Edition. Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2003.
Thomas, Robert L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition. Anaheim, CA: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998.
Author Bio: Mark and Sherelyn have labored with the Adoue Street church of Christ in Alvin, TX since 1998, where he serves as the evangelist and an elder. The church website is ascoc.org. His Bible study website is markmayberry.net. He can be reached at mark@truthpublications.com.
