Where there is life

Mark 14:25 is a single verse pulled from the entire chapter. In it, only Jesus speaks. One topic is touched upon with reference to the circumstances involved. It is the last supper and Jesus has done the 'this is my body/this is my blood' part. He has done the part about one of them betraying him. None of that is included in this particular verse. You will hear about the body, the bread, the wine and the blood in church sermons.

And yet, his simple statement does reference the wine they had all just imbibed. He said this to them: “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” It is often relegated to a level of importance far below the 'body and blood' or 'betrayer' parts. Still, this simple declaration opens to us the entire realm of heaven and hell.

First of all, we are looking at the matter of wine – that is real, physical wine. We must specifically consider, here, the difference between 'Passover wine' and 'new wine'. Next, we must consider the time and place that we will be united with Christ. Popular thought has Christ returning at the 'end', with the faithful called up to meet him in the clouds. It is the whole nine yards of redemption or damnation, and it encompasses our generalized notions of heaven and hell.

So then, I look to my favorite source for information, Wikipedia, for some insight into Passover wine and new wine. Here is what I found:

“We know little about the kind of grape varieties available – or if grape varieties were even a concept – at the time of the Last Supper. "It's not until relatively recently in history, about 1,000 years or less, that we have any written evidence of named grape varieties," says Dr. Sean Myles, an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and a researcher in agricultural genetics.

However, we do have a good amount of evidence on wine making during the era and the styles of wines people of Jesus' time would make and enjoy. By the night of the Last Supper, the Holy Land already had a long history of wine making. Scholars believe that the Holy Land had been making wine since at least 4000 BC. Vintners would plant their vines along rocky hillsides and carve out vats in the bedrock to serve as wine presses. Cultures around the Middle East had a variety of pottery vessels to collect and serve wine.

"In Jerusalem, they had a particular taste for rich, concentrated wines," says Dr. McGovern.

While watering down wine was a common practice in classical civilization, Jerusalem preferred rich wines. Isaiah (1.21-22) criticizes the city by comparing it to wine cut with water.

In an inland city of Judah, archeologists found a jar with the inscription, "Wine made from black raisins." Winemakers may have dried out grapes on the vine or on mats in the sun to concentrate the grapes and create a very sweet and thick wine. Elsewhere in the region, archeologists have found jars with inscriptions like "smoked wine" and "very dark wine."

Mixing wine with spices, fruits and especially tree resin was common a practice. Winemakers believed that tree resins like myrrh, frankincense and terebinth preserved wine and helped stave off wine spoilage. They'd also add things like pomegranates, mandrakes, saffron and cinnamon to enhance the flavor of the wine.

We can conclude that there was a skilled winemaking culture present during the time of the Last Supper and that around Jerusalem, vintners made strong wines, often mixed with tree resins, spices, and fruits.”

There are many opinions about the wine of the last supper, but not a lot of hard evidence. I had been of the opinion that it was a boiled concoction made with bitter herbs, but my recent inquiries proved me wrong. One new discovery about the wine of the Passover I did find interesting. It seems the Passover laws, or protocols, required Jewish male to drink four cups of wine during the Seder. You can read an article on that here: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/658549/jewish/Why-four-cups-of-wine.htm

Now, on to 'new' wine. There are two terms for this found in the Bible, they are 'asis' and 'tirosh.' 'Asis, "sweet wine," or "new wine," the product of the same year (Cant 8:2 ; Isaiah 49:26 ; Joel 1:5; 3:18; Amos 9:13), from a root meaning "to tread," hence, juice trodden out or pressed out, thus referring to the method by which the juice is obtained. The power of intoxication is ascribed to it. The explanations for both this and the following term are found at http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/wine/.

Tirosh, properly "must," translated "wine" (Deuteronomy 28:51); "new wine" (Proverbs 3:10); "sweet wine" (Micah 6:15; RSV, "vintage"). This Hebrew word has been traced to a root meaning "to take possession of" and hence it is supposed that tirosh is so designated because in intoxicating it takes possession of the brain. Among the blessings promised to Esau (Genesis 27:28) mention is made of "plenty of corn and tirosh." Palestine is called "a land of corn and tirosh" (Deuteronomy 33:28; Compare Isaiah 36:17). See also Deuteronomy 28:51; 2 Chr 32:28; Joel 2:19; Hosea 4:11, ("wine [yayin] and new wine [tirosh] take away the heart").

I have talked with many people who have said to my face they would prefer hell over heaven because all of their drinking buddies will be there. What a laugh! Nowhere in the Bible is hell mentioned as a place where the condemned can mingle with old friends. Neither is it mentioned that alcohol will be served. Our notion of hell comes to us originally from the word 'Sheol' which simply refers to the grave.

However, when we are all united with Christ, there will be 'new wine' – I imagine a kind of celebration that Christ will share with us. But, is there actually spiritual wine to be imbibed in a spiritual heaven. I think not. Go back and read Mark 14:25 again. Christ does not mention heaven at all, rather, he clearly names the kingdom of God. It is a kingdom on this earth with real wine.

God is the God of the living (Mark 12:27). Christ is the life. Where there is life, there you will find the living.