John 2:1 NLT
[1] The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
[3] The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”….
[7] Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, [8] he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.
[9] When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. [10] “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” [11] This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
Since Jesus always and only did what the Father told Him to do, this incident was a divine appointment for a divine purpose. “It was ‘a sign’ “, John wrote, “to reveal something significant.”
Aside from its negative connotations of addiction and intoxication, wine has something important to reveal to us about the “new wine” of the Spirit that Jesus came to give us.
What does wine, in moderation, do for us?
Psalms 104:14-15 NLT
[14] “You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth— [15] wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.”
Wine can dull emotional pain and change the mood for a little while. I wonder why drinking alcohol is called “happy hour”!
Proverbs 31:6 NLT
[6] “Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress.”
Luke 10:33-34 NLT
[33] “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. [34] Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. “
Wine can sterilise and heal bleeding wounds. How often people with wounded hearts turn to wine to soothe the pain and try to heal the wounds!
1 Timothy 5:23 NLT
[23]”Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.”
The Apostle Paul even advised Timothy to drink a little wine in place of water for a stomach ailment. Did Timothy suffer from chronic diarrhoea from drinking contaminated water?
As much as wine can teach us a little about the new life in the Spirit that He came to bring us, Jesus was not advocating that we all become wine-bibbers! On the contrary, the Bible warns against drinking too much wine.
Proverbs 23:31-35 NLT
[31] Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. [32] For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. [33] You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. [34] You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. [35] And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”
Ephesians 5:18a NLT
[18]”Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life…”
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples with supernatural manifestations, some in the watching crowd accused them of being drunk. Peter negated their accusation with these words,…
Acts of the Apostles 2:14-18 NLT
[14] “Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. [15] These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. [16] No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: [17] ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. [18] In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.”
Isaiah 55:1 NLT
[1] “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!”
The New Wine had been poured out at last. God’s many promises fulfilled, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon His people meant so many things to those who drank this new wine.
Jesus promised, as the high priest poured water on the dusty ground, that spiritually thirsty people could come to Him to drink. He would give them the new wine (sometimes “living water”) of the Holy Spirit who would satisfy their thirst forever.
John 7:37-39 NLT
[37] “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” [39] (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)”
The New Wine is still available to all who are thirsty for the truth. This “wine” has never stopped flowing and never will. More abundant than the wine Jesus provided at the wedding in Cana, the wine of the Holy Spirit is given freely to all, Jew and Gentile alike, who come to Jesus in faith and obedience to drink of His Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV
[13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. “