The Best Wine Ever
16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
- Matthew 9:16-17
Jesus can be so inconvenient. Often, He doesn't fit with my schedule, He asks me to do things that I don't want to do, I feel uncomfortable all the time, and I'm finding that the closer I get to Him the things I used to enjoy aren't even that great anymore. Comfort. That's what we want. We want to know what to expect and know what to do in order to achieve.
This parable is given as a response to folks who are asking why Jesus' disciples aren't fasting like the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples. Jesus, as he had a habit of doing, deconstructs what the people believe and rebuilds it with grace and truth.
The process of making wine in Jesus' day: take unfermented wine, put it in a wine skin, and when the skin hardens you know the wine has fermented and is ready for consumption. I think you can buy a kit on Etsy to do this at home now. To put new wine into a skin that has already hardened to allow it to ferment, would risk the skin bursting open and losing the wine. I mean, losing the wine skin is one thing, but the wine pouring out on the ground?! That's a problem! At least in my house it would be!
Similarly, you can't fix an old pair of already shrunk jeans with a patch that is going to shrink. If you do the patch will shrink, and risk tearing away from the fabric that it was just sewn to.
These are Jesus' first parables, and some of the only ones to appear in Matthew, Luke, and Mark. And his point here is about far more than wine or clothing.
Jesus changes your life. He takes what you're used to and comfortable with and rips it apart. He can't just be added to a system of religion. He is not a system of life. He is life. He is pre-eminent. He is above all. He deconstructs what we thought was real and teaches us reality. He takes who we were and makes us new. He takes what was dead and brings it to life. He is the new wine. He is the new cloth.
I remember being in India the first time and learning from the good folks at Harvest India that because people there are primarily Hindu (polytheistic), that they would happily accept Jesus. They would accept Jesus as another God because he along with their god of health, god of prosperity, and god of the harvest may make their life better. We have to be very clear when we are sharing the Gospel with folks that Jesus isn't just some other God that you have to try and appease, but that He is the only God. He provides for you apart from any of your attempts to earn His love and favor. Watching people hear that for the first time is incredible, by the way. You should come and see for yourself on the next India trip. #shamelessplug
The reality is, we have to share the same message here in the states. Being a Christ follower is not about Jesus and your wisdom. It's not about Jesus and your money. It's not about Jesus and your doctorate degree. It's not about Jesus and your messed up family. It's not about Jesus and what car you drive. It's not about Jesus and what religion you grew up in. It's not about Jesus and what society says is acceptable. It's not about Jesus and political ties. It's not about Jesus AND anything. IT'S ABOUT JESUS!!!!
I'm not sure what you think about Jesus today. I'm not sure if you've been relinquishing your life to Him or just placing Him alongside your other idols. Here's what I know, though. Jesus does not like to share glory. He doesn't like to share honor. He is jealous for your love. He is dangerous if you're trying to keep your life together without surrendering to Him. See, Jesus is the new wine. He is the new cloth. And if you try and just add Him to your old ways, it won't work. He came to tear those apart and rip them up. His desire is to make your whole life about Him.
That may not sound all that great if you don't realize who He is. He is love. He restores places in your life that are broken. He forgives. He shows you how to forgive. He gives your life purpose. He rescues you from Hell. He is the best big brother. He looks out for you, and prays for you. He died for you. He wants you. His desire is for you to let Him be first in your life. Will you let him?
Pray: Lord, I love you and surrender my life to you, today. I have strayed from your plan. I have made my life about so much more than you and your grace. I repent of that and want to follow you. Please send your Holy Spirit to me. Make new new. I desire more of you in my life, Lord. Guide me, and make my desires your desires. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness and help me follow faithfully today and everyday moving forward. In Jesus' name, Amen.
- Charlie
17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
- Matthew 9:16-17
Jesus can be so inconvenient. Often, He doesn't fit with my schedule, He asks me to do things that I don't want to do, I feel uncomfortable all the time, and I'm finding that the closer I get to Him the things I used to enjoy aren't even that great anymore. Comfort. That's what we want. We want to know what to expect and know what to do in order to achieve.
This parable is given as a response to folks who are asking why Jesus' disciples aren't fasting like the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples. Jesus, as he had a habit of doing, deconstructs what the people believe and rebuilds it with grace and truth.
The process of making wine in Jesus' day: take unfermented wine, put it in a wine skin, and when the skin hardens you know the wine has fermented and is ready for consumption. I think you can buy a kit on Etsy to do this at home now. To put new wine into a skin that has already hardened to allow it to ferment, would risk the skin bursting open and losing the wine. I mean, losing the wine skin is one thing, but the wine pouring out on the ground?! That's a problem! At least in my house it would be!
Similarly, you can't fix an old pair of already shrunk jeans with a patch that is going to shrink. If you do the patch will shrink, and risk tearing away from the fabric that it was just sewn to.
These are Jesus' first parables, and some of the only ones to appear in Matthew, Luke, and Mark. And his point here is about far more than wine or clothing.
Jesus changes your life. He takes what you're used to and comfortable with and rips it apart. He can't just be added to a system of religion. He is not a system of life. He is life. He is pre-eminent. He is above all. He deconstructs what we thought was real and teaches us reality. He takes who we were and makes us new. He takes what was dead and brings it to life. He is the new wine. He is the new cloth.
I remember being in India the first time and learning from the good folks at Harvest India that because people there are primarily Hindu (polytheistic), that they would happily accept Jesus. They would accept Jesus as another God because he along with their god of health, god of prosperity, and god of the harvest may make their life better. We have to be very clear when we are sharing the Gospel with folks that Jesus isn't just some other God that you have to try and appease, but that He is the only God. He provides for you apart from any of your attempts to earn His love and favor. Watching people hear that for the first time is incredible, by the way. You should come and see for yourself on the next India trip. #shamelessplug
The reality is, we have to share the same message here in the states. Being a Christ follower is not about Jesus and your wisdom. It's not about Jesus and your money. It's not about Jesus and your doctorate degree. It's not about Jesus and your messed up family. It's not about Jesus and what car you drive. It's not about Jesus and what religion you grew up in. It's not about Jesus and what society says is acceptable. It's not about Jesus and political ties. It's not about Jesus AND anything. IT'S ABOUT JESUS!!!!
I'm not sure what you think about Jesus today. I'm not sure if you've been relinquishing your life to Him or just placing Him alongside your other idols. Here's what I know, though. Jesus does not like to share glory. He doesn't like to share honor. He is jealous for your love. He is dangerous if you're trying to keep your life together without surrendering to Him. See, Jesus is the new wine. He is the new cloth. And if you try and just add Him to your old ways, it won't work. He came to tear those apart and rip them up. His desire is to make your whole life about Him.
That may not sound all that great if you don't realize who He is. He is love. He restores places in your life that are broken. He forgives. He shows you how to forgive. He gives your life purpose. He rescues you from Hell. He is the best big brother. He looks out for you, and prays for you. He died for you. He wants you. His desire is for you to let Him be first in your life. Will you let him?
Pray: Lord, I love you and surrender my life to you, today. I have strayed from your plan. I have made my life about so much more than you and your grace. I repent of that and want to follow you. Please send your Holy Spirit to me. Make new new. I desire more of you in my life, Lord. Guide me, and make my desires your desires. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness and help me follow faithfully today and everyday moving forward. In Jesus' name, Amen.
- Charlie
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