Good morning…
“Jesus drank wine.” That’s what the t-shirt said. The clerk added, “We sell out of these t-shirts all the time. It’s tough to keep them in our store.” Why is that? Why are we so drawn to this truth? “Jesus drank wine.”
Because we want Jesus to sign our alcohol permission slip. If Jesus drank wine, it must be okay, right? The deeper question becomes, “Am I drinking my wine in the same way Jesus drank his wine?”
The baby Jesus was born into our world to free us from the greedy grip of our human nature, to wash clean our thoughts, our words, our actions, and to give us new, peace-and-joy-filled lives. Each time Jesus woke up in the morning, walked a dusty road, or ate food and drank wine, he was consciously aware of our Father’s freeing presence. When Jesus hands human beings a glass of red wine at his final supper, he says, “Each time you drink this cup, remember me” (1 Corinthians 11:25, MSG). In other words, “Each time you drink, be consciously aware of my presence with you.”
Now, with each sip of wine, we are asked to remember the freeing presence of the Father-Son-Spirit. You were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
The Word of God continues, deepening our inner dialogue, “Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for…immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross] “ (1 Corinthians 6:11-13, AMP).
Jesus drank wine. So can we, as long as wine does not enslave us. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
…Sue…
