Burton, what kind of wine did Jesus provide at the wedding in Cana?
And can Christians drink socially? This question is definitely relevant for those who believe that the Bible issues a general condemnation against the consumption of wine. Indeed, the first reference to wine in the Bible is definitely negative when we find the righteous Noah getting drunk after experimenting with wine (yayin) in Genesis 9. Genesis 19 is also negative with its portrayal of Lots daughters getting him drunk so they could get pregnant by him. However, in between these passages (Gen 15), we have the story of Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, who took bread and wine (yayin) to Abraham. In fact, in Exodus 29:40 and Numbers 15:18, among other passages, wine is offered to God as a sacrifice. Before I continue, given the intoxicating effect that wine had on Noah and Lot, it is obvious that the Hebrew word yayin refers to a fermented beverage. In fact, the root for the word yayin actually means “effervescent” or “bubbly,” reflecting the chemical change that takes plac
