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In this final installment of our three-part series on the Greek god Dionysus, we journey to the influential city of Ephesus—home to the community John was writing to—to examine just how prominent Dionysus worship was in the cultural fabric of this Greek world. John's audience knew Dionysus well. From there, we head north to Pergamum—one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation—where the Temple of Dionysus stood in connection with a grand 10,000-seat theater. Each year, worshipers would gather to celebrate Dionysus, the god of wine, transformation, and resurrection. We then explore one of the most striking elements of this worship: the ritual consumption of meat and wine—the symbolic flesh and blood of Dionysus—believed to unite the participant mystically with the god. This ritual provides a powerful backdrop to Jesus’ radical statement in John 6: “Eat my flesh and drink my blood.” The Gospel of John presents Jesus turning water into wine—not as a random miracle, but as a deliberate theological claim: Jesus is greater than Dionysus. He offers the true transformation—the kind that leads us back to the image in which we were created. For those seeking authentic change, John points to the one who is the visible image of the invisible God. Lesson Handout: Plutarch on Jews Worshiping Dionysus
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This lesson continues our exploration of the striking contrast between Jesus turning water into wine at Cana and the worship of the Greek god Dionysus. We begin by examining key passages from the Old Testament where the vine plays a central role—including Israel itself being portrayed as God's vine. From there, we turn to Greek symbolism, where wine is seen as a divine gift and the vine a sacred image. In Dionysian worship, wine was believed to bring about transformation and communion with the divine. Yet, as we will see, the transformation offered by Dionysus ultimately falls short—it is external, fleeting, and false. In contrast, the transformation Jesus offers is internal, enduring, and authentic. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus invites us into a process of becoming the image-bearers we were always created to be. Plutarch on the Jews Worshiping Dionysus
This is Part 1 of a series that will explore the Greek god Dionysus and how John's audience in Ephesus would have understood the Water to Wine miracle. Dionysus was well known in both Asia Minor, where John was writing, and in the land of Israel. The Greeks had brought Dionysus to Israel hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and he was a very popular agricultural god. The water-to-wine miracle in John 2 points directly to Dionysus, as he is the god of wine. In this short introduction, we explore the surprising cultural backdrop of Jesus' first sign—how the Greek god Dionysus, known for turning water into wine, had deeply influenced the land of Israel during the first century. We highlight:
Join us as we begin to uncover the rich layers behind Jesus’ first miracle and what it meant to those living in a world shaped by both Jewish tradition and Greco-Roman mythology. Lesson Handout - 
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Teacher Scott Broberg - I have a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) from Bethel Seminary - San Diego - Biblical Studies with and emphasis on the Old Testament. Categories
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 Favorite Websites:
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November 2025
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