I Am Bismark

but that really shouldn’t bother my mormon readers. though from the number of people who have recoiled in disgust when i mention such a thing, it obviously does bother some mormons. i mean, people who drink alcohol can’t get temple recommends, so how could Jesus, someone without sin, have drunk it? i hear the theory often about how wine was really unfermented grape juice back in new testament times… but is there really any internal or external evidence of such a reading of the bible? i really don’t think so, and here is why:

evidence #1: gospel of john 3:1-10

here Jesus turns water into wine. could it just be grape juice? read verse 9 and 10:

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

the wine that Jesus made was apparently pretty awesome. usually, at a party, the hosts gave out the really good wine at the beginning for everyone to enjoy. after drinking that for awhile and getting somewhat inebriated, the poorer quality wine was brought out and no one would really care. this makes no sense with just grape juice.

evidence #2: gospel of matthew 9:17

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

grape juice doesn’t break bottles, the fermenting process does. true, this is just a parable, but it does show that wine does not equal grape juice in this instance.

evidence #3: greek

the greek word for wine is oinos. it is the same greek word used throughout the new testament. whether talking about the passover or warning against drunkenness, it is the same word.

ok, so even after all of this, we could still probably come up with some way to say that Jesus never drank alcohol. but what’s the point? the word of wisdom as found in doctrine and covenants section 89 is not an eternal law.

A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion— To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days… (emphasis mine)

even in the latter-days, the word of wisdom has not always been considered a “commandment”. it wasn’t until 1902 that it became a “soft” test of fellowship and requirement for entering the temple. it didn’t become an absolute requirement until 1921! so why are we worrying so much about Jesus, someone who lived in a completely different dispensation, going against a commandment that has only been in force for the last 88 years? prior to 1902, not drinking alcohol was a suggestion. prior to 1833, there wasn’t even that! now, occasionally drinking alcohol is obviously different than drunkenness, and i don’t believe that Jesus ever lost control. and of course, since i am currently living my baptismal covenants, i will not drink wine. but i do eat pigs, something which Jesus certainly would not have done, so there is precedence for the two time periods having different food restrictions. actually, i think we can learn valuable things from taking a better perspective on this. mormons don’t have to be bothered by the scientific evidence that occasional alcohol consumption might be good for your health. it really might be! but it doesn’t matter, because we covenanted to be a peculiar people, and we will be fine without it. we also should not judge people who use alcohol with proper restraint as being evil or sinful. they are not living under the baptismal covenant, they have no such restrictions (kind of like how john the baptist didn’t drink wine, but Jesus did). ok, now please leave a comment about why i am wrong/apostate/awesome.