Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”
Luke 5:36-39
This pericope is attached to the one before it in all three synoptic gospels. It is not like Luke has taken it and moved it into a new location, relating it something else. All three gospel writers attach it to the previous element. But why? What is being said here. It is more than likely it is not Matthew, Mark or Luke who have positioned this story where it is, but Jesus. Likely as not it is He who has put these elements together. Take time to look at the bigger picture and how the pieces fit rather than just working through the Bible pericope by pericope. When you lift your head and look up you realize something more of the intent behind the stories. Sometimes that intent is a particular theme the gospel writer is wanting to convey. Other times it is clearly Jesus who has ordered the stories, as we shall see later in Luke to dramatic effect. You need to keep your wits about you as you move from pericope to pericope. The pericopes operate the same way that we found chapter boundaries working. Learn to read across them in order to put the big picture together.
Take time to compare this segment across all three gospel writers. You will see there are some differences.
What is being said here and how does this connect?
Why the differences between the gospels?
Take some time to think about what is being said here. We will pick up the thread again in the next Gem. Once you have worked out what is being said take time to ponder your life in the context of Jesus’ message. Never forget to apply Scripture to yourself personally or you will become like the man in the mirror in James 1.
Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending, speak without offending.
Anon
The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice; it’s conformity!
Rick Godwin
Change is often rejected because we overestimate the value of what we have & underestimate the value we’ll get by releasing what we have.
Jonny Herjawan
The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.
John Maxwell