Patched Pants and New Wine

Lesson #

Matthew 9:16-17

16 “No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people[l] pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Mark 2:21-22

21 “No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth. If he does, the patch pulls away from it—the new from the old—and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured[p] into fresh wineskins.”

Luke 5:36-38

36 Then he told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If he does, the new cloth will tear, and the piece from the new won’t match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will make the skins burst, the wine[ac] will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine is to be poured into fresh wineskins.

Jesus is pouring Himself (His new wine / New Covenant) into new skin.

He doesn’t patch the old covenant

He doesn’t pour Himself into the old covenant

Jesus would establish a new covenant with His blood (Luke 22:19-20).

The Law would be written on human hearts, not stones (2nd Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 10:15-18).

The indwelling Holy Spirit would enable God’s people to fulfill the righteousness of the Law (Romans 8:1-4).

Salvation is not patching up the old; you become a new creation (2nd Corinthians 5:17).

Blessed are the flexible (wine skins) for they shall not be broken. Ossification is one of the reasons the Holy Spirit tends to use new channels of communication...

Ossification - 1a : th e natural process of bone formation. b : the hardening (as of muscular tissue) into a bony substance. 2 : a mass or particle of ossified tissue. 3 : a tendency toward or state of being molded into a rigid, conventional, sterile, or unimaginative condition.

How tragic it is to retain dead religious traditions when one gains living spiritual truth. Why cherish shadows when the reality has come? Hebrews 10:1+

Jesus’ response was that the new way (His way) and the old way (the way of John and the Pharisees) simply do not mix. He gave three examples.

1. A bridegroom’s guests (John 3:29) do not fast while he is with them because it is a joyous occasion. They fast after he is gone.

2. A new unshrunk patch of cloth is not put on an old garment because it will shrink and the tear will be worse.

3. New wine is not put into old wineskins for as it ferments it will break the old skins, which have lost their elasticity, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined.

In each case two things do not mix:

a time of feasting and a time of fasting (v.34-35);

a new patch and an old garment (v.36);

new wine and old wineskins (v.37-38).

Luke 5:39

39 No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine, because he says, ‘The old wine is good enough!’”[ad]

Luke adds this line to the parallel accounts that differs from the rest.

Once again, Dr. Luke brings the human perspective

The human works that intrude on the new process

Why do people prefer the old wine? Seems like old wine would be the preference?

Have you ever had really old wine or alcohol?

There is a value to aging (experience and growth)

However…

There is a stagnancy to overly old drink

The only reason people would drink the very old is for status and that is only because someone told them that it is a status thing.

The only reason that very old drink has any value is that status and rarity

It actually has nothing to do with quality and taste!

How often people get locked into their traditions; it seems very rare for a new work of the Spirit to operate within an old order.

We can very easily dig into the things of the Torah, Old Testament, Law and prophets and see a glimmer of righteousness by works.

Many Christians lock themselves into the old covenant because it is more tangible to them to work their way to salvation than simply just to trust in the work that only the Messiah God could possibly complete anyhoo!

It is easier to get into ruts than out of.

“The only difference between a rut and grave is the length and depth.”

Are we stuck in our old ways or tradition, limiting our spiritual growth?

Do we get into the religious working toward God instead of sitting and residing in the cleansing work of the Spirit?

The religious spirit

Churchianity

Galatians 4:21-31

Ephesians. 2:13-21

Colossians 2:13-15

Acts 3:19

Romans 3:23-25

Hebrews 9:15

2nd Corinthians 5:18

Colossians 1:22

Galatians 5:4

Galatians 5:13