In verses 18 – 22 Jesus is questioned about fasting and more specifically why his disciples didn’t fast. I want to key in on his response in verse 22 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” This is the second change… The old ways and the new ways cannot mix. This was very offensive to the Jews and is probably offensive to many of you today. Not many truly love or embrace change with enthusiasm. Let’s be honest if things stayed the same forever (in most cases) you would probably be ok with it. Unfortunately for those who resist change at all cost need to know… The world is changing. Life is changing. The church is changing. There is nothing we can do to stop it... Well, sure we can resist and refuse to change with the world. We can plant our heels in deep the soil and say, “I AM NOT GOING TO CHANGE! If it was good enough 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago then it is good enough for me today!”
This same attitude is present in the church today we say, “Well the world may be changing but the church doesn’t need to.” I disagree. However I do believe the message of Jesus cannot and should not ever change. It is constant, it is truth and can never ever be changed. I do believe our approach to sharing the Gospel message can and should change with the times. Why should we expect the world to have to come to us or change to our ways in order to reach them? This is basically what we are saying when we refuse to change with the times. When Jesus gave the Great Commission he didn't mean for us to have this attitude, “We won’t change for you to meet you where you are, you need to change and adapt to our ways.” The Great Commission is intended for us go out and get and not expect the world to come to us because they won’t.
I think Jesus’ example of new wine in old wineskins is relevant today. We cannot expect new things to happen if we keep doing things the old way. I am not implying however that everything that is old is not good and everything that is new is good. No! The old has many good traits. The positive change comes when we take this tried and true foundation and give it a new look (maybe even making it more understandable) without changing the content of the message. A good example would be Bible translations. Thankfully many scholars have taken on the challenge of making the word of God more “readable” and accessible. What good would it do any of us if the word of God was still in its original tongue (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic)? None, it would make it an elite book that only the educated could read. God is not a God of elitism; He is the God of the common man. Music is another example. For some reason people think organ hymns are the true music of the church. That is so wrong! Yes, organ hymns have a great theological message and some actually have a catchy rhythm but they are not what the early church used. If we were to go back to the original church we would find there was no organ or actually no instruments at all. The church throughout history had to change its music style (not message) in order to reach out and be relevant. I actually like a lot of hymns because they have substance to the lyrics and the music is more intricate in many ways. But did you know man organ hymns are actually written to bar tunes of old so there is really nothing sacred about all hymns.
My point? Don’t always resist change. On the flip side don't always be accepting of change. The idea that just because something is acceptable in society does not mean it is right. I personally do not think we need to change in ways that are inclusive to all peoples because as with anything the Church has to be set apart from sins. Or in some circles of the Church they are always looking for constant change. They are looking for the new wave of the Spirit and spiritualizing everything that happens. In their quest for something new they are quickly relying on the experience over the truth. This can be just as dangerous as resistance to change. I think we need to have a healthy respect and outlook at change. We are not to blindly accept or reject it just because it is what it is… change.
Conclusion:
Overall, in this passage Jesus was talking about change. First, the sinner is now accepted and is no longer untouchable (see previous blog). Second, the old and the new don’t always mix so well. What he was saying is radical and revolutionary. There was now hope for the sinner and the ways that we have “always done things” is no longer the only acceptable method. We need to prayerfully embrace this as a body. My prayer for believers is that we can be open and intentional in reaching out to sinners. Secondly, I pray this we could prayerfully embrace change as the times change. I am not suggesting that we radically abandon our past or traditions; I am just suggesting we be open to new things that will and do bring glory to God and people into his kingdom.
Conclusion:
Overall, in this passage Jesus was talking about change. First, the sinner is now accepted and is no longer untouchable (see previous blog). Second, the old and the new don’t always mix so well. What he was saying is radical and revolutionary. There was now hope for the sinner and the ways that we have “always done things” is no longer the only acceptable method. We need to prayerfully embrace this as a body. My prayer for believers is that we can be open and intentional in reaching out to sinners. Secondly, I pray this we could prayerfully embrace change as the times change. I am not suggesting that we radically abandon our past or traditions; I am just suggesting we be open to new things that will and do bring glory to God and people into his kingdom.
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