Navigation Back Search

Ask the UMC: Was the wine at the wedding at Cana alcoholic?

May 26, 2017
A panel on the back wall inside of Joannes de Dooper Church in Pijnacker, Netherlands, depicts the wedding feast at Cana. Photo by Hpruxpbvm, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A panel on the back wall inside of Joannes de Dooper Church in Pijnacker, Netherlands, depicts the wedding feast at Cana. Photo by Hpruxpbvm, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

During the temperance movement there was an argument that somehow the wine in the Gospels – the Last Supper specifically, but probably also included the wedding at Cana – was miraculously non-alcoholic. There is no evidence in the biblical text to support that argument. 

Some faith groups, especially those that reject alcohol, may teach that Jesus made wine without alcohol, but this is not a teaching of The United Methodist Church.

Methodist history: Controversy, Communion, & Welch’s Grape Juice

Have questions? Ask the UMC. And check out other recent Q&As.

This content was produced by InfoServ, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

First published May 26, 2017.

Sign up for our newsletter!

SUBSCRIBE

Latest News

Theology and Education
Eucharist is shared during the morning prayer held in the chapel of Sarum College during the 2016 Wesley Pilgrimage in England. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is communion simply a ritual of remembrance?
Holy Communion recalls the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. But it is more than just a ritual of remembering. It is primarily an act by which God feeds us, sustains us, and empowers us to live as Christians in the world.
Theology and Education
The Christian year includes the central seasons of Christmas and Easter followed by Ordinary Time. The colors associated with the different seasons express visually what is happening in the life of the church. Each color symbolizes the nature of the festival being celebrated. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: What is Ordinary Time?
The Christian year includes the central seasons of Christmas and Easter followed by Ordinary Time.
Theology and Education
John Wesley portrait from the U.S. Library of Congress, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (altered from original)

Ask The UMC: Are we saved if accepting God's grace happens gradually and not in one specific moment?
United Methodists understand that people have different experiences of awakening and turning to God. Both John and Charles Wesley had memorable, heart-warming experiences of God's grace.