#wineskins

Gospel MT 9:14-17

Gospel MK 2:18-22

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

Old garments and old wineskins represent the established religious practices, traditions, and structures of Judaism at the time, particularly those associated with the Pharisees and their legalistic interpretations of the Law. New cloth and new wine symbolize Jesus’ ministry, His teachings, and the Kingdom of God. This new way of life emphasized grace, faith, and a renewed covenant relationship…

Today is an interesting intersection of national events. President Trump’s return to the oval office after four years will begin today with his inauguration. The same day in which we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I have no doubt that pundits, journalists, and writers will have more complete and better insights than I. Both these historic events are joined at this interesting intersection…

The Linen Loincloth

This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”

So I bought a loincloth as the LORD had instructed me, and I put it around my waist.

Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time: “Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to Perath and hide it there in a crevice of the rocks.”

So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD had commanded me.

Many days later the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to Perath, and get the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” So I went to Perath and dug up the loincloth, and I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined—of no use at all.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. These evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them, they will be like this loincloth—of no use at all.

For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to Me, declares the LORD, so that they might be My people for My renown and praise and glory. But they did not listen.

Therefore you are to tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every wineskin shall be filled with wine.’

And when they reply, ‘Don’t we surely know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem. I will smash them against one another, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no mercy or pity or compassion to keep Me from destroying them.’ ”

Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness. But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.

Say to the king and to the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads.”

The cities of the Negev have been shut tight, and no one can open them. All Judah has been carried into exile, wholly taken captive. Lift up your eyes and see those coming from the north. Where is the flock entrusted to you, the sheep that were your pride?

What will you say when He sets over you close allies whom you yourself trained? Will not pangs of anguish grip you, as they do a woman in labor? And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has been exposed. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good— you who are accustomed to doing evil.

“I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. This is your lot, the portion I have measured to you,”

Our household runs on routines. I get up in the morning, set the thermostat to 21.5 degrees Celsius, feed our pets a pre-determined amount, make the coffee, check the weather forecast, check the news headlines, record any TV shows I might want to watch later, take my prescribed medications, and check my email. We have set methods and schedules for making beds, washing clothes, housecleaning,…

Stretching Out for Jesus

Today’s passage comes from Luke 5 but is also found in Matthew 9. Jesus was speaking in parables to help the disciples and crowds to understand biblical concepts. First, Jesus started with the idea of patching clothes with using new cloth to mend and old garment. They would not match and be out of place. Next, Jesus talked about the custom of putting new wine into new wineskins. The reason you…

CLEANING CLOSETS, HEARTS AND YOUR LIFE.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Cleaning out our closets the other day I began to realize we have a lot of useless clothes. Clothes that we no longer wear, some clothes that we can’t even fit. As I stood and gazed I asked myself this question “Why did I hold on to these so long?” It’s not like I didn’t see them, nor If I wore them, because…