The water into wine miracle?
Sunday, I taught my class of 4th - 6th graders about the wedding at Cana.
Our church is one of those that does not advocate drinking alcohol.
One of the kids wanted to know if it was real wine, or if it was grape juice. I said that my Bible said it was wine, so I felt that it was wine.
Another kid said he has been taught that our body is God's temple & we need to keep it free of alcohol and tobacco. So why was Jesus turning water into wine for people? Still another wanted to know if Jesus had ever been drunk.
I told the kids that in that part of the world at that time, wine was what was commonly drunk at meals. I also said my Bible does not tell me that Jesus was ever drunk, so I think not.
Sharp kids in my class. Do you think their parents will be angry over my answers?
Vince …. I teach whichever lesson the teacher's book they gave me to work from instructs me to.
The wedding at Cana was important because it was Jesus first miracle. And it was seeing this miracle happen that opened the desciples' eyes. Until they saw this, they thought Jesus was just another prophet.
I doubt that Soddam and Gomorrah will be outlined to be taught at this level. If it is, I suppose I'd teach it (carefully).
Vince …. I teach whichever lesson the teacher's book they gave me to work from instructs me to.
The wedding at Cana was important because it was Jesus first miracle. And it was seeing this miracle happen that opened the desciples' eyes. Until they saw this, they thought Jesus was just another prophet.
I doubt that Soddam and Gomorrah will be outlined to be taught at this level. If it is, I suppose I'd teach it (carefully).
How could they—you told them what the Bible said.
November 15 2008 06:54 pm | Bible Juice
12 Responses to “The water into wine miracle?”
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Midge on 16 Nov 2008 at 12:25 am #
How could they—you told them what the Bible said.
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problem on 16 Nov 2008 at 12:34 am #
It was wine. The parents will probably be angry..but truth is truth. Did you know that statistically the Jews have the lowest rate of alcoholism. Even Jesus was accused of hanging out with the wrong people etc..remember his answer…
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alleninthehills on 16 Nov 2008 at 1:13 am #
There is no reason for them to be angry. I do not believe Christ was ever drunk. And please keep in mind, Paul told Timothy to "drink a little wine for his stomach" Wine was not a 'drunk' drink as it is today. Wine was one of the few sanitary drinks of the day. Water usually was not fresh nor clean. I think your answers where dead on.
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lazaruslong138 on 16 Nov 2008 at 1:32 am #
some of them will-best of luck-telling of the truth isnt always the easy path–smile and enjoy the day
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Lisa on 16 Nov 2008 at 2:16 am #
Some parents might not like it.
And some might point out that the scripture uses two words for wine, and one is supposedly the none alcoholic, basically grape juice kind.
I'm not a Greek scholar myself, so I don't know the veracity of that.
It might be something interesting for you to check into.
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What? on 16 Nov 2008 at 2:29 am #
It was real wine. In Greek, grape juice was called "new wine." Wine, in moderation, is actually good for you, so I see no reason why people would avoid it for health reasons.
Otherwise, you are correct. Wine was as common then as soft drinks are today. It was easy to make, easy to preserve, and could be stored in concentrate and diluted with water before serving.
Interesting stories: Jack Daniels, the distiller, was also a Baptist minister. Before the whole Temperance movement of the early 20th century, Churches did not oppose drinking. Modern grape juice is extremely difficult to produce - it starts fermenting almost immediately.
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krasnoglaz on 16 Nov 2008 at 3:00 am #
why is your church against alcohol?? there's nothing in a bible banning it, on the contrary it was common for biblical characters to drink wine
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reap100 on 16 Nov 2008 at 3:50 am #
If the parents question your responses, ask how they would have answered and tell them that you did the best that you knew at the time — with no time to prepare in advance for the questions that would be raised.
While the New Testament doesn't prohibit the use of wine (Paul even recommended it to Timothy), it does prohibit drunkenness. In the Old Testament, drinking alcohol wasn't prohibited for the general public, but priests were not to drink wine. Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 say that God has made believers kings and priests unto God. It is for this reason that I choose not to drink alcoholic beverages.
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bigvol662004 on 16 Nov 2008 at 4:04 am #
No. Wine was a symbol of purity. Since there was no means of purifying water and etc. wine was commonly drunk because the alcohol actually purified the water! This is one reason why the scripture says that a LITTLE WINE is good for the infirmities of the stomach. It's not a sin to drink wine, but it IS a sin if you're drunk, or drink against a doctor's wishes for health's sake or if you feel as if you can't control your drinking. This is why so many churches are hung up over the issue. The parents of these children shouldn't be angry with your answers as long as they know the truths behind Jesus' usage of wine and the symbolism behind it.
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skepsis on 16 Nov 2008 at 4:14 am #
They ARE pretty smart. They are certainly taking the story to heart and asking questions to make the story clear. Water supplies in Jesus' time didn't have fancy chemical treatments. They knew that wine had some properties that reduced the illnesses that water sometimes produced and regularly drank water mixed with wine. So your answer was correct. As for being drunk, Jesus admitted that he had a reputation as "a glutton and a winebibber", but this was in contrast to John the Baptist, so he may have been exaggerating.
As to what the parents think, that's hard to predict. Some folks don't like anyone messing with their lily-pure idea of Jesus. If your church is dry, the members might consider any hint of alcohol drinking to be libelous. But it takes a lot of cultural ignorance to think that First Century Jews drank grape juice at weddings, or any other time. It may be the children are a little smarter than their parents. And you may get some grief over it.
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Vince on 16 Nov 2008 at 4:48 am #
If I'm a parent of one of those kids I would get mad at you for not doing a research before you talk about certain part of the Bible to little kids.
What's next? You're gonna talk about Sodom and Gammora? The murder of Abel?
Some portion of the Bible aren't suited for little kids which requires higher understanding and I'm holding you responsible for being so reckless.
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Vot Ana on 16 Nov 2008 at 5:30 am #
They have no right to be. The truth is the truth. If they want to lie to their children, you don't have to be party to that.
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