Gluttony and Winebibbing

I posted the following on my personal site blogical fallacy back in January; and since it seems to be a hot topic right now, I figured I'd offer it up here for some fun discussion in the pub. Enjoy!

The Bible records in various places specific occasions where it is appropriate to eat more than would be healthy (if it were to be done on a regular basis). These special occasions are called "feasts." During a feast, it seems that the point is to celebrate by eating rich food (and drink) in abundance to the glory of God. This should not be associated with gluttony (which, by the way, is obviously considered a sin in the Bible). Gluttony comes in when someone adopts the lifestyle of feasting (often enough to show that his belly controls him), even when there is no feast to celebrate. I think the same goes for drunkenness. A drunk is not someone who occasionally drinks to the glory of God (and may or may not feel the effects); while a drunkard is one who drinks in excess as a lifestyle, and is thus out of control of himself.

It is noteworthy that when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast, he did so after all of the good wine (and the not-so-good) wine had been drunk. This was seen as extraordinary, because the best wine is always served first, when your taste buds and brain cells are working at their best. After the guests have lost some of their critical tasting skills, the lesser wine is brought out. But Christ then made the best wine of the evening after even the worst wine had been drunk! Certainly this implies that at least some people were a little loosey-goosey when Jesus performed the miracle. After all, it was a "feast."

That being said, let me make it clear that I am not claiming that it follows that since some people were drunk at the marriage feast, Jesus condoned drunkenness. Rather, it seems clear that Jesus condoned drinking "a lot" by making more wine after all was drunk. Note that the passage records nothing about a shortage of wine (less than would be customary at a wedding feast, or due to an over-abundance of unexpected guests), so his miracle allowed for even more consumption than a typical feast. Therefore, it follows from this that for the Christian, wine is a worthy drink to imbibe in abundance for purposes of celebration.

Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a winebibber for a reason. This was not just pulled out of thin air. Everyone agrees that it was culturally and religiously accepted to drink wine, yet Jesus was singled out as a winebibber. I wonder why this would be if he simply did what every other religious leader did. I'm not implying that Jesus was indeed a lush (obviously), but He must have been one who was known for His participation in feasting on good food and strong drink.

I don't think we should ever seek to eat or drink ourselves into dissipation, but I wonder if the occasional feast which leads to a very full stomach and a glad heart (one of the beneficial effects of wine mentioned in the Bible) is not appropriate and, in fact, biblical.