Choices and Judgement

I like to ride motorcycles. I’ve had a lot of guys who don’t ride, but want to, ask me about it. All I can say is I don’t recommend it.

An accident that would amount to a minor inconvenience in a car would mean an extended hospital stay, or worse, on a motorcycle. They are fun, but I wouldn’t advise anyone to take it up.

One of my friends had been shopping for a motorcycle, but finally got a jeep instead. I’m glad. Duane Almond died on his motorcycle right after recording Live At Filmore East. Maybe if he’d been driving a jeep that day, kids today wouldn’t have to listen to Nickelback.

Riding a motorcycle is kind of like smoking. Maybe it’s enjoyable, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. Smoking is even more addictive than motorcycles, so you quickly get to the point where you’re no longer making a choice.

This is really just a prop for the sake of the video. Historically, the only time I’ve ever really smoked was at a party every few years, or when I wanted to annoy people around me. And since the cancer came up last year, I can’t really even pull that off now.

So how about a drink? The drinking question is easy. We have all seen what should have been good marriages come apart due to excessive boozing. We see people killed from drunk driving accidents all the time on the news. People make fools of themselves in public when they accidently get too drunk. Happy hours smooth the speed bumps on the road to infidelity. Years of casual drinking lead to not so casual liver failure. Visit any homeless shelter, or a park bench in good weather, and you’ll meet lots of guys who are big fans of the hooch. The biggest concern I have about some of my closest friends is that their drinking could get out of hand and cause bad things to happen.

So the alcohol question is a no brainer. Those Methodist Women got it right a 100 years ago with prohibition. Ban it. Pour it down the sewers. Smash the distilleries with sledge hammers.

But what would Jesus do? Surprisingly, his first recorded supernatural miracle was a divine beer run.

I’m talking about the book of John, chapter 2, verses 1-11. It was a wedding party, and a good one at that. Well into the celebration, they ran out of wine. I’ve been at wedding receptions when this happens, and let me tell you that the situation is that everyone is already drunk, and they would all be better off if they would just go home. But everyone’s having such a good time, no one wants to leave, but it’s hard to find an all-night liquor store in the year 30 A.D.

Mary may have been a little drunk, because she said, “Jesus, do your thing with the wine.” It was like a mother asking her child to play a piano or recite a poem at a party. And Jesus responded likewise, “Ma, I’m not ready. Not here. Stop asking. You’re embarrassing me.” But Mary lived up to Jewish mother stereotype here, and persisted. And Jesus caved, and said, “All right, fill some jugs with water.”

Next thing you know, the wine was flowing.

Someone quickly mentioned the apparent party foul. Rather than starting off the wedding party with the good stuff, and bringing out the cheap stuff after everyone is drunk and doesn’t care, this party person, who must not have been too drunk yet, noticed that this wine was a lot better than what they had started out with. Jesus hadn’t just turned water into wine, he had turned water into really good wine. Party on, Jesus!

So where does this leave us? Alcohol is responsible for many of society’s ills, but Jesus used the power of God to create some, and he did it for people who had probably already had one too many.

Is the object lesson here that our mothers can talk us into anything?

Maybe Jesus was letting us know it is OK to cut loose sometime. Maybe the What Would Jesus Do question isn’t always as easy to answer as we think. This isn’t an excuse to cut loose all the time, and Jesus had much more to say about other things we need to be doing. But you can’t be service focused every minute, or you’ll probably crash and burn.

It’s also worth noting that Jesus wasn’t sneaking off with a secretary after work when he employed the wine conjuring ability. He was at a friend’s wedding, sitting around a table with his mother, for goodness sake. If you’re going to get tip the bottle, a family event that you’re at with your parents is a pretty safe place to do it.

Am I advocating drinking? Definitely not. Nor smoking or motorcycle riding. If you don’t do any of these things, you’re much better off. I hope my kids avoid all three. But if you are inclined to take a drink occasionally, there are several scriptures that advise you to take it easy.

Let’s pray.

Dear God, help us to not judge others for their vices, and to exercise restraint in ours. Your will be done. Amen.