Lesson 49

LESSON 49 Mark 2:21-22

18And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

In verse 21 Jesus talks about sewing and wineskins, more metaphors, to illustrate what He was teaching.

Jesus is saying that fasting and feasting don't mix. His way and the Pharisees' way don't mix. The Pharisees refused to accept what Jesus was preaching and teaching because they were used to their old ways and their hearts were hardened to the Word, which they continued to reject. Their ideas, the old cloth, represent how the Pharisees were trying to live, following manmade rules and regulations, far beyond what God had laid down for them. They thought their old ways were better.

Picture an old torn garment with a big hole in it. If a person sews a new piece of fabric to cover the hole, and then washes the garment, the new fabric will shrink, tearing the old garment even more and making the rip worse. Jesus came to present a new way, kingdom living, that couldn't be mixed with the old ways of John and the Pharisees that were based on the Mosaic laws. It wasn't about keeping rules outwardly, but inwardly having a heart to obey God.

The old cloth represents the old covenant, the law of Moses, the old way of doing things, which involved the blood of animal sacrifices to pay for sins and that only held off the judgment of God for one year. These were in effect until the Messiah came. When Jesus came, they were to accept Him as their sacrifice, putting an end to the old ways of doing things. He was the Completion of the sacrificial law. Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

In a deeper teaching, the new cloth represents the grace of Christianity as compared to the old garment of the law. It is the new covenant, that we are in as a result of accepting Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and His paying the penalty of the judgment against our sin by His death on the cross for us. The giving of His blood pays for our sins forever. There will be no judgment of them anymore.

In His teaching here in Mark 2, Jesus was saying that the new covenant and the old covenant could not be "sewn " together. It just wouldn't work. Law and grace cannot be mixed, in the same way that fasting and feasting can't be done at the same time. We are saved by grace, not anything that we could provide or do for ourselves. Jesus did it all for us. He took our place, our judgment, our penalty.

The second metaphor, the new wine and old bottles, is a similar teaching. Old wineskins weren't supple; they didn't stretch anymore. If new wine were put into an old wineskin, the new wine's fermentation gases would increase the internal pressure so much it would cause the old wineskin to burst. New wine must be put into a new wineskin that could stretch as the fermentation gases increase. (This internal pressure explains why we see corks that pop and liquid rushing out, when a wine bottle is opened for the first time.)

The old bottles represent the old covenant, the law of Moses, the religious rituals of these Jews. The new wine represents the Holy Spirit of the new covenant, Who, at your conversion, comes into a new wineskin- you! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Your new spirit can contain and be filled with the Holy Spirit, because it is brand new, given to you by God. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:

Had the Pharisees accepted what He was saying, they would have begun to rejoice as well.