Jesus said to the Pharisees…"Besides,
who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and
rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. "And
no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins,
and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new
wineskins." Mark 2:21-22
Have you ever put a new patch on an old
pair of jeans? Well, probably not since holey jeans are so in fashion. If you
put a new patch on those old jeans and then wash them…the patch shrinks and
whalla—the patch pulls away and the hole is worse. If you wisely use old fabric
that is pre-shrunk, and it won’t pull away when it is washed and dried.
Wine in large quantities was stored in clay
pots. Remember when Jesus did His first miracle (see John 2:1-11) and changed
the water in large ceremonial washing jars into the best wine at the wedding in
Cana? Now that was a large quantity of wine. It would have taken probably at
least a hundred wine pouches to contain all that wine. Similar to the use old
or new patches, in the old days when leather pouches were used instead of wine
bottles for small quantities of wine, the fermenting wine would split any
reused pouches. Wine as it ferments gives off gases that cause pressure on the
wine skins. Old wine skins can’t take much pressure before they would burst.
Then the wine is lost—spilled out on the ground. What a waste.
Tradition. That is what this old and new is
all about. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that old and new don’t mix. Old
traditions can’t be applied to new ways. The grace of God was a new teaching
that didn’t fit in with the old traditional teaching of the law. Although there
is grace in the Old Testament, the grace—the unmerited favor—offered by Jesus
gives us salvation. It is the basis of our salvation and justifies us in the
eyes of God.
From the Old Testament:
For the LORD God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those
who do what is right. Psalm 84:11
"In that day (time of tribulation)," says the LORD, "I will be the
God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. This is what the
LORD says: "Those who survive the coming destruction will find blessings (grace) even in the barren land, for I will give
rest to the people of Israel." Long ago the LORD said to Israel: "I
have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have
drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:1-3
 |
| God's Grace is like an apple blossom...fragrant and free to all. The fruit that develops is an added bonus...like... Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control... of the Holy Spirit. |
God’s grace isn’t just for Christians…nor is
it just for Jews…but is extended to everyone. Everyone who believes in Jesus as
the Son of God…as their Savior, their Messiah.
But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15
For God loved the world so much that he gave
his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but
have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but
to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
Do you believe? Trust in Jesus today and
His grace will patch any hole so you won’t fall apart. His grace is sufficient
for everyone.
Prayer
~ Jesus, give us eyes to see Your grace, mercy and love in our lives and to see
others as You see them—for although we are unworthy, with Your blood shed for
us we are all worthy.
Daily
Bible Reading: Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63
©
2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
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