Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved”
Matthew 9:17
Sometime ago, I was trying to drink a glass of orange juice when my wife reminded me about needing to cut back on sugar. She suggested water as an alternative. Unfortunately for me, rather than agreeing to my wife’s advice, I decided to combine the water and the juice. In my misguided attempt at wisdom, I aimed to prove to my wife I wasn’t just drinking juice, all while satisfying my craving for the sweetness. In the end, the combination produced an undrinkable result, it was too watery to give the juice flavour and too juicy to be called water. Looking back now, I know I was better off picking one and staying with the consequence.
When I consider Jesus’ parable of the new wine and the old wine skin, it perfectly reflects my own experience. Jesus said, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17). New wine expands during the fermentation process, pressurising its container. If fresh wine was poured into a new wineskin, there was no problem—the skin was supple enough to stretch, thus accommodating the expansion of the liquid. But, if new wine was poured into an old wineskin that had lost its elasticity, the wineskin would burst at the seams under the pressure, and all the wine stored in it would be lost. The wine owner will end up with no wine and no wine skin.
In telling this parable, Jesus addressed the teachers of the law and, by extension, the people of Israel. He wasn’t saying he came to improve on their moral traditions. Instead, he offered a radically new way of life. To embrace this new way, they must completely abandon the old one. It’s not about blending the two, like mixing juice with water. What Jesus told the Jews is what He is still telling us all today. We cannot merge our old ways with the new, it just won’t work!
One thing I’ve learned on the Christian journey is that those who are undecided seem to experience the most frustration. People fully committed to the world find temporary pleasure in it, while those fully committed to the Lord find joy in Him. But those who are uncommitted are perpetually pulled in different directions. They are like the rope in the game of tug of war-nothing is more frustrating than being pulled in multiple directions. So why not make a decision today? Choose the path of the Lord, and find the joy and purpose He offers.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to be fully committed to you as I choose the path of Christ. May I constantly find pleasure and joy in doing your will. Amen.
