Creatix History / August 20, 2025
Why Jesus Didn’t Drink Coffee
Jesus and His Affection for Wine
From the beginning of his public ministry to the solemnity of the Last Supper, Jesus is consistently associated with wine. His very first miracle at Cana was the transformation of water into wine. This miracle not only saved a wedding celebration but also symbolized joy, abundance, and the inauguration of his ministry. During his final days, wine became central again at the Last Supper. Jesus lifted his cup of red wine, declaring it the “new covenant in my blood,”. This gave wine a profound sacramental role that endures in Christian practice to this day, especially in the Catholic tradition where the wine turns into the blood of Christ during mass.
The Gospels also record how often Jesus shared meals and drinks with others. His willingness to join feasts and drinking wine even drew criticism from his opponents. According to Luke, the Jews accused him of being “a glutton and a drunkard” (Luke 7:34). This charge highlights just how much his fondness for wine and communal table fellowship stood out in his time and place.
A Word in Jesus’ Defense
It is important to recall that in Jesus’ day, the negative health effects of alcohol were not yet known. On the contrary, wine was safer to drink than much of the water available, which was often contaminated. Beyond its symbolic and religious value, moderate wine consumption likely had genuine social and even medicinal benefits.
Even today, medical research notes that moderate consumption of red wine—rich in antioxidants such as resveratrol—can support cardiovascular health, foster relaxation, and promote social connections. In the ancient Mediterranean world, wine was not just a drink but a cultural staple, one that brought people together in celebration and strengthened community bonds. To drink wine was to participate in joy, tradition, and shared humanity.
Coffee: The Other Great Drink of Humanity
Fast-forward to today, and coffee has become the beverage of choice for much of the world. More than two billion cups are consumed daily, fueling mornings, sparking conversations, and sustaining productivity. Unlike wine, coffee is not about relaxation but stimulation. Caffeine wakes the mind, sharpens focus, and fosters alertness.
Modern science has highlighted numerous benefits of coffee as well. It is rich in antioxidants, supports brain health, may reduce the risk of certain diseases like Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes, and can contribute to longer life expectancy when consumed in moderation. In short, if wine is the drink of fellowship, coffee is the drink of energy and contemplation.
Here’s an expanded draft with the details you asked for—Ethiopia, the Kaldi legend, the Church’s initial condemnation, and its eventual acceptance with key figures and dates:
Why Jesus Didn’t Drink Coffee
And yet, despite all its wonders, Jesus never tasted coffee. The simple reason? Coffee hadn’t been discovered yet!
Coffee: The Greatest Ethiopian Gift to the World
Coffee originates from the highlands of Ethiopia. Legend says that around the 9th century, a goatherd named Kaldi noticed his goats leaping and dancing with unusual energy after eating the bright red cherries of a wild shrub. Curious, Kaldi tried the berries himself and felt the stimulating effects. From there, local monks began experimenting, boiling or grinding the cherries to stay awake during long hours of prayer.
Coffee’s Spread Through the Islamic World
By the 15th century, coffee cultivation and brewing had spread across the Arab world, particularly in Yemen, where Sufi mystics used it to sustain late-night devotions. From the port of Mocha (yes, that’s where the drink name comes from), coffee traveled to Cairo, Mecca, and Istanbul, becoming central to social and religious life.
Europe’s Encounter with Coffee
Coffee entered Europe through Venetian traders in the early 17th century. It quickly spread through Italy, France, and England. Coffeehouses appeared in major cities. London’s first coffeehouse opened in 1652. These coffeehouses soon became hubs of intellectual and political exchange, nicknamed “penny universities” because for the price of a cup (a penny), one could engage in stimulating conversation.
The Catholic Church’s Take on Coffee
The Catholic Church did not welcome coffee in the Christian world. Many in the church viewed the Islamic dark and bitter beverage with suspicion, calling it the “devil’s drink.” Its stimulating effect raised moral questions. Was coffee a brown temptation? Was it a form of sorcery? Some priests and bishops demanded it be banned.
The turning point came with Pope Clement VIII in the late 16th century. Curious about the drink, he tasted it himself around 1600. Rather than condemn it, he reportedly declared: “This devil’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.” With the papal blessing, coffee gained legitimacy in Catholic Europe and quickly became an accepted (and soon beloved) beverage.
Jesus and Coffee
Jesus lived in a coffee-less world. Wine was the drink of celebration, ritual, and daily life. Coffee simply did not exist because it hadn’t been discovered.
Had it been available, one can imagine Jesus sharing a warm cup with his disciples, perhaps even preferring its sober stimulation to the hazy joy of wine. After all, a world with both bread, wine, and coffee would have been all the richer.
Would Jesus Have Enjoyed Coffee?
Given Jesus’ appreciation for food and drink as vehicles of fellowship, symbolism, and simple human joy, it is not far-fetched to imagine that he would have embraced coffee had it been available. Perhaps he might have even favored it over wine for certain occasions. For example, drinking coffee to invigorate early morning prayers, to share morning conversations with his disciples, to warm hearts in the cool Galilean mornings, and much more. Maybe after the Last Supper, there would have been a Last Breakfast where coffee would have gotten a special place in Christian adoration and tradition.
All that is speculation. The only fact is that coffee had not been discovered in the times of Jesus about 2,000 years ago. Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia about 900 years after the times of Jesus. No wonder he and his disciples never drank coffee.
Now you know it.
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