Old and New Wineskins
VERSE:
(Jesus) told them this parable: “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.
—Luke 5:36-38

THOUGHT:
The Pharisees, to whom Jesus was referring, had the letter of the word, without the understanding. This superficial understanding of the scriptures led to their manmade traditions which had nothing to do with God’s intended purpose. 2000 year later, we have developed the same type of manmade traditions apart from God’s intended purpose. We try to mix them in with Jesus’ teachings, but as Jesus said Himself, you can’t mix His teachings with the traditions of men. If you do, His teachings would be compromised (torn the new garment) and the traditions wouldn’t make sense (will not match the old). Jesus wasn’t propagating “new teachings” but rather shedding new light to the original teachings of the law.

APPLICATION:
Throw out the old wineskin of tradition, clearing your mind to study the word for yourself. When you read the bible, ask God to clear your mind of every presupposition that you hold to, and ask Him to give you understanding into His intended purpose so that you can properly interpret the Word of God.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, help me to clear my mind of the traditions of men, giving you a new wineskin to pour your wine into. Give me understanding of what your spirit is saying to me today, so that I could fulfill your purposes here on Earth. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN!