24 Feb 2015
Matthew 11:18-19
Matthew 11:18: “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
If Jesus was called a “winebibber”, then that strongly implies that He drank wine. Notice the contrast here: John did not drink, but Jesus did. I think the context implies that Jesus drank something a bit stronger than grape juice.
I don’t think it’s wrong to abstain – after all, John abstained and Jesus did not criticize him for it. But apparently Jesus did not abstain, and Jesus never sinned. That is a point that is worth pondering on. Perhaps the real question is not whether you drink, but how much; drunkenness is definitely condemned in the Bible.