Fresh Wineskins

Fresh wineskins
Luke 5:37-39

“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. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:37-39‬

What was the point that Jesus was making when He said, "no one puts new wine into old wine skins?" This parable was given by Jesus in response to why His disciples did not fast like others did. Fasting is about renewal. But to the Pharisees, who were asking the question, fasting was a ritual. They didn't fast because they were hungering to know Jesus more. Often they fasted because they wanted others to know how spiritual they were. They fasted for the praise of men. Therefore the old wineskins represent the old and wrong mindset of the Pharisees.

The truths of Christ and the newness of life that He came to bring did not take with the religious crowd. It didn't take because they didn't really see their need for change and regeneration. The old wineskins of their self-righteous and hypocritical ways did not have the capacity for the new wine of the personand work of Jesus. If they had the right mind set, they wouldn't have been thinking about fasting, but about celebrating that the messiah, the bridegroom had come to save sinners.

Now once again the old wine skins represented the wrong mindset that could not retain the knowledge of God revealed through Jesus Christ. However, I would like to suggest that to know the blessing of Jesus we need a sound mind, which is most important, but also a sound body.

The capacity that His disciples had to receive revelations from God through Jesus was maximized because His disciples were of sound mind and body. While Jesus was present with them, He wanted them to be fully alert, awake and attentive to His teaching and modeling. Jesus was not against fasting. There would come a time when He would no longer be with them and they would fast and pray to the Father, in the Spirit. Fasting is a time when one abstains from fleshly appetites, like food, to seek God for a greater spiritual need. At times, one may not care to eat when gripped by the needs of the soul.

So Jesus wasn't against fasting. But at the same time He taught that there was a time not to fast. This is still true today. There's a time to fast and a time not to fast. When we sense the joy of our relationship with the bride groom waning and the desires of our flesh for the things of this life increasing, it's time to fast.

However, it can also be true that an unhealthy diet, (or others forms of physical neglect), which can lead to an unsound mind and body, can effect our spiritual lives. Although the Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the word of God, He works through our bodies, which is His temple.

There are things beyond our control that can contribute to poor physical health. And although God's grace helps us during these seasons of life, He has provided common means that we must avail ourselves of to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We are not to make our bodies into an idol. But neglecting our physical bodies can limit our capacity (like old wineskins) to receive spiritual things and apply them to our lives. There's a time to make sacrifices in the work of ministry, but there's a time to rest and replenish so we can be fit for ministry. Sometimes this means a better diet and exercise. And it can also mean that we need to be selective about what ministries we should be engaging in. God didn't call us to do it all.

“Your ministry will take all you give it. Your church will take all you are willing to give it. Ministry demands will always exceed your capacity. I’m reminded of a great line from Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum, talking about the creation of these dinosaurs, says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s a mistake to chase after every opportunity" (Excerpt From: Witt, Lance. “Replenish.”)

In recent months, I have felt like an old wineskin with holes in it. The practice of spiritual disciplines, like prayer and bible reading, have become more of a duty than a delight. I've had difficulties studying for sermons and delivery those sermons have also been much more challenging. I thought the answer was to push through, which was a wrong mind set. However, the more I tried, the harder it became. In addition, my other ministry responsibilities seemed to add more pressure and stress. When engaged in one ministry, like counseling, I was thinking about another, like the sermon that still needed to be finished. And I was wondering how I would do so when I felt totally spent physically, emotionally and mentally.

I've come to discover that the problem was not with the wine, but with the wineskin. In the past year, my body has been beat up by cancer, surgeries, bowel obstructions and chemo. There have been other family pressures at home, not to mention the care I have for the church. My people pleasing ways (wrong mindset) kept telling me to just try harder, when what I needed was to fully rest and recover physically, emotionally and mentally. Trying to force new wine into a beat up and dried up wine skin was not helping me, but hurting me. In addition, I was not where I needed to be to minister to those God has called me to serve. I was a leaky vessel that was not serving from the overflow of God's provisions for my life.

When I finally came to terms with where I was, I shared this with the elders of the church. I'm now on a sabbatical seeking to be refreshed and replenished in the Lord. I'm trusting that my good good Father will restore me. Thank God for the gift of a sound mind that can receive spiritual truths. Let's avail ourselves of this gift and seek to be renewed in prayer and in the word day by day. And may God help us to be good stewards of the temple of the Holy Spirit (our bodies), which Jesus purchased with His blood. Old wineskins will burst. New wineskins overflow with the goodness of the Lord.