What About All the Drinking?

"The Wisdom of Chief Slacabamorinico"

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To be sure, there is much drinking association with Mardi Gras - both at the private balls, in the various clubs, bars and lounges as well as on the street. Many people today believe that nothing short of total abstinence from any kind of alcoholic beverage is a "sin" while others feel there is nothing wrong with strong drink at all and consume vast amounts.

Who is right? Well, as with many extremes, the truth is somewhere bewixt and between.

Let's see what the Holy Scriptures have to say. Deuteronomy 14:23 says: "And you shall eat before the lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may earn to fear the Lord your God always." (NKJV)

Continuing, the scriptures note that if the journey is too long to carry the title you shall exchange it for money. Deuteronomy 14:26 then says: "And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household." (NKJV)

The NIV Bible translates "or similar drink" as "or other fermented drink"; The Book of Yahweh, The Holy Scriptures translates "or for strong drink".

The word wine in these verses is translated from the Hebrew word yayin, which means fermented wine.¹ The words strong drink as rendered in The Book of Yahweh, The Holy Scriptures are translated from the Hebrew word shekar and means an intensely alcoholic liquor.²

If fact, in reading the entire 14th chapter of Deuteronomy, the lord God Yahweh gives his people Three Feasts they are to keep and rejoice at each year. He even tells his people, us, to use wine or strong drink at his feasts, if that is what we want (emphasis mine).

Now was this idea of drinking fermented wine or strong drink changed in the New Testament? Did Jesus teach complete abstinence from these beverages? Did his disciples so teach?

The first place in the New Testament where drinking is mention is at the marriage attended by Jesus Christ. Not only was he present, but his mother was helping in some manner with the festivities. When the wine which was provided had been completely consumed by the guests, Mary came to Jesus and told him they had run out of wine. The complete account of how he then turned water into wine is written in John 2:3-11. Not only did Jesus make wine, but the host was surprised for he made the best.

Was this wine Jesus made fermented wine or merely grape juice, non alcoholic?

The Greek word for the "wine" Jesus Christ made at the Wedding at Cana is the same Greek work for "wine" used in Ephesians 5:18. "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit". (NKJV) According to this passage, this "wine" will definitely get one drunk! The word translated wine in both John and Ephesians is the Greek word oinos.³

Therefore we can conclude that the mere drinking of alcoholic beverages -strong drink- is not a sin. The Holy Scriptures make it plain that Jesus Christ was without sin and if drinking intoxicating beverage was a sin, Jesus would not have performed the act of making wine for his mother so that the wedding guests might sin!

Jesus was not a party-pooper. The Gospels make note of Jesus attending 17 parties! Sometimes we call them banquets which somehow seems to imply a stuffy-formal affair. These "banquets" attended by Jesus couldn't have been too stuffy. He was criticized for being a drunkard, a glutton and for hanging out with sinners like Matthew and Zacchaeus, both who threw parties in Jesus' honor.⁴

The Apostle Paul wrote instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23 regarding the healthful benefits of wine. "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities". (NKJV)

Now we weren't told exactly what ailments Timothy was suffering with except that one most likely had to do with some stomach disorder. What we do know is that Jesus is concerned for the health of all his children for he inspired the apostle John to write in III John 1:2: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers". (NKJV)

Many doctors today now know what the Bible taught: that, when used sparingly, wine or beer or a "little toddy" as grandma used to call it, is beneficial to one's health.

In the book, Wine Appreciation, Facts on File, 1988, Richard P. Vine notes: "Studies have shown the presence of minerals and vitamins in wine. Wine is an effective iron supplement and 80 percent of the iron in wine is present in the ferrous form that is readily available for use in the human body". At another point he writes, "There is no evidence to support the notion that moderate amounts of alcohol produces increased levels of cholesterol. Recent articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association have shown that coronary artery disease was less likely to develop in men who drank alcoholic beverages in moderation than those who abstained or were heavy drinkers.⁵

But the key words here are "sparingly" or "in moderation".

As you probably noted Ephesians 5:18 warned "And do not be drunk with wine..." Thus it is not the mere act of drinking alcoholic beverages which constitutes sin, it is the act of drinking to the point of drunkenness that is condemned in the Holy Scriptures by the lord God Yahweh.

Romans 13:13 says "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy." (NIV)

Peter warns that we should not have our minds clouded with drinking to excess when he writes in I Peter 5:8 "Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (NIV) Surely if you are drunk with wine or other strong drink, you are not in self control and alert and the evil one will find you easy prey.

And yes, the sin of overindulgence and drunkenness does rear its ugly head during Mardi Gras just as it does during family picnics, college football games, office parties, in front of the home television set, at Christmas celebrations and, unfortunately, at almost any other event you can name.

But what can be done about drinking excesses?

We know from past history that prohibition does not work - neither is the banning or elimination of all events at which alcohol is served or available a viable solution. Once again, the sin is not the event at which drunkenness occurs, but the act.

4-"Reflections on Lent and Easter". Francis MacNutt. The Healing Line. Christian Healing Ministries, Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 1997.