Winebibber

Dear Mr. Froese:I am very upset about your answer to the drinking wine question. You used Luke 7:34 and Matthew 11:19 to say that Jesus drank wine. People are using this to qualify their drinking.In the verse before, Luke 7:33, Jesus states, “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.” According to your interpretation, John had a devil; not so.In verse 34 Jesus said, “The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”Where do you find that Jesus was “gluttonous” or a “winebibber”?Jesus was quoting what others said. He didn’t say He was gluttonous or a drinker.I always valued the Midnight Call, but I think you are wrong for “narrow is the way… and few there be that find it.” -M. Mumbower, TN


Arno's Answer:


Jesus makes it crystal clear in Luke 7:33-34, that He did eat and drink, but John did not. Note also that John did not eat bread.

Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. The governor reveals that it was real wine with the words, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse” (John 2:10). Alcoholic beverages dull the taste; that means the best must be served first. Then, after the person has “well drunk,” he notices little difference in the cheaper product. With food, it’s the opposite: when one is really hungry, he is not choosy, but when full, one desires something delicate—dessert.

While we respect culture, tradition, and religion, we may not falsify the Word of God. Paul warns, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days” (Colossians 2:16).

Midnight Call - 03/2016

Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.

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