... but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins. -- Mark 2:22

Jesus knew that his message was different. In a sense it was startlingly new. He knew that his life was drastically different from that of the orthodox rabbinic teacher. He also knew that it was difficult for his hearers to entertain such new truth. Therefore, he gave them a vivid illustration to show them how important it was to have an open and adventurous mind. Jesus tells the story about the wine and the wineskins. In those days the wine was stored in animal skins. Since new wine gave off gases and expanded, it was placed in new wineskins, because they were supple, soft, elastic, and capable of expanding with the pressure. Jesus said it would never be advisable to put the new wine into old wineskins, because they were dry and brittle, and had no elasticity. Since they could not expand with the pressure, they would eventually crack open and the wine would be lost.

A Willingness To Accept New Ideas

What does this mean in contemporary terms? Our minds must be elastic enough to receive and contain new ideas. It seems that we must always struggle against the prejudice of a closed mind. Jesus is well aware that he came with new ideas for a new way of life, containing new concepts of truth. The power of his teachings had the radicalness of a new birth. It was like being born all over again. Because of the resistance of the religious leaders of his day, Jesus knew he was going to have a difficult time. So he shared with his audience this simple parable because he knew of their temptation to keep the old ways of thinking and doing. The problem with the old skins was their rigidity and inflexibility. Why were these religious leaders so rigid? They sought to defend the faith of their fathers and they did not want an itinerant preacher fooling around with it. They felt it was their calling to defend the integrity of doctrine and belief. This was a very worthy cause in their minds, even if it was at the expense of possible new truth. They had closed minds in regard to new ideas and thoughts, especially about God and God's dealings with men and women. It is similar to a sign I saw in an office which read: "My mind is made up, do not confuse me with the facts."

A Resistance To New Things

At some point in time old ways, manners, words, phrases, creeds, and theology seem to come apart and crack. They grow brittle with time. Like old wineskins they lose their elasticity. Why is there such resistance toward new ideas and possible new life in Christ? One reason may be that such truth would require a change in behavior. The old becomes familiar and comfortable, but the new brings new demands and the possibility of sacrifice. This creates an uneasiness and behavior is not easily changed without a struggle. This newness is expressed clearly by the apostle in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, everything old is passed away, see, everything has become new."

Copernicus, who lived in the sixteenth century, was a great astronomer and scientist as well as a Christian. To many church leaders of his day he was a radical because he made a radical new discovery. His Book of Revolutions shook the world because in it he introduced his new discovery that the earth is not the center of the universe, rather the sun is and the earth revolves around the sun.

Facing New Discoveries

The Catholic Church demanded he retract his statement. They placed his book on the Index, meaning it was forbidden to be read by Catholics. Catholic Church leaders charged that Copernicus was "a fool who wishes to reverse the entire scheme of astronomy as taught in sacred scripture." The Protestant reformers were just as rigid. Martin Luther declared, "This upstart astrologer deceives the people and reverses the teachings of the Bible. Sacred scripture tells us that Joshua made the sun stand still not the earth." John Calvin answered Copernicus by stating Psalm 93, "God has established the world, it shall never be moved." Copernicus was so discouraged that he decided to withhold his discovery from publication because he loved the church and he did not want to cause any dissension. But he was right. His discovery was truthful. It was a monumental discovery that would greatly benefit the world of astrology and science. Why should such a colossal discovery of truth be withheld because the church could not face the truth of new discovery? His book appeared at last, and one of the first copies reached Copernicus on May 24, 1543. He was on his deathbed at the time. He read the title page, smiled, and in the same hour died.

The parable teaches us that the value is not in the wineskin, but in the wine. There is the tendency to confuse the wineskin with the new wine. When the church became an institution rather than a movement (this happened at the time of Constantine in the fourth century with his Edict of Toleration), it confused the message with the institution. Many turned their attention to protesting the interest of the institution rather than the proclamation of the good news. For many Christians the institution became primary and the message of the gospel became secondary. Christians confused the treasure with the institution that merely housed the treasure. The fact is that the gospel that can radically change human life can be a threat to the survival of the church as an institution. This tension and struggle continue. That is why the wine must always be placed in new winesskins that will have the elasticity and flexibility needed.

Hard to Give Up Old Ways

Each generation must pour the new wine from one perishable vessel to another while preserving the wine (the message) and the old wineskins must be discarded. The message of God's love in Christ remains the same while the forms and structures that communicate that message are ever changing. If not, Christianity becomes merely a creed, a polity, a form, instead of spirit and new life in Christ. It is a pity that we would hold to old forms, allowing the wine of new truth to be spilt. It is hard for us to give up the old wineskins. We pour the activities of modern Christians into old forms of behavior that were never meant for them. We pour the truth of Christ's teachings into worn out and archaic words and language that no one understands. We pour our newfound joy in Christ into old, formal, stuffy, expressionless forms of worship that excite no one. The new wine of the gospel of good news should not be poured into the legalism of the past.

The city of Miami has gone through tremendous change in the last thirty years, more than any other city in the eastern United States. The churches in Miami have had a difficult time coping with the cultural and racial changes. Prior to the changes, there were three outstanding Methodist churches in Miami that had large memberships and programs. But these three churches had a difficult time facing change. They could not accommodate themselves to the changes that surrounded them. Today those churches are no longer there. They do not exist. A high-rise, a condominium, and a college office building now stand where these three churches once stood. There are other Methodist churches in Miami that did change, becoming culturally diverse, and they have become exciting, growing congregations. Rigidity and resistance result in the loss of opportunity, because the old wineskins break and the new wine is lost.

The Gospel Brings New Truth

Jesus proclaimed a new relationship with God. As one studies the biblical narrative, one discovers that the word of God in Christ brings in a new day, a new order, and a new kingdom. It brings new words: grace and love. It brings in a new direction: "love your enemy and pray for those who misuse you." It brings a new community: they will know you are my disciples, because you love one another. It brings new hope: "Behold, I make all things new." The defenders of the status quo, who felt it was their primary task to defend the faith of their followers against this stranger from Galilee, questioned Jesus, "Why don't you fast like the Pharisees and the disciples of John? Why do you eat with sinners and associate with outcasts? Why do you break the Sabbath law by harvesting, working, and healing on the Sabbath day? By what right do you break such traditions?"

Jesus answered them with a simple parable: No one puts new wine into old wineskins. Because the old skins burst and the new wine is lost. The new wine is put into fresh wineskins. The question for us is: What are we going to do with the new wine?