Wineskins in the Kingdom

 Daniel 9-10; Psalms 123; Luke 5

“…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. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

Luke 5:37-39

The new wine of the Gospel in the power of the Spirit was given to simple fishermen and farmers who received it, rather than to the scribes and Pharisees. The new wineskins of Peter, James, and John could absorb the new revelation of God’s righteousness received as a gift through Christ, a sinless sacrifice. The old, cracked wineskins of the Mosaic Law and its many sub laws could not contain the Gospel or the messengers through which it came. The apostolic gifting continues to bring new wine expressions of renewal and mission which require new wineskins – structures and frameworks. We like the flavor of old wine better, rather than the unformed potential of the new. However, God invites us to appreciate both new and old wine, while recognizing that structures and systems are rarely interchangeable between them.

“Lord Jesus, I pray for the grace and faith to support your new wine and the change it requires, even as the old wine might taste better.”