JESUS THE PARTY ANIMAL!
What? Jesus a party animal?!! Say it ain't so! Party like a rock star! Party like a rock star! Well, not exactly.
Many think that Jesus was all serious and never had fun. They think he was devoid of human emotions, thought, and characteristics. He was not.
Though Jesus never sinned, He did have fun. He did enjoy the company of others. He often ate with whom we would consider the dregs of society and spent much time with people many of us would call “losers” (Big hand gesture of an "L"). He got to know the person behind the sin, the person masked by faults, disease, and those cast out by society for not living up to what was supposed to be the norm. He had fun with every day folks and genuinely like being around them. Let’s look at a wedding he went to. We find this in John chapter 2. As you read the commentary which follows the scriptures, realize that there are many aspects I will not be covering. There are boundless applications I will not be making. This page is devoted to the "normalcy" of this unnormal savior, God in the flesh, who walked in Israel centuries ago and very much enjoyed interacting with people.
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;)
the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou
hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
The first thing we notice is that Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were invited. Before this time, Jesus had not done any miracle or for that much, anything to be famous or noted for. He was just Jesus the carpenter, Mary was just His mother, His disciples just His friends. Mary, Jesus, and His disciples must have all been known by the wedding parties else they would not have all been invited. An odd note is that Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, is not mentioned. Perhaps he had died. Perhaps he was out of town. Perhaps-well, there could many reasons.
It is important to understand how weddings were conducted in the time of Jesus.
On the evening of the actual marriage, the bride was led from her paternal home to that of her husband. First came the merry sounds of music; then they who distributed among the people wine and oil, and nuts among the children; next the bride, covered with the bridal veil, her long hair flowing, (Short hair on women was frowned upon and unacceptable in those days. There were no "butch" or "sassy" styles.) surrounded by her companions, and led by ‘the friends of the bridegroom,’ and ‘the children of the bride-chamber.’ All around were in festive array; some carried torches, or lamps on poles; those nearest had myrtle-branches and chaplets of flowers. Every one rose to salute the procession, or join it; and it was deemed almost a religious duty to break into praise of the beauty, the modesty, or the virtues of the bride. Arrived at her new home, she was led to her husband. Some such formula as ‘Take her according to the Law of Moses and of Israel,’ would be spoken, and the bride and bridegroom crowned with garlands. Then a formal legal instrument, called the keṯubah, was signed, which set forth that the bridegroom undertook to work for her, to honor, keep, and care for her as is the manner of the men of Israel; that he promised to give his maiden-wife a prescribed dowry. After the prescribed washing of hands and benediction, the marriage-supper began - the cup being filled, and the solemn prayer of bridal benediction spoken over it. And so the feast lasted - it might be more than one day - while each sought to contribute, sometimes coarsely, sometimes wisely, to the general
enjoyment, till at last ‘the friends of the bridegroom’ led the bridal pair to the bridal chamber and bed.
As we pass through the court of that house in Cana, and reach the covered gallery which opens on the various rooms - in this instance particularly, on the great reception room - all is festively adorned. In the gallery the servants move about, and there the ‘water-pots’ are ranged, for hand washing and also for purification. For such an occasion the family would produce or borrow the largest and handsomest stone-vessels that could be procured; nor is it necessary to suppose that they were filled to the brim; nor should we forget that it was the practice to set apart some of these vessels exclusively for the use of the bride and of the more distinguished guests, while the rest were used by the general company.
Entering the spacious, lofty dining-room, which would be brilliantly lighted with lamps and candlesticks, the guests are disposed round tables on couches, soft with cushions or covered with tapestry, or seated on chairs. The bridal blessing has been spoken, and the bridal cup emptied. The feast is proceeding - not the common meal, which was generally eaten hours earlier, but a festive meal.
In a very quick nutshell, this is how most weddings of that day went. We’re not told this one was any different, so we must not presume that. As invited guests and friends of the wedding party, Jesus, His mother, and His disciples participated in all the singing, praises, joy, laughter, excitement, and overall merriment of the festivities. Jesus never sinned during any of it. Of His mother or disciples, we don’t know and is not relevant.
Then the crisis comes. The wine has run out. Obviously, we are not in the very beginning of the wedding. Much time has passed. It could still be the first day of the feast, or one of the ensuing days. Again, we’re not told and it is not pertinent. Jesus made wine which turned out to be better than the wine originally served. Let the celebration continue!
Now let's go to a party with the publicans! You'll find this in Lk. 5 :27-32
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In order to understand this more fully, we need to understand what a publican/tax collector actually did.
In the imperial era the direct taxes were collected by regular imperial officers (Roman employees) in the regular routine of official duty. The customs or tolls levied upon exports and imposts, and upon goods in the hands of merchants passing through the country, were sold to the highest bidders, who were called publicans. With this distinction clearly in mind we may dismiss the subject of general taxation with the following remarks: First: that the taxes in Judea went to the imperial treasury (Matt 22:17; Mark 12:14; Luke 20:22);
Second: that these taxes were very heavy.
These two facts explain why the question of paying tribute to Caesar, which our Lord was obliged to meet, was so burning an issue.
It touched at once religious and financial interest--a powerful combination.
The term publican is commonly used to cover several grades of minor officials engaged in the customs service. The word was extended in meaning from the farmer-general of a province, to his subordinate local officils. The publicans of the New Testament examined the goods and collected tolls on roads and bridges. These tolls were collected in Palestine at Caesarea, Capernaum and Jericho.Those collected at Capernaum went into the treasury of Herod Antipas. At Jericho there was a chief publican but most of the publicans mentioned in the New Testament were probably subordinate to men higher in authority.
Sufficient cause for the unpopularity of publicans in New Testament times is easy to see. Customs officials are always unpopular. The method is
necessarily inquisitorial. The man who opens one's boxes and bundles to appraise the value of what one has, is at best a tolerated evil. In Judea, under the Roman system, all circumstances combined to make the publican the object of bitter hatred. He represented and exercised in immediate contact, at a sore spot with individuals, the hatred power of Rome. The tax itself was looked upon as an inherent religious wrong, as well as civil imposition, and by many the payment of it was considered a sinful act of disloyalty to God. The tax-gatherer, if a Jew, was a renegade in the eyes of his patriotic fellows. He paid a fixed sum for the taxes, and received for himself what he could over and above that amount. The ancient and widespread curse of arbitrariness was in the system. The tariff rates were vague and indefinite. The collector was thus always under the suspicion of being an extortioner and probably was in most instances. The name was apt to realize itself. The unusual combination in a publican of petty tyrant, renegade and extortioner, made by circumstances almost inevitable, was not conductive to popularity. In the score of instances in the New Testament where publicans are mentioned, their common status, their place in the thought and action of Jesus, their new hope in the gospel are clearly set forth.
The instances in which our Lord speaks of them are especially illuminating:
(1) He uses them on the basis of the popular estimate which the disciples undoubtedly shared, to point in genial irony a reproach addressed to His hearers for their low standard of love and forgiveness (Mt. 5:46; Mt. 5:47).
(2) He uses the term in the current combination in giving directions about excommunicating a persistently unrepentant member of the church (Mt 18:17).
(3) He uses the term in the popular sense in describing the current condemnation of His attitude of social fellowship with them, and constructively accepts the title of "friend of publicans and sinners" (Mt. 11:19; Lk. 7:34).
(4) Most significant of all, Jesus uses the publican, as He did the Samaritan, in a parable in which the despised outcast shows to advantage in an attitude acceptable to God (Lk. 18:9). This parable is reinforced by the statement, made more than once by our Lord, that the readiness to repent shown by the publicans and other outcasts usually found with them was more promising of salvation than the spiritual pride shown by some who were satisfied with themselves (Lk. 3:12; compare 7:29; Mt. 21:31,32; Lk.15:1). [The past several paragraphs were loosely adapted from the public domain version of the ISBE.}
This Levi is actually Matthew which we find out in Mt. 9:9 retelling of the same happening. Matthew dropped everything-all the money and receipts. He just left it all there and followed Jesus. He never went back. He had a huge feast at his house with many other publicans and sinners (who or what they were we're not told). Because tax collectors were outcasts, all their friends were as well. This group was part of the lower echelon of society. There was much to eat and much to drink. The Lord had a great time, yet did not sin.
Many think that Jesus was all serious and never had fun. They think he was devoid of human emotions, thought, and characteristics. He was not.
Though Jesus never sinned, He did have fun. He did enjoy the company of others. He often ate with whom we would consider the dregs of society and spent much time with people many of us would call “losers” (Big hand gesture of an "L"). He got to know the person behind the sin, the person masked by faults, disease, and those cast out by society for not living up to what was supposed to be the norm. He had fun with every day folks and genuinely like being around them. Let’s look at a wedding he went to. We find this in John chapter 2. As you read the commentary which follows the scriptures, realize that there are many aspects I will not be covering. There are boundless applications I will not be making. This page is devoted to the "normalcy" of this unnormal savior, God in the flesh, who walked in Israel centuries ago and very much enjoyed interacting with people.
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;)
the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou
hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
The first thing we notice is that Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were invited. Before this time, Jesus had not done any miracle or for that much, anything to be famous or noted for. He was just Jesus the carpenter, Mary was just His mother, His disciples just His friends. Mary, Jesus, and His disciples must have all been known by the wedding parties else they would not have all been invited. An odd note is that Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, is not mentioned. Perhaps he had died. Perhaps he was out of town. Perhaps-well, there could many reasons.
It is important to understand how weddings were conducted in the time of Jesus.
On the evening of the actual marriage, the bride was led from her paternal home to that of her husband. First came the merry sounds of music; then they who distributed among the people wine and oil, and nuts among the children; next the bride, covered with the bridal veil, her long hair flowing, (Short hair on women was frowned upon and unacceptable in those days. There were no "butch" or "sassy" styles.) surrounded by her companions, and led by ‘the friends of the bridegroom,’ and ‘the children of the bride-chamber.’ All around were in festive array; some carried torches, or lamps on poles; those nearest had myrtle-branches and chaplets of flowers. Every one rose to salute the procession, or join it; and it was deemed almost a religious duty to break into praise of the beauty, the modesty, or the virtues of the bride. Arrived at her new home, she was led to her husband. Some such formula as ‘Take her according to the Law of Moses and of Israel,’ would be spoken, and the bride and bridegroom crowned with garlands. Then a formal legal instrument, called the keṯubah, was signed, which set forth that the bridegroom undertook to work for her, to honor, keep, and care for her as is the manner of the men of Israel; that he promised to give his maiden-wife a prescribed dowry. After the prescribed washing of hands and benediction, the marriage-supper began - the cup being filled, and the solemn prayer of bridal benediction spoken over it. And so the feast lasted - it might be more than one day - while each sought to contribute, sometimes coarsely, sometimes wisely, to the general
enjoyment, till at last ‘the friends of the bridegroom’ led the bridal pair to the bridal chamber and bed.
As we pass through the court of that house in Cana, and reach the covered gallery which opens on the various rooms - in this instance particularly, on the great reception room - all is festively adorned. In the gallery the servants move about, and there the ‘water-pots’ are ranged, for hand washing and also for purification. For such an occasion the family would produce or borrow the largest and handsomest stone-vessels that could be procured; nor is it necessary to suppose that they were filled to the brim; nor should we forget that it was the practice to set apart some of these vessels exclusively for the use of the bride and of the more distinguished guests, while the rest were used by the general company.
Entering the spacious, lofty dining-room, which would be brilliantly lighted with lamps and candlesticks, the guests are disposed round tables on couches, soft with cushions or covered with tapestry, or seated on chairs. The bridal blessing has been spoken, and the bridal cup emptied. The feast is proceeding - not the common meal, which was generally eaten hours earlier, but a festive meal.
In a very quick nutshell, this is how most weddings of that day went. We’re not told this one was any different, so we must not presume that. As invited guests and friends of the wedding party, Jesus, His mother, and His disciples participated in all the singing, praises, joy, laughter, excitement, and overall merriment of the festivities. Jesus never sinned during any of it. Of His mother or disciples, we don’t know and is not relevant.
Then the crisis comes. The wine has run out. Obviously, we are not in the very beginning of the wedding. Much time has passed. It could still be the first day of the feast, or one of the ensuing days. Again, we’re not told and it is not pertinent. Jesus made wine which turned out to be better than the wine originally served. Let the celebration continue!
Now let's go to a party with the publicans! You'll find this in Lk. 5 :27-32
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In order to understand this more fully, we need to understand what a publican/tax collector actually did.
In the imperial era the direct taxes were collected by regular imperial officers (Roman employees) in the regular routine of official duty. The customs or tolls levied upon exports and imposts, and upon goods in the hands of merchants passing through the country, were sold to the highest bidders, who were called publicans. With this distinction clearly in mind we may dismiss the subject of general taxation with the following remarks: First: that the taxes in Judea went to the imperial treasury (Matt 22:17; Mark 12:14; Luke 20:22);
Second: that these taxes were very heavy.
These two facts explain why the question of paying tribute to Caesar, which our Lord was obliged to meet, was so burning an issue.
It touched at once religious and financial interest--a powerful combination.
The term publican is commonly used to cover several grades of minor officials engaged in the customs service. The word was extended in meaning from the farmer-general of a province, to his subordinate local officils. The publicans of the New Testament examined the goods and collected tolls on roads and bridges. These tolls were collected in Palestine at Caesarea, Capernaum and Jericho.Those collected at Capernaum went into the treasury of Herod Antipas. At Jericho there was a chief publican but most of the publicans mentioned in the New Testament were probably subordinate to men higher in authority.
Sufficient cause for the unpopularity of publicans in New Testament times is easy to see. Customs officials are always unpopular. The method is
necessarily inquisitorial. The man who opens one's boxes and bundles to appraise the value of what one has, is at best a tolerated evil. In Judea, under the Roman system, all circumstances combined to make the publican the object of bitter hatred. He represented and exercised in immediate contact, at a sore spot with individuals, the hatred power of Rome. The tax itself was looked upon as an inherent religious wrong, as well as civil imposition, and by many the payment of it was considered a sinful act of disloyalty to God. The tax-gatherer, if a Jew, was a renegade in the eyes of his patriotic fellows. He paid a fixed sum for the taxes, and received for himself what he could over and above that amount. The ancient and widespread curse of arbitrariness was in the system. The tariff rates were vague and indefinite. The collector was thus always under the suspicion of being an extortioner and probably was in most instances. The name was apt to realize itself. The unusual combination in a publican of petty tyrant, renegade and extortioner, made by circumstances almost inevitable, was not conductive to popularity. In the score of instances in the New Testament where publicans are mentioned, their common status, their place in the thought and action of Jesus, their new hope in the gospel are clearly set forth.
The instances in which our Lord speaks of them are especially illuminating:
(1) He uses them on the basis of the popular estimate which the disciples undoubtedly shared, to point in genial irony a reproach addressed to His hearers for their low standard of love and forgiveness (Mt. 5:46; Mt. 5:47).
(2) He uses the term in the current combination in giving directions about excommunicating a persistently unrepentant member of the church (Mt 18:17).
(3) He uses the term in the popular sense in describing the current condemnation of His attitude of social fellowship with them, and constructively accepts the title of "friend of publicans and sinners" (Mt. 11:19; Lk. 7:34).
(4) Most significant of all, Jesus uses the publican, as He did the Samaritan, in a parable in which the despised outcast shows to advantage in an attitude acceptable to God (Lk. 18:9). This parable is reinforced by the statement, made more than once by our Lord, that the readiness to repent shown by the publicans and other outcasts usually found with them was more promising of salvation than the spiritual pride shown by some who were satisfied with themselves (Lk. 3:12; compare 7:29; Mt. 21:31,32; Lk.15:1). [The past several paragraphs were loosely adapted from the public domain version of the ISBE.}
This Levi is actually Matthew which we find out in Mt. 9:9 retelling of the same happening. Matthew dropped everything-all the money and receipts. He just left it all there and followed Jesus. He never went back. He had a huge feast at his house with many other publicans and sinners (who or what they were we're not told). Because tax collectors were outcasts, all their friends were as well. This group was part of the lower echelon of society. There was much to eat and much to drink. The Lord had a great time, yet did not sin.
