New Wine
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Last week we talked about the idea that Jesus didn’t come to convert people to a new religion. But He did call people to listen to His message and then to respond to it in some way. So, what’s the difference? Isn’t that just another way of saying “religion”?
Today, let’s take a closer look at the word “religion”. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices”. The word comes from the Latin word, “religare” which means to “re-bind” or “bind back”.
So, we might say that “religion” is humanity’s attempt to “bind ourselves back” to our Creator. Now, the belief that there’s a relational Being, Force, or Spirit greater than ourselves, and the inner longing to be connected or joined to that Spirit in our search for meaning and purpose, is the desire of many a human heart. Here’s the problem. When that “binding back” becomes legalistic, it usually involves an institutionalized system and hierarchy of power; lists of things that must be done; doctrine that must be affirmed; rituals or traditions that must be practiced; and rules that must be obeyed.
Consequently, it also usually involves rewards and accolades for those who meet the expectations of the system, and judgment, condemnation, and punishment for those who don’t. In religious systems, obedience is the name of the game and those who are caught up in them can become weighed down and “bound” within them.
The interesting thing is, when Jesus appeared on the scene 2000 or so years ago, He grew up and lived within what had become a well-established religious legal system, but instead of praising it, He seemed to be redefining it, and He had words with those who were leading it.
Matthew, one of Jesus’ followers, recorded it this way: “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves…” (Matthew 23:15 The Message)
And, He said, “You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said, “ ‘These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” (Matthew 15:7-8 NIRV)
And recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said, “Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.” (Luke 11:46 The Message)
Jesus didn’t mince words when it came to people merely practicing exterior religion and teaching others do the same, instead of having an interior heart for God and for others. Jesus hung out with “the wrong people” in the eyes of the religious establishment, He set aside, released, or reinterpreted the religious rules, and He turned the religious and political power structure of the day upside down. And when questioned about all this by the religious leaders, Jesus told them this story:
“No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39 NIV)
New wine needs a new wineskin? What does that mean? Well, one way to think about it, is to see the wineskin in Jesus’ story as symbolizing our worldview, or our way of seeing the world around us. Psychologists say, our worldview is the lens through which we see God, others, ourselves, the world, and the very meaning of life. It’s developed over time through our individual, family, and community experiences and relationships as we live our lives. The lens we use to view the world impacts what we believe to be truth, which in turn, affects the way we think and behave, so ultimately, it affects who we think we are - our identity and purpose.
Jesus’ Jewish listeners in the first century had developed their worldview over time based on their understanding of the Torah – their sacred scripture; our Old Testament as well as some other writings.
They believed it was given to them by God and it told them about their ancestry, their history, their covenant relationship with God outlining the duties and commands they were to obey, and their unique status as children of Abraham; heirs of God’s promises; God’s chosen people. Torah was their life, their identity, their wineskin.
Grounded in Torah teaching, their view of God and their day-to-day standing with Him was based on their interpretation of the scriptural story of their people, and strict obedience to hundreds of very specific rules and commands (The Law) recorded in the Torah. This included blessings and rewards for obedience, and curses and punishments for disobedience. Among other things, the Law specified numerous dietary and cleanliness rules as well as daily sacrifices that they believed God demanded to satisfy Him, make them “clean” and acceptable in His eyes, and to earn His forgiveness.
People were judged to be “clean” or “unclean”; “worthy” or “unworthy”; “righteous” or “sinners”, based on their obedience to these rules or their emotional or physical condition. They were either accepted in the community, on the fringe, cast out, or put to death, based on their status in the religious legal system.
Maybe, this way of viewing the world as a religious legal system is the old wineskin in Jesus’ story. Certainly, His listeners lived within this system, but it’s not merely a first-century idea, nor is it limited to any one religion. One only needs to look around or turn on the news to know that the religious legal system is alive and well here and now, across a variety of religious traditions, including the one that bears the name of Jesus.
The religious legal system tells us we must view the Bible or other sacred writings as if they had been dictated directly by God and dropped from the sky; that we must obey them as the ultimate rulebook in our lives; and that we must follow them to the letter even if that causes harm to others.
It tells us we must view God as someone to be feared; someone who is critical and can’t be in the presence of anything or anyone who is not perfect; a Judge who is watching our every move, tabulating each and every one of our mistakes and failures.
Although most of us don’t offer blood sacrifices anymore, the religious legal system still tells us we must continue to earn God’s acceptance and His blessings and that when we fail, He will be angry or disappointed with us. It tells us that when bad things happen in our lives, it must be because we are experiencing His discipline, His testing, His judgment, or His punishment.
And the religious legal system thrives on accusing and judging others based on what it considers “worthy” or “righteous”. It is quick to criticize, condemn and cast out those it deems “unworthy” or “undeserving” because of their past or present behavior, their gender identity, their race or ethnicity, their sexual orientation, or their religious or political beliefs.
When we view life through the lens of this religious legal system, this old wineskin, we can live our lives as if we’re trapped in a prison or on trial in a courtroom. Depending on our circumstances, we can go back and forth between feeling accused and condemned, or self-righteous and condescending. We pour old wine into old wineskins and we end up with a distorted view of God, a distorted view of ourselves, and a distorted view of those around us.
Some people are comfortable with that. They like drinking old wine. Remember Jesus’ story? “They say the old is better.” This “new wine” Jesus was talking about and acting out, was unsettling and radical. It challenged what people thought they knew. It upended their worldview. It threatened to burst their wineskins. This “new wine” Jesus was asking His listeners to believe, challenged them to “think differently” about how they viewed their God, how they interpreted their sacred scripture, and consequently, what that meant for their whole religious legal system. Those who choose to listen to Jesus’ “new wine” today, are called to do the same.