New Wine
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but new wine is for fresh skins. (Mark 2:22)
Mk. 2:13-22; Neh. 10:39; Ps. 51:10; Mt. 23:1-7; Lk. 18:9-14; II Cor. 5:17
What Is God Saying?
Wineskins are made from goat hides stitched together at the edges, and over time, they stiffen and lose their ability to stretch. The new faith proclaimed and shown by Jesus would be like new wine in old skins.
Pharisees, who were religious teachers, noticed that people were eagerly listening to Jesus' words of love and freedom. He was lifting their thoughts above religious rules. So, the Pharisees constantly scrutinized everything Jesus said and did. They tried to discredit the new teacher, who was stealing their sheep.
When Matthew, the tax collector, was converted, he invited his friends to his house for dinner to meet Jesus. See, said the Pharisees, if he were for real, he would be fasting as we do, not eating with sinners. The joy and power we find in Jesus cannot be contained in rigid laws, like new wine in old wineskins.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Those who are free in Christ need to have hearts and minds that can stretch, hold, and then offer the new. We can all find our hearts becoming stiff and rigid. Perhaps it is even the pride of religion. The Pharisee who thanked God that he was not like other men (Lk 18:9-14) is like an old wineskin, unable to hold the new wine of love, forgiveness, and humility. If we are new creatures in Christ, we will be able to take in and then give out to others the joy and peace that the indwelling Christ gives.
Pray With Me
Lord of life, source of joy, ground of all hope, the giving of yourself to me is as new wine. The promise that I am redeemed fills my heart with warmth. The assurance that I am loved tells me that I am important to you. As you are the Lord of all creation, be to me the Lord of the new creation. I pray this, holding to your promise, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’
Let my body, often impulsive, become a fresh skin for new wine. Let my mind, with its pride and doubts, become a fresh skin for new wine. Let my heart, with its pockets of resistance, become a fresh skin for new wine. Only you can do it, Lord. Nothing is too hard for You.
Christ in me, the hope of glory, you who are within as new wine, do your work upon me that in body, mind, and heart I may hold and share the new wine of your presence and joy.
Through Jesus Christ, Lord of all creation. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
The new wine of the Gospel should flavor all our prayers, just as good wine flavors food. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength in prayer. Let his love fill our hearts with the desire to share that love. The same is true of his peace. Let God’s peace in us bring help and strength to others who may be battling heavy seas.
