Old and New

Luke 5:36-38a ESV
“He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and using an analogy to talk about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant that will be sealed with His blood. The new garment is the Gospel and grace, and the old garment is the Old Covenant and the Law. No one tears a new garment to patch an old one. Grace and law do not mix.

Similarly, the new wine is the Gospel and grace, and the old wineskin is the Old Covenant and the Law. Just as the new wine would burst the old wine skins and be spilled out, so too the New Covenant Gospel and grace would be wasted if it was poured into the Old Covenant, Mosaic, legalistic legalism.

So, what was Jesus telling the Pharisees that day? As always, Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter when He speaks to people, we have seen it time and time again in the gospels. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they are and will be stuck in the Old Covenant law. They cannot and will not perceive and understand the Gospel and grace when it will be offered by His sacrifice at Calvary.

For us, this passage means that we have been given the New Covenant, the Gospel and grace through Jesus Christ. We cannot burden ourselves down with legalism and rituals. Grace set us free from that former way of life. Our old standard of just trying to be good enough for God is ridiculous. We have been set free by the blood of Jesus; we need to live like we are free!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I accept this new way of thinking. I can never be good enough for You on my own, but because of Your sacrifice at Calvary I am made righteous. I live under grace, I am free of guilt, shame, and legalism and justified before God because of Your sacrifice. Thank You Lord Jesus, Amen!