Was it wine or pure grape juice?
A lot of discussion is raised over this subject, people ask if Christ shared wine or pure grape juice with his disciples in the last supper, and whether Christ turned water at Cana in Galilee into wine or pure grape juice, and to understand which one it was, we read in:
John (2 – 1):
On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no more wine."
4 And Jesus said to her, "O, woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to brim.
8 He said to then, "Now draw some out, and take it to the governor of the feast." So they took it.
9 When the governor of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from(though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the governor of the feast called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have well drunk, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Notice here the words "have well drunk", nobody ever gets drunk with grape juice, and if anyone drinks a lot of grape juice his stomach becomes full, so he would neither want anymore nor would he accept anything which is of a worse quality, as he becomes very choosy. But when he is well drunk then he can not distinguish between good and bad wine anymore and they become all the same to him as his tasting sense retards, then he would accept whatever is presented to him.
Let us see now what God said in:
Numbers (6 – 2):
Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or a strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the vine tree, not even the seeds or the skins.
As you see not only wine but also grapes’ juice, seeds and skins are forbidden all the time of the vow of Nazirite, as there is no such thing as pure grape juice in nature, since grapes’ sugar ferments and is turned into alcohol in variable percentages even when the grapes are still hanging on the vine tree. And this is why it was absolutely forbidden here.
Now let us see what God had asked in:
Numbers (15 – 5):
And wine for the drink offering, a fourth of a hin, you shall prepare with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
6 Or for a ram, you shall prepare for a cereal offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil;
7 and for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a pleasing odour to the Lord.
8 And when you prepare a bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to fulfil a vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord,
9 then one shall offer with the bull a cereal offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil,
10 and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as an offering by fire, a pleasing odour to the Lord.
As you see wine is offered with the sacrifice, and as the sacrifice offering points to Christ and also the bread points to Christ flesh, therefore wine must be offered with the bread also.
God had asked in: Number (28 – 4):
Also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil.
6 It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing odour, an offering by fire to the Lord.
7 Its drink offering shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb; in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of a strong drink to the Lord.
As you see, pouring a strong drink can not be but a strong wine.
But this wine was required to complete and perform the religious services, it was not to get drunk from it. As the Spirit says:
Ephesians (5 – 18):
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,
Yes, do not get drunk of wine, but do not make laws to suit your wishes, because God was drunk of grief and sorrow before he offered his Son to redeem you gentlemen, there just was no other way to redeem and save you, no other solution but the slaughtered Son of God. So listen and hear this all you redeemed believers who are redeemed by the blood of the slaughtered Christ, "Wine simply pointed to this drunkenness of grief and sorrow."
Abid Al-Ahad Dauod
16 / 12 / 2000
