They couldn’t hold what Jesus had: they were an old garment, an old wineskin unfit for the new wine. The Jews had been waiting such a long time for their Messiah but when he finally showed up they were dry and cold and were all about the letter instead of the spirit of the law. He was ushering in a new order – the New Covenant - and was telling them that the old order was beyond repair. The real issue that caused such a stirring of emotional rancor in the Jewish leaders was that Jesus was rocking their religious boat and was in fact about to irretrievably smash it. He saw deeper into the hearts and motivations of the Pharisees than they could imagine. He didn’t address those things in his parable (even though they were true) because that was not the root problem. So what was his point regarding the old garment and the wineskins? Was he chastising them for being judgmental? Was he pushing back on them for their criticisms? Was he justifying his association with sinners? NO. “’It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:17) And when they then continued by complaining that his disciples weren’t fasting like they were, he told them that he was the bridegroom and the time for fasting would come after he was gone.Īll of that is the set up to the parable. When Jesus overheard their criticism he told them why. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” (Psalm 26:4-5) After all, didn’t scripture itself validate them? Hadn’t David said: “I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders. “And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they began saying to His disciples, ‘Why is He eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?’” (Mark 2:16) Well, why was he? They were certainly careful never to harbor such unsavory associations. The religious leaders of the day disapproved. “Hey, I want you all to meet this great guy who changed my life.” Of course Matthew wanted all his friends to be in attendance too just like any of us would. Up front though, we need to understand why Jesus told this particular parable because it’s hard to decipher correctly unless you know what went before it.Īfter Levi (called Matthew), who was a professional tax gatherer, had responded to Christ’s call to follow him, he invited Jesus to his house for dinner. You might wonder why I’m opening with questions about change but that will become apparent later. Have you ever had a major upheaval to your way of life that you later appreciated? Why? How does your reaction to change usually manifest itself? How do you usually react to change? Do you like it or endure it? And no one puts new wine into old wineskins otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins as well but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’” Mark 2:21-22 Used this parable of the new wine in old wineskins to illustrate it.“’No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. Made a very serious statement about what God is doing in the world and However, now that we know who Jesus is, it is clear Jesus It was only Jesus' disciples who slowly began to realize that Jesus was God's messiah. Some people thought he was John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. This is why Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15 Mark 8:29) No one was certain who Jesus Christ was at that time. Only he understood the significance of himselfĪnd the current times, which is why many were confused by his parables. Those asking this question, fully understood at the time what Jesus was Saying, 'My disciples are not fasting because God is in the process of In old wineskins, teaching that something new is happening and it cannot be mixed with Jesus says he is the bridegroom, and the wedding guests certainly do not fast while the bridegroom is still present.įurther elaborates on this point by telling the parable of the new wine Jesus is making a statement about himself, alluding to the fact that God is establishing a new covenant with the world, just like when a covenant is established at a wedding. The first part of Jesus' answer is "You cannot make wedding guestsįast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?" (Luke 5:34) Wineskin with new wine, then the old wineskin can no longer expand and Old wineskins have already been stretched. When fermenting wine is placed in new wineskins (made from animal skin), the wineskin expands with the wine. Similar to the situation with the unshrunken cloth, wine will expand as it ferments. Healing Explains Salvation: The Truth of Jesus’ Salvation Background Information for the Parable
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