Does it matter how long was Jesus’ hair?
Question:
Interesting and thank you for the insight concerning the length of Jesus’ hair, though it does not seem necessary to teach it. It is true. We don’t know if he had long hair or not. How long would it have to be to be considered long anyway? The Bible doesn’t tell us if he had long hair or short. We don’t know. That is all we can say. To imply that believing he had long hair is a mistake is not really that responsible either because he could have. How would either scenario change anything about the truth of Jesus Christ?
Also, it’s true that Jesus drank from the fruit of the vine. Though it was not as refined and high in alcohol as the wines we drink today, he did drink wine, not just juice. There would be a very short amount of time that grape juice would not become fermented without refrigeration. Wine was a staple of the first-century diet. But to imply it was just juice is not responsible either. The wine would also purify the water from stagnate cisterns etc. and without some alcohol, in the “juice” the purification would not be there. This is part of the instruction that Paul gives to Timothy. That he should drink wine (and wine in water) for his stomach’s sake. Ever heard of Montezuma’s revenge?
Answer:
The point of the article is that assumptions do not form the foundation for truth. One argument, given to go against Paul's statement, "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" (I Corinthians 11:14), is that Jesus had long hair. The article you referred to is an answer to that argument. There is no evidence that Jesus had long hair, thus it cannot be used to argue that long hair is acceptable.
Since Paul taught by the inspiration of God, such teachings came from Jesus, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-15). Paul stated, "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). Therefore, we have a statement by Paul, given to him by Jesus that men ought not to have long hair. It would be more reasonable to conclude that Jesus did not have long hair than to conclude that he did have long hair.
Your argument about long and short is a common attempt to avoid the conclusion. When people don't like the obvious conclusion, one method of avoiding it is to declare that the terms are indefinable; therefore, unenforceable. See the article "Hair" for an answer to the argument, but also look at "Reviling Things They Do Not Understand" concerning the flaws in this style of argumentation.
Your arguments about wine in the New Testament is not based on a firm foundation. See "New Testament Beverages" for details concerning the Bible's teachings on alcoholic drinks.
