The Gospel of Luke 5:37-38 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” (Luke 5:37-38 KJV).

In these passages, the Lord Jesus continues with the parable of new wine and old bottles or wine skins, to explain how His way of salvation—the new covenant—cannot coexist with the old covenant of the law made rigid by religious doctrines and traditions that have crept into the Jewish way of living. As He has already explained in earlier passage, religious system cannot be fixed by grafting some of His teachings (Luke 5:36) into the old covenant of the law. His Words of truth cannot retain its purity by carving it into the polluted nature of their religious doctrines.

A wineskin is made out of the hide of a sheep or goat where the hair is cleaned, the skin is tanned and treated. The body hide is formed and sewn up, and the neck portion is used as the neck of the bladder or bottle. When new wine is put in the hide bladder, it expands as the new wine ferments, stretching the new hide. If the hide was old, it is brittle, and could not sustain the stretch during the fermentation of the new wine. That, I can attest with my short stint in wine fermentation while in the Middle East. The old hide would burst, thus ruining it, and the wine would spill out, thus it is wasted.

In this analogy, the old wineskin represents the old covenant of the law which was mixed into religion practiced by the Pharisees, including ritualistic fasting and prayer (Luke 5:33). It cannot coexist with the new wine representing the new covenant of the good news of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). In this context, the gospel also precludes mournful fasting while the Messiah - the bridegroom, is still present with them.

The "new bottles or wine skins" of this parable can also be understood as new vessels, which represent the hearts and minds of those who are open and receptive to the new message of the Lord Jesus Christ. By contrast, the "old bottles" or old wine skins represent the rigid and inflexible mindset of the Pharisees and others held captive by religion, who are resistant to change and unable to accept the new teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, this reminds us of the transformative spirit of the New Covenant through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul says: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
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Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.