Old and New

 

     In Luke chapter 5 we see that Jesus began to build new relationships on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret.  Scriptures tell us that the crowd was gathering around Jesus and listening to him teach the word of God.  He got into Simon's boat and requested that he pull away from shore slightly.  He then sat down and continued to teach from the boat. 

      When he had finished speaking, he gave Simon, a seasoned fisherman, some advice about where to fish.  Simon indicates that he was willing to listen to Jesus' advice, only because it was He who spoke.  Here Jesus sees Simon's willingness to listen and respond in obedience to his words.  James and John, the son's of Zebedee, Simon's business partners were introduced to Jesus through assisting Simon in gathering two boatloads full of fish.  I could have said (tongue in cheek), "a boatload of fish" which would have been understatement for what happened.

     Simon immediately recognized the divine power of Jesus and humbled Himself saying, "go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man," or in other words, I am not worthy of your company.  With this pronouncement, it becomes apparent that this is precisely the type of follower that the Lord Jesus would seek, someone willing to listen and to be humble in spirit (at least this is where Simon's heart began).  In this passage, Jesus announces to Simon that He wishes to change his career from fisherman to a fisher of men.

    In contrast, the story proceeds to show us that Jesus had multiple encounters with the Pharisees and lawmakers.  These were men who had established themselves as the religious leaders of the time.   In the first example:  As Jesus heals the paralyzed man who is lowered through the ceiling because of the great crowds that would not permit him to get to Jesus, we see the Pharisees on the fringes.  Verse 21 of Luke 5 tells us that the Pharisees began to think to themselves, "blasphemy, who can forgive sins but God alone?" in response to Jesus' words, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."  In the second example, Jesus has called Levi and then follows him to his home to dine with his tax collecting friends.  The Pharisees observe this behavior and again question Jesus by saying, "Why do you eat and drink with sinners?" (verse 30).  In the third example, the Pharisee's question Jesus about his eating and drinking habits, bringing up the issue that both they and John's disciples adhere to fasting practices.  None of their questions were aimed at understanding but intended to condemn Jesus based on their sanctimonious wisdom.  On all three occasions, Jesus tells them something new, different than their well-established belief-systems allowed them to consider.

      To the question: "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" He answers that he has been given authority to forgive sins on earth, referring to Himself as the Son of Man. This phrase, Son of Man, is explained in the Jesus Bible in this way, "it is an Aramaic idiom that referred to a human being, meaning "someone" or "I", but in this situation, Jesus referenced a title found in  Daniel 7:13, something he did regularly during his ministry, especially when he wanted to emphasize the nature of his relationship to the Father."  In this passage, Daniel foresees the Son of Man coming before the Ancient of Days.  When asked, "Why do you eat and drink with sinners?", He responds with an explanation of His purpose.  Paraphrased, "I didn't come to rub shoulders with those who think highly of themselves, the self-righteous, I came to meet the needs of those who are sick and know they need a physician."  Lastly, Jesus' retort to the Pharisees on His eating practices revealed His position as the Bridegroom.  Who doesn't celebrate in the presence of the Bridegroom?  He explained that there would come a time when His disciples would resume fasting practices once He was taken from them.  Jesus is foretelling His pending crucifixion. 

      Jesus moves His listeners into an illustration called a parable.  He refers to old cloth, new cloth, old wineskin, and new wineskins.  His disciples, who had not yet been named, were the new wineskins and Jesus message of salvation by grace was the new wine.  The old wine was old customs and old understanding (salvation by works).  Jesus indicated that if you pour new wine into old wineskins (the Pharisees and lawmakers) that the fermentation process which required expansion would exceed the capacity of the old wineskin to stretch.  In other words, the Pharisees, in their self-righteous ways of thinking, were incapable of stretching their minds enough to adapt to the new teaching.  Jesus intended to teach minds that He could stretch.  When we consider the reputation of those who followed Jesus closely, they were not recognized as highly educated men steeped in wisdom.  The disciples, however, were men who were willing to set their way of thinking aside to hear and learn.  In the parable of the seeds, Jesus reveals that not all will have ears to hear his teaching, but to those who "have ears to hear, let them hear." (Mark 4:9 and Matthew 11:15 ESV)

      In application, this teaching illustrates that worldly knowledge has a way of hindering one's ability to hear Godly wisdom.   In Luke chapter 5 verse 39, we read, "And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, 'The old is better.'"  In other words, it is hard to change someone's mind.  How often does an old way of thinking prevent us from reaching toward new wisdom?  It is a common scenario to meet someone who knows too much to listen.  God's Word tells us, "Don't fool yourself.  Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times.  Be God's fool--that's the path to true wisdom.  What the world calls smart, God calls stupid.  It's written in Scripture; He exposes the chicanery of the chic.  The Master sees through the smoke screens of the know-it-alls." (1 Corinthians 3:19 MSG) Our hearts can break for those we love who are too wise to listen to Jesus' message of salvation; however, we need to recognize that in our search for knowledge (some call this information), everyone has a choice of where they look and what they listen to.  When ears do not hear the voice of God, it is not for the lack of sound, but because their mind is closed to listening.