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The things I hate about Jesus: Part 1

 

A few weeks ago, I received the strongest impression that I was to

write a series of articles based upon the subject “The things I hate about

Jesus.” At first, I was a bit apprehensive. After all…with so many things

to write about, why this?

I recall a funny story about two church ladies who are chatting over a

cup of coffee. One says, “Did you know that Jesus drank wine?” The

other scowled and replied, “Yes…I never DID like that about Jesus!”

Luke 7:34 reveals Jesus, saying about Himself, “The Son of Man has

come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a

winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

I’m no drinker. My life-long cumulative consumption of wine is about a

half bottle while I’ve partaken of six beers in my life, all at the same time,

I might add, when I was in high school. But I don’t like turnips either.

Apparently, Jesus WAS observed drinking…SOMETHING…by

somebody! That’s what Jews did, after all; such was their culture. Today,

our own deeply spiritual Christian friends from England and Germany

will drink beer and wine while their American Bible Belt brethren get their

knickers in a twist. It seems Jesus is STILL stepping on the toes of

religious spirits today just as He did then.

In the Old Testament, God’s Law allowed yayin (wine) and shekar

(strong drink) to be purchased with the Tithe of Rejoicing and to be

drunk before the Lord. “You shall spend that money for whatever your

heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or strong drink, for whatever

your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God,

and you shall rejoice, you and your household,” (Deut. 14:26).

Have you ever read that before?

In the New Testament, all recorded prohibitions to drinking wine seem

to refer to either (A) immoderate consumption or (B) to abusers: “Be

not drunk with wine” (Eph. 5:18). “Do not be with heavy drinkers”

(Prov. 23:20). “Do not be addicted to wine” (I Tim. 3:8; Tit.2:3).

“Do not linger long over wine” (Prov. 23:30).

When all is said and done, I can’t help but feel that we Christians must

distinguish the use of these beverages from their abuse. Sometimes in

Scripture, gluttonous eating is paralleled with immoderate drinking of

wine (Deut. 21:20; Prov. 23:21), but we can find nowhere in the

Bible where eating food is prohibited. Thank you, Jesus!
At other times in Scripture, sexual perversion is paralleled with

drunkenness (Rom 13:13; I Pet 4:3). Yet, if ALL sexual activity were

condemned, well…you and I wouldn’t be here.
Wealth often becomes a snare to many as well (I Tim. 6:9-11), but the

Scriptures do not make a blanket decree against its pursuit (Job 42:10-17).

Let’s see a Prosperity Evangelist preach AGAINST the acquisition of

money! That’ll be a cold day on Padre Island.
The Scriptures pull no punches in commending wine, nor do they hold

back on illustrating stories that involve its consumption in Biblical days.

Wine is set before the saints as blessing and gladness (Deut 14:26;

Ps.104:14-15), even though it may be, to the immoderate and wicked,

a mocker and curse (Prov. 20:1; 23:29). It would seem to me that all

the self-righteous finger-pointing we engage ourselves in today does

very little in the way of making the non-Christian jealous for what we

say we’ve found in Christ, the One who turned the water into wine,

incidentally, His first miracle.
The Great Commission, set forth by Jesus Christ – the One who came

“eating and drinking” - was to go and make disciples. He commanded

us to love God with everything we have and to love and serve one another.

As followers of Christ, are we teaching those who are watching us to

condemn and even detest those who are not like us, or are we teaching

them to love everybody without condition, planting all the seeds of grace

necessary to make our faith attractive enough so that they will want run to

Jesus at their own proper moment of harvest?

The hurting world is watching us…and they’re repulsed by a heart full of

doctrinal do’s and don’ts.

A friend once asked me if I would teach at a Bible Study, Brisket and

Beer gathering for a bunch of misfits who won’t step foot in a church but

are drawn to her because she loves them.

What would Jesus do?

PLEASE HIT “REPLY” AND TYPE “Part2″ IN YOUR

SUBJECT BAR IF YOU WOULD LIKE THIS SERIES.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

A servant of God

www.YourTown4Jesus.com