In Luke 5 the parable of the wineskins is shared, just like it is here…except there is one more verse. In Mark and Matthew they don’t add the last line that is found in Luke 5:39 “and no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, “the old is better”.
In my Bible the study notes explain that Jesus was telling the disciples that people are reluctant to change…that’s why they prefer the old wine.
Bear with me a second here….this passage really gets under my skin..
I don’t think that’s what Jesus was implying at all. In order for that to be true, Jesus would be saying that “fasting is the old way and I am doing things a new way” But He isn’t saying that. He’s saying “it isn’t the right time for fasting now”. There will be a time for it, and then it will be the exact right thing to be doing. I don’t think Jesus was saying “I am doing something new and wonderful that you can’t possibly ever be a part of, because you are an old wineskin and you can’t handle what I’m up to.” No way. None of the disciples had a clue at this point… and these were godly men who followed John the Baptist. They weren’t heathens, they were interested, intent practicing Jewish men who knew what John said about Jesus and were simply curious as to why His practice didn’t match their own.
What bothers me is when we use this passage in the church to imply that the new thing we are doing is better than the old and cannot be embraced or received by those who are older (or anyone who isn’t on board with the new idea). I’m not implying that every new idea is good, or that good ideas aren’t ever rejected unfairly…I’m just saying that this passage won’t support the premise. Here’s why:
Old wine is better than new wine. Anyone who knows anything knows that wine becomes better with age. New wine needs to ferment, and release some gas before it’s any good, so we put it in a new wineskin that can move with it. It isn’t better…it’s just in a different stage of the process. Someday the very same wine in the very same wineskins will be sought after and valued. But not so much today…because it’s new.
It’s easy to be confused, because the new garment is better than the old garment (as a general rule). If Jesus hadn’t mentioned the wineskins, we could conclude that new is better. But since the wineskins are mentioned…it cancels out that thought.
So what about the garments? Jesus is saying that there is a time and process for everything, and all things will be done in order, at the right time. Don’t ruin what is going on now by trying to add what should happen later to it. It’s too early for fasting. Fasting will come, and it will be right…but it isn’t right at the moment.
There are seasons in the church. There are times to celebrate, times to be sad, times to learn and times to hang out and fellowship. There are times to build and times to tear down..(hey, isn’t this in Ecclesiastes..?) The important thing is to understand that it’s a process.
We wouldn’t be gloomy and sad at a wedding, but it might be appropriate at a funeral, or on good Friday. In the same way, we shouldn’t demand that new Christians do everything that more seasoned mature Christians do.
When we are young in the faith we haven’t “fermented” yet. We still need to let off a little “gas” and we need a family that understands that. I think this passage could tie into the passage about “a bruised reed I will not break” without disrupting the original thought.
Enjoying the journey, letting off some gas….
PR