Document prepared by Scholars of 5 Theological Institutions (Oriental Theological Seminary, Clark Theological College, Trinity Theological College, Baptist Theological College, Shalom Bible Seminary) under the initiative of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council.
(From previous issue)
Use of Wine in the New Testament
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Hebrew attitude toward wine generally prevail in the New Testament writings and accordingly it is regarded as food, drink, medicine and drug (Matthew 26: 29; Mark 15: 23; Luke 7: 33; 10: 34; John 2: 3). Two Greek words are used to refer to wine gleukos andoinos, where the former is the equivalent of the Hebrew word tirosh denoting the grape, pressed or in the vat. This word is used by the bystanders while mocking the disciples on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2: 13. The disciples were charged of the ecstatic behavior to drinking which according to the bystanders was unchristian. This evidently referred to intoxication (Jerry J. Dunn. Op.cit., 58). At the same time, wine was used for medicinal purposes and thus the soldiers offered the same to Jesus while he was on the cross to ease his pain (Matthew 27: 34; Mark 15: 23; Luke 23: 36; John 19: 29). It is also used by the Good Samaritan to dress the wounds of the beaten man (Luke 10: 34). The common word in the New Testament used for wine is oinos and though it did not always refer to an intoxicating beverage, yet it was used as the subject of many warnings.Jesus said of it in Luke 21: 34, “Be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly.” This was said in the context of the eschatological expectation of the believers. Jesus summons his followers to watchfulness in the very areas where their inclinations place them most at risk. He perceives that the delay in the advent of the End may bring its own temptations to faithlessness. And in order to counter this, Jesus alerts his audience to the reality that the end will be sudden, unexpected and will come upon all (Joel B.Green, “The Gospel of Luke,” The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Gordon D. Fee (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997) 743). Eschatological testing thus has to be met with constant alertness and prayer, and not in drunkenness.
Furthermore, Jesus’ refusal of wine before his crucification may be taken note of, as recorded in Matthew 27: 34 (They offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it); Mark 15: 23(And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it). Mark clearly records that Jesus refused to take the wine. According to an old tradition, respected woman of Jerusalem provided a narcotic drink to those condemned to death in order to decrease their sensitivity to the excruciating pain. This humane practice was begun in response to the biblical injunction of Proverbs 31: 6- 7, Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. When Jesus arrived at Golgotha he was offered wine with mixed with myrrh, but he refused it, choosing to endure with full consciousness the sufferings appointed for him (William L. Lane, “The Gospel of Mark,”The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by F.F.Bruce (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974) 564). The implication is clear as set forth by Jesus Christ himself, where complete abstinence is revealed in the fact that Jesus decided to endure the pain and counter the insensitivity produced by taking wine.
Another term to be considered is sikera defining strong drink which is found only in Luke 1: 15 (G. Schneider, “sikera,” Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 3, Edited by Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1994)243). This term is also found in the Greek Translation of the Old Testament (LXX) Judges 13: 4; Leviticus 10: 9; Numbers 6: 3; Deuteronomy 29: 5; Isaiah 29: 9 (Walter Bauer, A Greek- English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, translated and edited, revised and augmented by William F. Ardnt&F.Wilbur Gingrich (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1958) 750). It is also to be noted that it was customary in Greek, Roman, Jewish and early Christian cultures to mix wine usually with water (Isaiah 1: 22; 65: 11; Psalms 75: 8; Proverbs 9: 2). The ratio of water to wine varied anywhere from twenty to one and wine mixed with water acted as a purifier and made the water safer to drink. Thus we see Paul advising Timothy “No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (I Timothy 5: 23) (D.F.Watson, op.cit., 871).
Paul had much more to say concerning drinking wine than do the authors of the Gospels. Most probably, Paul encountered drunkenness in his travels more frequently than others and thus he included drunkenness in all his lists of the vices (Galatians 5: 19- 21). He constantly condemned drunkenness and linked it with bad company. He advised the believers in Romans 13: 13, “Let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness…” (Douglas Jackson, op.cit., 76)
The Nature of Jesus Christ’s Work and Effect of Alcohol Drinking
Jesus Christ recalled to the faces of men and women the original stamp of their creation as sons and daughters of God (Romans 5: 8- 11), but on the debased faces of some alcoholics there is less resemblance to dignity and worth. Jesus Christ restored women to her royal place in the society and at home (Matthew 26: 13), but alcohol pushes some of them into shame and despair. Jesus Christ pronounced his blessings upon wedded love (Matthew 19: 6) and the home blessed with the laughter of happy children, but alcohol brings about cases of divorces and tears in the eyes of the children. Jesus Christ delighted in the companionship of the little children and commended them as examples of the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18: 3), but alcohol deprives some of their birthright of a wholesome and virtuous home and blasts their innocence by exposing eyes and ears to the corrupted sights and sounds of drunkards. Jesus Christ was busy all day curing illness, but alcohol weakens health. Jesus Christ restored demoniacs to a normal and right frame of mind, but alcohol does otherwise (C. Aubrey Hearn, Alcohol and Christian Influence (Nashville: Convention Press, 1957) 18). It is clear that alcohol destroys all examples set by Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear about the consequences of drunkenness and history is the witness that nothing good comes out of drinking.
1.The Effects of Alcoholism
The effect of alcoholism has various dimensions and it corrupts the entire aspect of living. Starting from the damage done to the drinker him/herself at the personal level, it affects the family and society at large. Drinking causes much damage and brings about a big deal of untold miseries to the individual as well as the web of relationship in which he/she is entangled. Alcoholics/ drinkers have various reasons to justify why they drink, and reasons which they offer are often baseless and foolish notions about alcohol.
1.1. Moral Effects of Alcoholism
All religion stresses on the moral values and Christianity is no exception. No Christian can be indifferent to any practice that affects his/her moral life. And moral conduct is that which conforms to “a standard of what is good and right.” (C. Aubrey Hearn, op.cit.,3
) Alcoholism is a moral problem, but moralistic lectures are of little benefit to the alcoholic. This is because he/she is no longer able by exercise of will to stop drinking and needs assistance (Douglas Jackson,op.cit., 46). Thus, moral values are destroyed in the process of excessive drinking.
1.1.1. Drinking Removes Moral Restrains
Alcohol removes inhibitions and the drinker unconsciously casts off normal moral restraints. And because it removes inhibitions and restraints, it is often associated with immorality. Through its effect in removing inhibitions, diminishing judgment and stepping up aggressiveness, alcohol is all too frequently a critical element in promiscuous and indecent behavior (C. Aubrey Hearn, op.cit., 109). A connection is often drawn between drunkenness and sexual perversion, prostitution or immorality (Genesis 9: 20- 27; 19: 30- 38; Amos 2: 8; Habakkuk 2: 15) (D.F.Watson, op.cit., 873).
1.1.2. Drinking Deadens Moral Sensibilities
Drinking is not necessarily an evidence of bad character, of loose morals, but it has a strong tendency to weaken character and to loosen morals. In the words of Emil Kraepelin, “Indulgence in alcohol even in small quantities, weakens the power of resisting temptations. Nobody sits down to get drunk but under the influence of the first few glasses, self- control is more and more completely lost.” (Ibid., 76) Moral sensibilities without any doubt disappear gradually with the consumption of more and more alcohol. The story of Lot as seen in Genesis 19: 30ff is the perfect example to demonstrate how intoxication can deaden moral sensibilities. The two daughters of Lot planned to lay with their father in order to preserve their offspring and thus made their father to drink wine. Lot was not aware of what happened to him and he repeated the same deed under the influence of wine the other night as well. The effect of drinking too much wine deadened his moral sensibilities and this evil effect of alcohol drinking continues to infect even the present generation.
The refusal to drink wine and beer was associated with separation from normal life for a divine task, whether for a temporary specified period (priests on duty, Nazirites), or as in the case of Samson, for life (Judges 13: 7). Samson would be instrumental in Israel’s deliverance and later on, he is empowered by the Spirit of the Lord (Judges 14: 19). John 7: 33 also suggest that John was consecrated to God for life. In fact, he was set apart by God to God even before his conception. John’s abstinence from wine and his being filled with the spirit go together. Luke’s phrase “filled with the Holy Spirit” occurs repeatedly in Luke- Acts (Luke 1: 41, 67; Acts 2: 4; 4: 8, 31; 9: 17; 13: 9), where it refers to the continuous state of being empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit (Joel B.Green, op.cit., 75). And Christians are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit of God rather than wine.
The apostolic authority for condemning excess of wine is seen in I Peter 4: 1-3, where Peter lists drunkenness alongside debauchery, lust, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. The seriousness of drunkenness is seen in this that it is one of the factors which draws people to his/her lowest and further away from God. In Galatians 5: 19-21, Paul refers to drunkenness alongside a list of other vices as being a “work of the flesh”. These works are the works of man living self- centredly and not for God. Drunkenness is thus one of the ‘fruits’ by which it will be known that someone is living according to the flesh, rather than according to the Spirit of God. Furthermore, drunkenness is rarely found alone, rather, it tends to lead to other works of the flesh (Christopher C.H.Cook, Alcohol, Addiction and Christian Ethics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006) 56).
More than any other religion, Christianity demands that one live in the Spirit and right conduct is emphasized time and again. And this is seen even in the New Testament times, when Christians were concerned about the association of drunkenness with the worship of pagan deities in a context which represented an extravagant and possibly seditious form of reveling and dissipation. As a desire of the flesh, drunkenness represented life under a power which is not ‘God’.This kind of life was encouraged to be avoided, and avoidance of drinking or drunkenness was and is considered to be a good example to others.
1.2. Mental Effects of Alcohol
A healthy body demands a normal running of the various functioning of organs in the human body and without any doubt alcohol corrupts mental efficiency. A number of experiments were done by researchers and it was found that drinking had much effect on the memory of an individual. A person who took a moderate amount of alcohol with his breakfast required about 10% more time to learn the 25 lines than when he took none (C. Aubrey Hearn, op.cit., 43). A series of experiments were conducted and the result was the same, a drinker required more time to learn than a non- drinker.
1.2.1. Alcohol and the Brain
It has been undeniably established that alcohol first attacks the brain and interferes with every function of the nervous system. And with this comes mental confusion leading to accidents and even death. Alcohol chiefly attacks the brain and nervous system, resulting in lowered efficiency, a slowing down of reaction- time and reduced will power (Ibid.,49). The anesthetic action of alcohol begins with the higher brain centers, which controls the higher intellectual functions. As a result of excessive drinking, thought processes involving learning, memory, and evaluation become difficult and exhibit disturbances (Douglas Jackson, op.cit., 14). Alcoholics and those who frequently drink large volumes of liquor suffer deeper brain damage, which is irreversible (John Bartimole,Teenage Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (New York: Fredrick Fell Publishers, 1987) 47 )
….TO BE CONTINUED
