Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRO: Wine skins

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Old skins =/= Old Covenant Old skins == 2nd Temple Judaism (the Jews put a lot of stuff into it over many years).

Difference between what the law says and what the Jews believed in the 2nd temple period.

New skins =/= Christianity as opposed to TorahNew skins == Christianity as fulfillment of Torah, the furthering of the covenant God established with Israel.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law (cf.

SOTM)

Epiphany: Jesus discarded all the religiosity of the Jews of His day, but still maintained the principles of the OT law.

​ CSB“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets.

I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Three problems with with Judaism practiced in Jesus’s day that led the Jews to reject their own Messiah and which are all dangers for us today as we practice our faith.

We’re going to be in and 3 today.

There are three stories in this section.

The first deals with fasting and the other two with the Sabbath.

In all three cases, the Jews had taken the OT laws and added greater restrictions than the law intended.

Here, Jesus deconstructs the burdens added by the Jews and reveals the heart (the underlying intentions) of the OT laws.

What we are going to see are three problems with with Judaism practiced in Jesus’s day that led the Jews to reject their own Messiah and which are all dangers for us today as we practice our faith.

The first problem that the Jews in Jesus’s day had was…

Addition

What is meant by addition?

Story [Explain]

They took God’s laws and added to it to the point that the Judaism of Torah was no longer recognizable.

Story [explain]

​ CSBNow John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.

People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they?

As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.

But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.

Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins.

No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

APP: Danger for today.

CSBNow John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.

People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they?

As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.

But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.

Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins.

No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

Holding others to our standards, not God’s standards.

You don’t need to fast in the presence of God.

Jews don’t have the presence of God and are still waiting, so they have to fast.

There is only one commanded fast which was for the Day of Atonement.

There are a number of passages about voluntary fasting.Self-sacrifice symbolizes devotion to God.The Jews Jesus is talking to fasted two days a week.Marriage feast analogy.

Rabbinical law forbid fasting at a wedding, because fasting mourns absence.

It is done at funerals or at times of waiting.

It is not for times of celebration.

Jesus’s presence meant no fastingThis fast was added to the law as a religious rite and was never commanded by God.

Wineskins/GarmentsWineskinAlready discussed GarmentsOld (shrunken) = Laws of the Jews.

New (sturdy, unshrunken cloth) (explain analogy—the pants tear not the patch, but it all becomes worthless) If Jesus did not correct the Jews of His day and allowed those traditions to pervade Christianity, the law would have destroyed the Jewish and Christian faith together.

(cf.

Galatian Controversy) Why fast as Christians?

We don’t need to.

Fasting was important between the death and resurrection of Jesus and Pentecost.

The Spirit of God is with us and so fasting is not necesary from that perspective.

The bridegroom has come and sealed His marriage covenant with His church.

But, we still can fast if we like.

Sacrifice is a symbol of devotion.

Already not yet.

Although God is present with us spiritually, we await perfect union with Christ spiritually and physically.

APP: Danger for us today.

Holding others to our standards, not God’s standardsWho are we to correct God’s laws?

(Something about freedom from the OT law that makes us think we can do this.)ExamplesModerate/responsible

use of Alcohol/Tobacco/MJ (We would have counsel for someone as a church as to the wisdom of the practice, but cannot draw a line in the sand and call it sin if the scriptures do not.)

Political preferences (Not necessarily positions) — Don’t confuse being a Dem, Rep, or Ind as being a Christian.

Examples of a biblical natureChurch on Saturday vs. Sunday vs. any day.

(Some reject the validity of your faith if you worship another day.)Taking of the Lord’s Supper (Some reject the validity of the service if the LS is not taken.)A

second and related problem that kept the Jews of Jesus day from recognizing him as their Messiah was…

Examples

Moderate/responsible use of Alcohol/Tobacco/MJ

Political preferences (Not necessarily positions)

Examples of a biblical nature

Church on Saturday vs. Sunday vs. any day.

(Some reject the validity of your faith if you worship another day.)

Music style/presence

Taking of the Lord’s Supper (Some reject the validity of the service if the LS is not taken.)

Legalism

What is meant by legalism?

Story [explain]

​ CSBOn the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain.

The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests—and also gave some to his companions?”

Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

APP: Danger for us today.

​ CSBOn the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain.

The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests—and also gave some to his companions?”

Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Judaism in Jesus’s day was legalistic.

IOW, the law constrains the followers of it.

Historic Judaism (i.e. the OT) is not to constrain, but to lead and guide the Jewish people (built in laws for mercy, grace, justice, protection from oppression and abuse).

The irony of the Jews of Jesus’s day is that they were looking for a Messiah who would free them from Roman rule, but increase the rule of Torah in a legalistic manner.

The intent of the law was never to starve people or to be legalistic.

Analogy: When David and his men were hungry, God allowed them to break the law to be filled, because the Spirit of God was upon David.