Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: wine

five-star Savior — October 18, 2022

five-star Savior

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The most elusive endeavor: to find an item on a web retailer’s site, with solid five-star reviews. 

Looking for a guitar?  One person will give it a 5 because it’s pretty while another dings it cause it doesn’t have a cupholder.

There may be 69,000 great reviews but there is always a couple of 1- bombs that stops you from hitting the “add to your cart” button.

Where does one find consistent 5-stars?  Jesus!  He made that clear at Cana where He was a wedding guest.  Back then, wedding festivities lasted a week, so it was no surprise that they ran short of wine.

He spied 6 stone waterpots that would have held about 25 gallons each.  He asked that they be filled with water and then a sample taken to the boss.  The headwaiter was dumbfounded. 

He said to the bridegroom, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!” – John 2:10 NETBible.com

So typical!  The host of the party wants to impress so they serve the high dollar wine first.  When the senses of the guests had been dulled, he would dilute the wine to make it last for the duration of the feast. 

But the bridegroom, was praised for hiding the deluxe $200 a bottle stuff until the last.  Of course, they didn’t know that Jesus was responsible.

Please note that the emphasis here is that Jesus turned water into 5-star wine.  He had miraculously created about 2,400 servings of fresh and vibrant wine of the highest quality.

Jesus does not do average work.  He produces the highest quality.  But today He does it in the lives of those who trust Him. 

For instance, Jesus produces quality politicians.  Alabama Governor George Wallace was known as a bigoted, narrow-minded politician.  In 1963 he proclaimed, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”   In 1983 Billy Graham shared a verse with the man. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul.”  Wallace gave his life to Christ shortly thereafter.  And in 1994 Mr. Wallace said to the world, “I was wrong.  I’m sorry!”

Jesus produces quality parents: Pastor Warren Wiersbe told the story of a drunken coal miner who was converted and began to share his new-found faith. A friend tried to trap him by asking, “Do you really believe that Jesus turned the water into wine?”  He said, “Yes I do.”  But He has done even greater miracles than that.  In my home he has turned the wine into furniture and decent clothes and food for my children.” 

Jesus produces quality professionals.  A friend told me, that when he began his law practice, he was not a pleasant person.  But he later allowed Jesus to take control of that part of his life, and he became one of the most sought after and well-loved people in his profession.

Jesus produces quality entertainers.  Comedian Jeff Foxworthy had his TV show canceled.  It caused him to rediscover his faith in Christ.  He said, “Money and success did not make me happy, but since I have decided to walk with God, it has changed my entire life.” 

Jesus produces quality athletes.  Mike Vinatieri was a kicker for the Patriots.  Ask him what he has on his mind when there’s six seconds in a tied game, and it’s up to him to make the winning field goal.  He says, “Trusting the Lord gives me a sound state of mind in those types of situations.” 

When water was offered, it was returned as wine.  When our lives are offered to Him, He infuses them with quality from heaven. 

His work has been reviewed by hundreds of millions of people for over 2,000 years.  He still gets 5-stars.

A PRAYER: God thanks for taking the water of my life and making it something special.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

prune juice predicament — August 21, 2020

prune juice predicament

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The ladies of the church were tucked away at their annual women’s retreat.  My wife was charged with preparing for the communion service.  However, it was Sunday morning when she realized that she had accidently purchased a bottle of prune juice rather than grape.

There was no time to get to the grocery store.   Maybe she could slip in the prune juice and no one would know.  It could be a moving service.  No – can’t do that! 

She ran to the camp host to see if they had any grape juice around.  They told her to check the freezer for some concentrates.  There were two – passion fruit and lemonade.

Lemonade?  Hmm – maybe, but anyone who has ever bought a lemon – would have conflicted feelings about Christ.

Passion fruit was closer to the color of grape juice, and aren’t we all supposed to be passionate about Christ?  Passion fruit it was!!

Despite the tropical juice and French bread cubes, the women managed to savor the wondrous work of Christ on their behalf. 

It makes me wonder though; Is it important that the juice of grapes be used for communion?   

The beverage options in Jesus’ day were limited.  The Qumran Quik Stop carried water, wine and sometimes goat’s milk or vinegar.  (Eeeww – who drinks vinegar?)  

When Jesus gave us the rite of Communion, He did so during a typical Passover meal using what He had before Him, which was most likely wine.  People didn’t imbibe a lot of pure grape juice back then because fermentation begins as soon as the skin of the grape is broken.  Refrigeration was still 2 millennia in the future.

In fact, the church has used wine through the ages to celebrate communion.  It really wasn’t until 1869 that Thomas Welch found a way to pasteurize grape juice to keep it from fermenting.  He marketed it to local churches, urging them to adopt it for communion services, calling it “Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine.”

Today some of us have red-faced arguments over whether it was wine or grape juice that Jesus used.  I was stunned to find out that the Bible does not specify. 

When the Lord gave us the rite, He referred to what was in the cup generically as, “the fruit of the vine” which could refer to either.  Paul was also vague in 1 Corinthians 11:25-28.  I wonder if the Lord was diplomatically trying to help us avoid our present-day communion controversies.

But what is it about the fruit of the vine that makes it an appropriate symbol of the blood that Jesus shed for us?   Why not Dr. Pepper?  

Maybe it’s because wine is frequently associated with joyful celebration in the Bible.  When King David was installed as King of Israel the wine flowed.  (1 Chron 12:38-40) Likewise, when Christ shed His blood, He earned the right to rule on the throne of David as King (Philippians 2:5-11) – a great cause to celebrate.

Certainly, the juice was nutritious and life giving – a reminder that Christ gives us life abundant now and for eternity.  Not common knowledge back then, but we now know that the fruit of the vine is full of antioxidants that ward off free radicals.  We also know that the blood of Christ secures us from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9)

Or maybe it’s because the blood of grapes becomes more precious over time.  It’s not that the value of the His sacrifice improves, but our appreciation of it grows. 

My best guess, however, is that the juice is produced by the crushing of the grapes.  The ancient prophet predicted that our Savior would be likewise handled.   “He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins.”  – Isaiah 53:5  NETBible ®

That night in the Upper Room, Jesus made sure that His disciples understood that He was the one the prophet had in mind.  Like the juice of the grapes that He held in His hand, He would be crushed, but the blessing that would come from it would be vast, extraordinary and eternal. 

The next time you receive communion, forget the prune juice and mull over the fact that Jesus was crushed for you.

A PRAYER: Lord help me to better understand and appreciate the kind of love that Jesus has for me.