![]() ![]() This novelty demanded new ways of thinking and acting. God’s kingdom was active in Jesus, in all he said and did. ![]() ![]() Second, the message of Jesus was new in that he proclaimed the reign of God as a present and future reality. First, it was dramatically new in comparison to the message of the Pharisees and other Jewish teachers, who were focused on the interpretation and application of the old Mosaic law. But it was also new in at least two ways. Now, to be sure, in many ways the ministry of Jesus was consistent with and a fulfillment of what God had done and revealed in the past. He was bringing new wine, a new message, a new reality. Thus, people knew to put new wine into new wineskins. grape juice) into an old wineskin, because the fermentation of the juice would cause it to expand, thus splitting the old wineskin, which was not supple like a new wineskin. People knew not to patch an old garment with a piece from a new garment because doing so would ruin both of them (Luke 5:36). But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins” (Luke 5:36-38).īoth of these parables were based on behaviors that were commonplace in the culture of Jesus. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. To illustrate this truth, Jesus told a couple of parables: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. This confused folk who were trying to figure Jesus out because, in that culture, serious religious people frequently fasted (Luke 5:33).īut Jesus was bringing a new message and that new message deserved new practices. For example, the disciples of Jesus did not fast, but ate and drank freely. Though Jesus experienced considerable popularity early in his messianic ministry, his message was often perplexing to his listeners and his behavior confusing. This devotion is part of the series: Following Jesus Today. We ask: How does the gospel impel us to act in time of a global pandemic? How does the reign of God impact our efforts to bring racial justice to our society? How might I learn to love my neighbors in new ways? The message of God’s grace, mercy, justice, and love in Jesus challenges us to new ways of living in each generation. Jesus proclaimed the new wine of the kingdom of God, adding that new wine requires new wineskins. ![]()
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