The “Jesus Drank Wine” Lie
The Bible Exposé You Need to Read
by Pastor John Hamel

One Sunday morning while preparing for a service, a young man who had previously attended our services approached me.  He explained that he wouldn’t be in Church because he’d been “drinking” the night before.  He then tried to justify himself by explaining, “Jesus didn’t have a problem with wine.  He drank it Himself.”  He claimed he could prove it from the Bible.  Half hung-over, he stood there dumfounded as I corrected this lie using the same Bible he referred to. 

I took him immediately to the following Scripture in Isaiah 65:8.  “Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.”

I shared with this Brother that when the juice of the grape is still “in the cluster” God calls it “wine.”  “Grape juice still in the cluster is not ‘fermented’ wine,” I explained.  “It is unfermented wine.  It is grape juice.  There are two kinds of ‘wine’ in the Bible.  Fermented and unfermented.” 

I then explained that Jesus neither drank nor created fermented wine.  That would have been disobedience to His Father’s Word.  Disobedience is sin and He never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15) 

I then took him to the following passage of Scripture that Jesus, our High Priest, would have obeyed or He was just a sinner man, like everyone else. 

“Do not drink wine nor strong drink, …when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;”  (Leviticus 10:9,10)

I explained to my hung-over Brother in the Lord that unfermented “wine” or grape juice is “Holy” or “clean” while fermented wine is “unholy” and “unclean.”  All alcoholic beverages are unholy and unclean! 

I proceeded to explain how ignorant, immature Believers use Jesus’ Miracle of “turning water into wine” as an excuse to drink alcohol without stopping to acknowledge the following. 

Jesus did not disobey Leviticus 10:9-10 by “creating” alcoholic wine to be consumed against His Father’s will.  He created unfermented “wine” or high quality grape juice. 

Not to mention that fermentation is an aging process that happens over a long period of time.  It’s a process of decay.  Decay is death.  Jesus created that high quality grape juice instantly, not over time, without decay and without death!  All of Jesus’ miracles are rooted in Life and Love.  God’s Life.  God’s Love.   

People who use the “water into wine” excuse are simply being deceived by one verse of Scripture taken completely out of Biblical context.  They need to be delivered.  This is why Jesus said we must have two or three confirming passages of Scripture, in context, to verify all doctrine or behavior.  Otherwise, we shouldn’t accept it at all. (Matthew 18:16)

Often, after sharing this revelation with shocked, “wine bibbing” Believers, they almost always respond, “Well, Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach.  I’m just doing it for my stomach.” (1Timothy 5:23) 

I then explain that Paul knew the difference between fermented and unfermented “wine” and obeyed the Bible, too.  It was common in his day to put grape juice in water to kill water-borne bacteria, which caused stomach ailments such as Timothy’s.  This is what Paul told Timothy to do.  He was not telling Timothy that it was acceptable to “catch a holy buzz in the Name of the Lord.” 

The Bible calls fermented wine and all strong drink a “mocker.”  It calls those who use it “deceived” and “unwise.” (Proverbs 20:1) 

It leads to poverty. (Proverbs 21:17) 

It will bite you like a serpent. (Proverbs 23:32) 

The Bible also calls God’s children “Kings” (Revelation 1:5,6) and says, “Wine is not for Kings.” (Proverbs 31:4) 

Say, “Jesus, I choose You and Your Word.” (Romans 10:13)  He’ll forgive you for what you didn’t know.  However, now you do know!

Oh, yes, my intoxicated friend who insisted that Jesus was a wine drinker, which makes it okay for everyone.  Within weeks of rejecting my Scriptural, loving correction, he raped a 13 year old child while intoxicated.  He’ll pay for that for the rest of his life.  He was bitten by the mocking serpent of strong drink.

Someone always says, “Something like that would never happen to me.  I can handle it.”  Interesting.  That’s what my young friend said, too.

Be blessed and be strong!  ... John and Barbara Hamel.