LESSONS FROM PATCHES AND WINESKINS
Mark 2:18-22
“Cynthia and I are into Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I know, I know... it doesn’t fit our image. Who really cares? We stopped worrying about our image years ago. We should be ashamed of ourselves? We aren’t. We should be better examples to the youth? They love it!
...We are having more fun than anyone can imagine (except fellow Harley riders). One of the best things about the whole deal is that those guys and gals down at the bike shop don’t have a clue as to who we are. We have finally found a place in our area where we can be out in public and remain absolutely anonymous. If anyone down there happens to ask our names, we’ll just tell ‘em we’re Jim and Shirley Dobson. Those Harley hogs don’t know them either.”
Chuck Swindoll – Laugh Again
For many of us Chuck Swindoll makes us a little nervous!
You respond by saying:
Isn’t he having just a little too much fun for a Christian?
I think he laughs too loud and tells too many jokes on the radio!
Doesn’t he take anything seriously?
Isn’t he a little too grace oriented?
Shouldn’t he be a little more like John MacArthur?
Chuck Swindoll is a free spirit. His laughter is contagious. The joy he has flows out of a heart that is deeply committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to set people free from bondage.
Jesus came to give us His joy!
John 15:11 NIV I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 8:32-36 NIV Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Joy and true happiness are noticed by others around you. Joy is unsettling to the Pharisees and it is going to prompt them to continue to ask questions of Jesus’ followers.
Context:
The Gospel of Mark is an action oriented Gospel.
The word translated: “immediately” or “straightway” is used 42 times
“Just Do It” approach
Mark was written by John Mark the one that Paul and Barnabas parted ways over.
People in that time, like people today were living out their lives on a day to day basis going to work, providing for their family, and raising their children.
The questions remained the same:
Why Am I here?
Where am I going?
What is the meaning of life?
Is there life after death?
There was a buzz in the air throughout Galilee about Jesus.
Jesus was healing people
Jesus was teaching them about God and His plan
This buzz also attracted the attention of the religious elite – The Scribes and Pharisees
This lead to a series of confrontations from Mark 2:1 – Mark 3:6
The healing of the Paralytic brought to Jesus by His 4 friends – Sins forgiven
Controversy about the Sabbath
Healing on the Sabbath
Dinner with Levi (Matthew) and Sinners - right before this passage
Levi had a Divine Appointment with God
Jesus saw Levi (Matthew) sitting in his Toll Booth.
He asks Levi to follow Him – Levi leaves all behind! It is over for him and he follows Jesus.
Levi is in touch with the people in his community. He has heard the buzz on the street about Jesus.
I’m sure he is a wealthy man. Why else would he be doing this?
Maybe he called Don Lapre on “How to Get Rich Quick” by owning your own Toll Booth collection site after watching a late night infomercial!
Instead of “Let’s Do Lunch” Matthew plans a dinner, invites Jesus and he invites all of his friends and business contacts.
Now remember Levi would have received “The Scum of the Year” Award
The Pharisees ask:
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Mark 2:16d NIV
Jesus didn’t hesitate to give them an answer:
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:17 NIV
The doctor was making a house call in Levi’s home!
This reveals an important lesson for us all:
Sinners do not have to do anything to merit God’s love or God’s concern for them!
He already loves them.
He sent His Son the LORD Jesus Christ to die for them!
Sadly, the Pharisees missed this point. They started out as honorable and respected religious leaders whose goal was to guard Ritual Purity and Doctrinal Purity.
Along the way they lost focus. They became hyper-critical. They looked at anyone who did not keep their laws added to God’s LAW as potential polluters like some germ or bacteria that was going to infect their religious beliefs and their society.
OUTLINE:
THE QUESTION ASKED – Mark 2:18
THE ANSWER GIVEN – Mark 2:19-20
THE ILLUSTRATIONS USED – Mark 2:21-22
THE PATCH – Mark 2:21
THE WINESKIN – Mark 2:22
THE QUESTION ASKED
Mark 2:18
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people
came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
DID YOU CATCH THE QUESTION?
“How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples
of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
WHO ASKED THE QUESTION?
If you look at this account in Matthew 9:14-ff you will see that some of John the Baptist’s followers asked the question. These were followers who had not made the transition to following Jesus yet.
From the text we see that the Pharisees and these followers of John the Baptist were fasting this day.
Why was Jesus and His disciples
having such a good time?
The issue of association was bad enough:
Eating with Sinners
Drinking with Sinners
Jesus’ followers:
Were too happy!
Were too free!
Were laughing too much!
Were simply having too much fun!
People feel threatened when fellow Christians begin to have too much fun!
Joyful people raise an eyebrow of suspicion!
I tried smiling at as many people as I could this week as I walked by people in the stores or as I drove by them in my car.
A lot of people smiled back
I could tell that many were curious
I know I surprised them - I wasn’t my normal grumpy self!
Over the years Christians have come to believe that church life and Christianity are supposed to be solemn, meditative and quiet!
Many think too many “amens” or “Praise the Lords” are for those wild “Spirit-filled” believers! You know those with too much Spirit and not enough truth!
Says who? The Word of God speaks of Joy in numerous places being a part of the Christian life. It is one of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
“…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b NIV
“Erma Bombeck tells how she was sitting in church one Sunday when a small child turned around and began to smile at the people behind her. She was just smiling, not making a sound. When her mother noticed, she said in a stage whisper, ‘Stop that grinning – you’re in church,’ gave her a swat, and said, ‘That’s better!’ Erma concluded that some people come to church looking like they had just read the will of their rich aunt and learned that she had given everything to her hamster.”
Kent R. Hughes, pg. 77, Commentary on Mark
The Pharisees were the Grin and Bear it bunch! They had become slaves to the rituals that they had established to merit favor with God.
These rituals led to a bored, frustrated, dead faith that lacked joy!
They thought they must fast to merit more of God’s blessing and favor and the fact that Jesus was drinking and eating with sinners who seemed unconcerned about their faith bothered them!
FASTING
Fasting was a part of the Nation’s preparation for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Lev. 16:29-34 NIV “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work —whether native-born or an alien living among you — because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance…
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Over the years fasting, praying and giving became ways of showing off to others a person’s religious piety and devotion to God.
At the time of Jesus the Pharisees were fasting twice a week for periods of 12 hours.
They dressed in sackcloth
They rubbed ashes on their faces
The sucked in their cheeks
Luke 18:11-12 NIV The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men —robbers, evildoers, adulterers —or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Whoo-Hoo! Look at me!
Matt. 6:16-18 NIV “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
THE ANSWER GIVEN
Mark 2:19-20
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
“How can the guests of the bridegroom
fast while he is with them?
John 3:29-30 NIV The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.
Jesus is saying to them, “you guys have it all wrong!”
Serving God was never supposed
to be a funeral!
Being born again, being connected to God is like the joy at a wedding feast!
In the ancient world life was tough at times. People worked hard to eke out a living and life was fairly routine and uneventful.
One of the greatest human celebrations is a wedding!
Remember, marriage was instituted by God Himself.
The couple was united in marriage and then the celebration began.
The couple would not leave for a trip.
All would celebrate for a week!
It was a joyous time!
It was a time of great jubilation and celebration!
Some weddings you might be tempted to mourn at these days. This was not, however, a time where someone was allowed to come and ruin the festivity!
OUR WEDDING
I can remember all of the fun and celebration at our wedding (28 years ago)
Those who drove a long distance began to arrive a few days before.
I remember almost not getting to go on our honeymoon because I had such a bad case of poison ivy from trying to get the house ready for guests (don’t rub it between your legs with shorts on or burn it!)
I remember putting a new water pump on my father-in-law’s car just a few days before the wedding because he had trouble getting to our home.
We had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner on July 4th with a big picnic in our backyard for everyone.
We were married on July 5th 1980 and I have always said that on the day after our Country’s Independence I got my dependent!
We had a great day! We certainly didn’t want some critical person ruining our day!
Joy, celebration and praise are hallmarks of the Christian Faith!
They are marks of a true follower of Christ!
Without Christ your life is incomplete and empty!
Knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you will spend eternity with the Lord is something to rejoice about!
JESUS CAME TO ESTABLISH THE NEW COVENANT
Ezek. 36:24-27 NIV “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Jer. 31:31-33 NIV
Salvation wasn’t to be obtained by works and self-effort! Salvation came through the work of Christ on the Cross. He imputed His righteousness to you!
2 Cor. 5:21 NIV God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
To these religious Pharisees He was saying, “You have nothing to prove!” You’ll never measure up to my righteousness! I am your only hope of salvation!
Your works and self-effort will always smell like dung to God.
So stop trying to convince everyone that your dung doesn’t stink!
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save you!
SALVATION, LIKE A WEDDING FEAST, IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!
Ps. 16:11 NIV You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
The father of the prodigal son had an animal slaughtered and feasted with great joy over the return of his lost son!
Luke 15:32 NIV But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT GOOD NEWS YOUR SALVATION IS?
DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND THE FREEDOM YOU HAVE IN CHRIST?
The Pharisees didn’t seem to grasp this truth! Their system of works was always trying to convince God of how worthy they were. How righteous they were!
Illustration from Moody
Ken Davis tells about a young boy that he and others use to tease growing up. It sounded like he had cerebral palsy. He said his own self image was so bad that he bolstered himself by putting this boy down by mocking him. He and this other boy were always the last to be picked for games. Ken Davis prayed that the Lord would not allow him to be last behind this boy being picked!
They all went to a Christian Camp one summer – including this boy. One day they heard this boy shouting as he arrived to tell them something. He was shouting: Good News! Good News! Jesus loves Me! Ken was going to mock him as he ran away into the distance shouting over and over again:
Good News! Good News! Jesus loves Me!
DO YOU HAVE THAT TYPE OF LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus drives His answer home with two common parables that they would have easily understood. In case you still do not understand what life with Me is all about, listen to this!
THE ILLUSTRATIONS USED
Mark 2:21-22
THE PATCH – Mark 2:21
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.
If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old,
making the tear worse.
Here is good old conventional wisdom. If you take an old well worn garment that has a hole, and patch it with a piece of new material that has never been washed, your patch will rip a larger hole in the garment.
THE WINESKIN – Mark 2:22
And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”
Wine was stored in wineskins during this time. You would take an animal and skin it. You would then tan the hide. When this was completed you would sew up the ends and use it to store wine.
Old wine skins would dry out, become brittle and unbending! People are like this as well!
If you placed new wine in old skins you risked a problem. The fermentation and effervescence would bust the wineskin! Bam! Wine all over the place! No more wine as well!
WHAT IS JESUS TRYING TO SAY?
I didn’t come for a patch job! I’m not here to fix your religious system!
Neither is salvation a patch job. You do not merely add Christ to your own system of works and religious self-effort. You do not add Jesus to your idols and other false gods.
Salvation is about a transformation!
If you try to put my message, my Holy Spirit, and this new life into an old wineskin it will burst it!
“The Explosive Power
of New Affection.”
Scottish Preacher
I remember when the Lord Jesus Christ transformed me from death to life! I believed the promise found in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
For those of you who have heard my testimony that is the theme verse of my life!
In my early days of knowing the Lord I wouldn’t shut up! I know, I know, your thinking, Lord I wish he’d shut up! A transformation took place! I was different!
It was the joy of knowing the Lord that compelled me to speak! A former God-hater doesn’t go from hating God to proclaiming His Name unless a transformation took place!
I didn’t judge them. I did after being a Christian for a while!
The problem with the Pharisees is found in Luke 5:39:
And no one after drinking old wine wants the new,
for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
They didn’t like change! They liked the status quo.
Hey I know what this is like. Remember when the New Coke was released?
I didn’t want the New Coke!
I didn’t want Pepsi!
I wanted the original Classic Coke (I still think they are making it more like Pepsi)
“Conservatism tends to view the old
as better because it is old, and the new
suspect because it is new.”
Bible.org
New doesn’t always mean better. Neither is new inherently wrong or need to be suspect!
Routine and ritual can become deadly! For some people it can become even more important than their faith!
We need to guard against this taking hold of our heart.
It is easy to rely on wisdom and experiences from the past. We have been there and done that so much that we know what works, we know what we like, we know what takes the least amount of work, thought and energy to produce the end results.
Doing it the same old way gives us comfort and protection. We understand all of the variables and we are content! This also leads to apathy and boredom!
No more mountains to conquer for Christ!
No more stretching of our faith!
No more passion in our worship!
No more concern for the lost!
It leads to lukewarm Christianity.
I saw this ritual boredom in a main line church when I attended a wedding and a funeral as a believer. My Grandfather’s brothers would be talking the whole way through the service except when the rote prayers were uttered and they joined in and quoted them and went back to talking! They also made fun of the priest for slurping down his wine too fast.
Ritual is deadly without true devotion to Christ!
It took me years to see that evangelical Christians can be lulled into the same deadly sleep about their faith as well. Living simply on auto-pilot without a passion for Christ!
You have your devotions
You attend church because you feel guilty if you don’t
You want you same old songs sung
You want church to end at the same time
You want the order of service to remain static
Rev. 3:15-16 NIV I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm —neither hot nor cold —I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Jesus was upset with the Pharisees because they missed the whole point!
Reaching people for Him was the most important lesson the Pharisees should have caught!
Clearly seen in Luke 15 with the Parables of:
The Lost Sheep
The Lost Coin
The Lost Son
Jesus doesn’t want us to be slaves of ritual but bondslaves to Him!
The Lord Jesus Christ came to make all new! His mercies are new every morning!
We determine the amount of Joy we experience from God!
His resources are limitless!
Joy of Salvation
Ps 40:2-3 NIV He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Joy amidst Trials
Acts 16:25 NIV About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Joy for Living
If our wineskins are going to burst it should be because of our Joy spilling out into the world that Christ has made a difference in our heart and life.
John 7:37-38 NIV On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
All of this newness that the Lord Jesus Christ brings about should translate into joy in our life! Too often we have dill pickle Christians who are always sour!
This joy should fuel our worship!
This joy should fuel our serving Him!
This joy should fuel our sharing the gospel!
This joy should be attractive to the lost!
IS KNOWING CHRIST THE PASSION OF YOUR HEART?
KNOWING YOU
Graham Kendrick
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this
Knowing you, Jesus
Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness
Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die
HAS JESUS FILLED YOU WITH HIS JOY?
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit!
It is a product of knowing Christ and abiding in Christ!
May the Love of Jesus Christ and the Joy of Knowing Him lead you to have nothing to hide like the boy in the story who cried out:
Good News!
Good News!
Jesus Loves Me!
Patches and Old Wineskins will not do!
They are easily torn apart or blown apart!
“Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts
announcing that the King is in residence there.”
Walter B. Knight, Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations
