Tuesday, January 30, 2007
New Wineskins
"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Matthew 9:16-17 (NIV)
The days of patches and wineskins seems to have passed, but the image created by Jesus’ words remains vivid for me. That what He was offering was “new” and that “old” ways would simply not suffice in preserving what He was giving.
So what the heck was Jesus offering that demands such ‘newness’ from those of us who try to follow Him? As is often the case, the context is vitally important, for Jesus was somewhat cryptically answering a question about the Pharisees and the ‘practice’ of religion. Chronologically, this question comes on the heels of a minor confrontation involving Pharisaical disapproval of His dining with ‘sinners.’ Specifically, Jesus is asked about fasting, and it is to that question that He replies with images of unshrunk cloth and old wineskins.
Painting large groups of people with broad strokes is always dangerous, but I’ll plow ahead anyway … for the Pharisees are cast in the Gospels as the contrast to Jesus’ personal pursuit of the Father’s will. The Pharisees are obsessed with public image, social appearance and a dogmatic legalism that tries to enforce behavioral conformity among the Jewish people. (Albeit, unsuccessfully.) The Pharisees are all about religion.
Jesus is not.
Last night I was not only reminded of how liberating, but also how scary new wineskins can be, as I sat around a living room with four men that I care deeply about … talking about life, and about jobs and wives and houses …. and how faith in Jesus plays into all of those other areas. It’s scary because there is no order of service to hide behind. No accepted and accustomed practices that we could retreat to in comfort and safety. There were only five guys, trying to be real about life. Life lived with faith.
So today I am living a little more liberated. Because becoming a disciple of Jesus requires that we move beyond mere religion to relational faith – with Him and with others. Only then do we experience the power of love and grace. As we not only learn truth (as religion is apt to teach), but with help, apply truth to our lives (as genuine community makes possible.) Oz Guiness calls it “the responsibility of knowing.” Christians must not only learn and know, but we must then do something with that knowledge. Or risk becoming a Pharisee.
So what does Jesus offer? Himself. And that is enough. The Presence of Christ in us, the Living God, demands our growth and change and transformation … or else we will dry rot or burst open. So, are you taking the safe, comfortable path of the old, or the risky but liberating path in pursuit of new wineskins?
Newly yours,
Harry
The days of patches and wineskins seems to have passed, but the image created by Jesus’ words remains vivid for me. That what He was offering was “new” and that “old” ways would simply not suffice in preserving what He was giving.
So what the heck was Jesus offering that demands such ‘newness’ from those of us who try to follow Him? As is often the case, the context is vitally important, for Jesus was somewhat cryptically answering a question about the Pharisees and the ‘practice’ of religion. Chronologically, this question comes on the heels of a minor confrontation involving Pharisaical disapproval of His dining with ‘sinners.’ Specifically, Jesus is asked about fasting, and it is to that question that He replies with images of unshrunk cloth and old wineskins.
Painting large groups of people with broad strokes is always dangerous, but I’ll plow ahead anyway … for the Pharisees are cast in the Gospels as the contrast to Jesus’ personal pursuit of the Father’s will. The Pharisees are obsessed with public image, social appearance and a dogmatic legalism that tries to enforce behavioral conformity among the Jewish people. (Albeit, unsuccessfully.) The Pharisees are all about religion.
Jesus is not.
Last night I was not only reminded of how liberating, but also how scary new wineskins can be, as I sat around a living room with four men that I care deeply about … talking about life, and about jobs and wives and houses …. and how faith in Jesus plays into all of those other areas. It’s scary because there is no order of service to hide behind. No accepted and accustomed practices that we could retreat to in comfort and safety. There were only five guys, trying to be real about life. Life lived with faith.
So today I am living a little more liberated. Because becoming a disciple of Jesus requires that we move beyond mere religion to relational faith – with Him and with others. Only then do we experience the power of love and grace. As we not only learn truth (as religion is apt to teach), but with help, apply truth to our lives (as genuine community makes possible.) Oz Guiness calls it “the responsibility of knowing.” Christians must not only learn and know, but we must then do something with that knowledge. Or risk becoming a Pharisee.
So what does Jesus offer? Himself. And that is enough. The Presence of Christ in us, the Living God, demands our growth and change and transformation … or else we will dry rot or burst open. So, are you taking the safe, comfortable path of the old, or the risky but liberating path in pursuit of new wineskins?
Newly yours,
Harry
