JOHN105 - How Should the Water to Wine Miracle Shape Christian Attitudes Toward Alcohol?

John 2:1-11

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Music by Jeff Foote

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Hey everybody, it's Matt. This is the 10 Minute Bible Hour Podcast. And a friend of mine who literally has the word wine in his last name, ironic, given that we're talking about John chapter 2 and the water to wine miracle at the wedding in Cana. This friend of mine shot me an email today, and it was a smart email. And I gotta remember to reply because I haven't shot a reply back yet. It was a smart email that was written from a place of tremendous life experience and empathy and education. This is a really smart guy, and the gist of the email was you're wrestling with the question of the alcohol part of the water to wine thing. Now, look, I know that we got a wide variety of opinions about how much sense alcohol makes in somebody's life. I will disclose where I land on that. Pretty much none. I'm just not much of a drinker. It wasn't my thing when I was a kid. I didn't, I didn't just I don't I didn't really go to parties or anything. Maybe that's when you figure out how to like the taste of alcohol. It just never caught. Now I I enjoy wine with Italian meals, especially in Italy. I this is confession time. I don't think I know what it feels like to be intoxicated at all. I don't think I've ever finished an alcohol. I went in a hot tub one time in Breckenridge, Colorado, and there were a bunch of people in there, and it was like, oh, well, it's supposed to be our turn. I was like, oh no, I think we have a scheduling conflict at the resort. I think it's supposed to be our turn. And they were like, you know what, dude? Let's just share it. And it was a really nice thing. And to show me that it was cool, he gave me a Bud Light. It's a type of uh alcohol that they make over there at the Bush factory. And I was like, oh no, I wonder what happens if I drink some of a Bud Light. But I'm like, socially, it'd be pretty dang weird not to drink some Bud Light, because in this person's culture, that is a gesture of great respect. And frankly, in most cultures historically. So I was like, all right, thank you. So I took the Bud Light and I was like, mmm, I couldn't do the thing where I kind of put it next to my mouth and dump it down my back subtly and be like, oh wow, that's really good. So I had a little Bud Light. That's the only Bud Light I've ever had in my life. And let me tell you what, that instantly, I mean, just immediately I could tell that was not what my digestive system is built for. And that is what what happened next after I got up and went back to the room is one of the most dramatic things that I ever remember health-wise in my entire life. It to put it lightly, did not agree with me. So look, it's very like this is a deal that you and I have, right? When we talk about the Bible, I full disclose. Maybe that was more full disclosure than you're interested in, but hey, you know, these things happen. I want you to know where I'm coming from so that you can take that into account when we talk about something that is obviously much bigger than me and that I don't own. I didn't write the Bible, I'm not in charge of this. I think usually I'm at least pretty close to seeing what's going on on the page. I'm sure trying hard, but I don't know all the things. Then I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff that I'm pretty sure I got right. That there's a better way to look at it. So it's important that you know where I'm coming from. It's important that you know my biases, all of that stuff. Okay. All of that said, back to this email that I got from my buddy. I know that many people are even more conservative than me when it comes to alcohol. You look at it and you're like, that just doesn't do anybody any good at all. Like, what's the upside of alcohol? And you would come even from a religious tradition where you would say, the only right response is just total abstinence. Okay, well, as I just told you, that's not my position. I just also happen to not like alcohol very much. I know there are others of you who were raised around fundamentalism, like certain kind of, you know, kind of controlly good in ways, but controlly expressions of Christianity. And yeah, maybe one of the things that you've done to be like, all right, I'm still down with the God thing, but I'm not going back to that way of living. That was weird and controlling, is you'll just have a beer with dinner every now and then. And to normal people around you, they're like, that is a person having a beer with dinner. But to you, deep down, it's it's kind of a it's kind of a thing. Like you're kind of making a point spiritually, and you know, you're not trying to like give blowback to God, but like it kind of means something to you given your history. I know there are others of you who are from traditions where it's you're laughing right now. Like, are you kidding me? There are people who are like, just alcohol could be bad. Like it's just natural. I mean, it's if you just leave grapes alone, it just kind of happens. What are you talking about? Jesus turned water into wine. I mean, there's wine at the Lord's Supper has wine in it. What are you talking about? And the tradition you're from, it would just never even occur to you to be hesitant about this. I also know that there are a bunch of you right now, if the trends are to be believed, and if what I'm hearing anecdotally is to be believed, there are a bunch of you right now who are in your 20s, 30s, 40s, maybe even older, who are kind of changing your read on alcohol. It's something you've been pretty just like, you know, whatever, this is just normal about. But it seems like people are like, man, the cost and the benefit that I get from this, I'm not sure how much I really want alcohol to be in my life anymore. And I'm hearing from a lot of people and seeing studies and trends that indicate that people under 50 are kind of throttling back on alcohol consumption quite a bit. So look, there's this whole spectrum when it comes to the conversation we're having right here about alcohol, and we're looking at a text that assumes that making a lot more alcohol at a party would be good and something to be celebrated. And for some of you, your cultural assumption on that, your personal convictions on that, it's just really easy to roll with it. Like, well, obviously, it'd be way better if that water turned into wine. Others of you look at this, like my friend who sent me this very thoughtful email, and you're like, ah, this is a point of tension for me, because I've seen what alcohol can do. And the person who wrote me this note, by the way, this is uh this is a very well-educated man who understands what's going on with the alcohol all the way down to the chemical level. And I have to say, dude, has a point. I was a pastor for a long time, I counseled for a long time. There were a whole lot of people where I just looked at their life and I was like, Well, I can tell you, there are two things that if you just never interacted with them again, it would fix most of what's wrong in your life and it's alcohol and your phone. But uh that's it's hard, right? Like we all got our thing. So, look, uh, it's kind of an elephant in the room thing. I guess I just spent five or six minutes on it. I don't really care because you were talking about a miracle here where there's about to be a lot more of something that some of you really like. And there's we're talking about a miracle here where there's about to be a lot more of something that some of you like too much, and you need to stop, and you need to listen to the people in your lives who are like, this is ruining your life. Stop. I know there are others of you listening to this who are saying, Okay, we're coming up on a miracle where there's about to be a lot more alcohol involved, and you're like, I just, I just can't believe Jesus would do that. I've only seen bad things come from alcohol, and you know, like maybe somehow the alcohol just went away. Maybe it was uh some people say, well, maybe alcohol back then was just a lot, lot weaker. I'm not very convinced by those arguments uh on a scientific level or a rational level. No, I I think this was just wine, is what we're seeing here. And I think probably it was still wine by the time the hosts tasted it. But the email I got from my buddy, uh, it was helpful as we're here in the middle of talking about this miracle where Jesus talked uh turns water into wine, because I've just kind of been cruising through, like, yeah, it's just alcohol. But the truth is, this is a substance that draws out a lot, right? You or someone you care about uh has had alcohol as a major character in your story or someone you care about's story. Everybody listening, right? So probably wouldn't have killed me to be a little bit more uh delicate and thoughtful about that on the front end. Here's the truth of what I see in the Bible, though, when it comes to alcohol. Alcohol is in here, wine is in here, and I do get the distinct impression that in this passage and in others, the purification side of what wine does at a time when you water wasn't super safe to drink unless it went through this purification process, and also the celebratory nature of what wine does, cutting loose a little bit and celebrating an amazing thing like a wedding or the arrival of the Messiah. See, I I don't see anything in the text that is like I wouldn't do that. Like it condemns drunkenness, and I think that needs to be taken seriously, but there's a lot of real estate between Jesus' participation in this party and miraculously providing wine and just rampant drunkenness. I don't think there's a way around looking at this passage and seeing Jesus doing exactly what the text says he is doing. Now, yesterday, I told you that I think the interpretive key to this text is in the water containers that become the wine containers. I think that's the thing that would have popped for the original audience. I do not think for a second that what would have popped for the original audience would be how much alcohol is too much? Is alcohol okay? What proof was the alcohol that Jesus created here from this? Is Jesus affirming drunkenness? Remember, it's not too long here, and Jesus gets accused of hanging out with drunkards and sinners and things like that. Probably that accusation flows from the story of this miracle circulating about. But at least here in John 2, 1 through 11, with the story of the changing water into wine and the miracle at Cana, man, I just don't think this is a referendum about alcohol. I don't think this is about responsible alcohol consumption or not responsible alcohol consumption in any way. There are other things in the Bible that speak to that in moderation. There's also other things in the Bible that say, you know, like Paul tells his protege, like, drink some wine, it'll help your stomach. So what I think is going on here is something much bigger than that prohibition or any kind of personal instruction in that regard. What I think is going on here is that Jesus is demonstrating a theological point. He's performing a sign. Miracle isn't quite a sufficient word to contain the concept of what's happening here. He's performing a sign that that makes a profound point about the paradigm that is on its way out at this moment in history, in terms of the relationship between God and humanity, and the paradigm that is on its way in with Christ, which is the new family of faith. Everybody from all over the world being in right relationship with God because of the work of Christ on the cross and in his resurrection. And as we'll discuss next time around, this isn't even the only place in the Gospels where wine and the containers that hold wine are used to illustrate this point. Look, it's a very fair question to look at anything in the Bible where alcohol comes up and be circumspect about it. I think it is a perfectly reasonable point for somebody to say, I the downside just so outweighs the upside. I'm just not going to have alcohol be a part of my life or my family's life in any way. Cool. I don't think those of you who like alcohol more should look down on people who come at it that way. I also think it's impossible to reasonably read the text of scripture and imagine that there is some sort of blanket prohibition on the fermentation on wine or alcohol in any way. I just I don't see that. But again, far more transcendently and most importantly, is there's some really important theology happening here in John 2. I said I was gonna get to it today. I didn't quite, but we're gonna get to it next time around. Thank you for the email, my friend. It was a worthwhile note and it prompted a good conversation today. All right, that's plenty for now. I'm Matt. This is the 10-minute Bible hour podcast. Let's do this again soon.