And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 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 5:36-38
In a world where the term ‘progressive’ is associated with pro-abortion activism and trans propaganda, identifying as ‘conservative’ appears to be a sober option. But the student of Christ’s teachings should keep aloof from such Hegelian branding marks.
The Pharisees were likely the most staunch conservatives that ever walked the Earth. Triggered by the liberality of Christ in allowing His disciples to eat and drink at times when their tradition called for fasting, they questioned the radical new teacher: ‘Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?’ (Luke 5:33).
While the principles underlying Christ’s teachings were present in the Old Testament, the Saviour’s broad conceptions were new to the apostate Pharisees. In response to His detractors, Christ represented His teachings as a ‘new garment’ through the following object lesson:
No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
Luke 5:36
It would be absurd to destroy a new garment, by cutting a piece from it, in order to cover a ruined old robe. The sewn-in piece of new cloth would only highlight the threadbare condition of the old garment. Likewise, to incorporate any part of Christ’s pure doctrine into our former, erroneous belief system is not only inconsistent, but reveals that we have not truly accepted Christ’s teachings.
By choosing to cling to formerly held errors, while accepting other truths, we vainly attempt to patch up an old garment. And while wearing our patched apparel, we misrepresent the true teachings of Christ to others, seeing we have marred the new garment by cutting pieces from it. Christ’s next object lesson further illustrates the same principle:
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
Since fermentation produces gas, the leather vessels used in winemaking needed to be able to expand in order to contain new wine. Stiff old wineskins would soon burst if filled with new wine, causing both the contents and the bottles to be lost. In like manner, the rigid conservatism of the Pharisees unfitted them as vessels for the ‘new wine’ of Christ’s teachings.
Receiving Christ’s teachings while obstinately clinging to our former traditions is a recipe for ruin. The powerful truths of the Word will bear intense pressure upon any error cherished in the soul. As malleable leather, we may effervescently yield to that pressure, broadening our narrow minds to accommodate heavenly wisdom. But if, like stubborn old leather, we resist the force of truth and cling to our preconceived ideas, both the wine and the bottle will be lost. Not only will we lose the truth, but our own souls shall perish.
Unlike wine, which ceases to ferment once its sugars have expired, the truth of God never ceases to expand. Thus, as new and old truths are revealed to the student of the Word, he must be ever ready to expand his truth horizon. What God required of one generation is not what He requires of the next. We must ever be malleable bottles for new wine.
Christopher Sparks