Every time some tragedy happens, people get very religious. The problem with getting religious is it does not last very long. Once the crisis has calmed down and things get back to normal, religion seems to go out the window.
The reason this happens so often is that religion is never the answer it is only a substitute. Much like a baby who cannot go to sleep without his pacifier.
Whoever invented the pacifier was an absolute genius. Where would some families be without that pacifier? When a child is two years old, the pacifier helps calm him down. If that same person is still using the pacifier when 16, something is wrong. Pacifiers were never designed to permanently solve any problem.
Such is the case with religion. In fact, religion creates more problems than it solves.
As we look at these parables in the gospel of Luke, we begin to understand Christianity from Jesus’ perspective.
I do not want to settle for anything less than Jesus’ best. If Christ is in the center of my life, everything else will fall into place. Now, the trick is to make sure Christ is in the center of your life.
What is a parable?
A parable contains a truth concealed that only the Holy Spirit can reveal. The key to every parable is the illumination of the Holy Spirit in a receptive heart.
As these parables unfold to us, we will understand them in proportion to our commitment to the Holy Spirit in our life. To try to unfold these parables by reason and human intellect is to miss the richness of what these parables are all about.
So today, we come to the first parable in the gospel of Luke. It is the parable of the new cloth and the new wine. With this, we began unfolding Christianity as Jesus envisions it.
Today’s Christian rarely enjoys the Christianity envisioned by Jesus because it has been hampered by religion, which destroys the freedom available to us in Christ.
Notice the question in verse 33.
“The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so did the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”
This may look like a simple question on the surface but it is the beginning of the clash between religion and true Christianity.
The focus of Jesus’ answer is on Himself. (Verse 34)
At the core of Christianity is a revelation of Jesus Christ. When we get off this, we drift into heresy. Heresy is selecting which truth to follow and ignoring the rest.
At the core of religion is a restoration of human dignity, but at what price? On the surface, it sounds okay. The question posed to Jesus is simply, why are your disciples not doing what our disciples are doing? In other words, they are not in line with us.
Jesus is trying to set forth the idea that Christianity sets us free from bondage to external things.
This was prophesied in the Old Testament.
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant and with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they break, although I was an husband unto them saith the Lord: with this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31-32).
This is confirmed in the New Testament.
“For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart” (II Corinthians 3:3).
The essence of this parable is Jesus showing the difference between religion, represented by the Pharisees and even the disciples of John the Baptist, and the Christianity He is birthing through his life, death, burial and resurrection.
The Christianity espoused by Jesus is one of freedom. He has set us free. Many misunderstand this.
We are not free to do as we please; we are free to please Him. As it stands, all of humanity is shrouded in depravity, which hinders humanity from being what God created it to be. God created humanity to worship Him.
St. Augustine, “Thou, O God, hast created us for Thyself and we are restless until we rest fully in Thee.”
The world is trying to satiate this restlessness through entertainment, music, arts, and sports. And the beat goes on…
This is also come into the church because of of restlessness among the church people who have not found their rest in Jesus Christ
This parable begins to explain the difference between religion and true Christianity.
Religion is the curse of humanity, whereas Christianity is the redemption of humanity. Christianity brings humanity back to where it was meant to be, in a right relation to God.
Let’s break this down into the two parts that we have in this parable.
I. The Old Represents Religion.
Some people say they do not believe in religion, and yet they are some of the most religious people on the earth. Religion defines the purpose of man, which why religion is so full of wonderful deeds and good works.
Man is the only creature created by God that has a basic need for religion. Initially, man was created to worship God. Then religion came into the picture and destroyed man’s ability to worship God.
Religion is the curse of humanity. Religion brings humanity into bondage through external pressure and conformity.
Religion relies on these external things: motions, rituals, good deeds and fitting in with everybody else.
It is comprised of “Do this,” or, “Don’t do that.”
We refer to this as rules and regulations. Rules and regulations have their place, but few people know where it is at.
The key to religion is compromise; give-and-take, get along with everyone. Jesus didn’t get along with everyone or why was he crucified? The apostles didn’t get along with everyone or why were they martyred? The early church didn’t get along with everyone or why were they martyred?
The apostle Paul deals with this in Colossians 2:20-22.
“Wherefore if he be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”
The power of religion is to control people: what they do, where they go, what they say. It is to bring people into a unified conformity.
Those who do not fit are subject to judgment. The hypocrites and ignorant men make a point of making fasting and unimportant external things a matter of holiness. These are all things.
There are two things in this area to be careful of.
Legalism… Do the right thing and you will be all right. Good deeds and good works.
Textualism… Believe the right text. If you believe the text, it must be true in your life.
These two things are the power of religion to bring people into conformity. If you look like me and act like me, you must be okay.
II. The New Represents Christianity
Some people believe that the life they are living represents Christianity in its finest hour. What they do not know is, they are not living the kind of Christianity endorsed by Jesus Christ.
Christianity is the redemption of humanity. It brings us back to the place where God wants us to be. This is not an outward thing, rather it is an inward compulsion to please God.
Religion is to please the religious hierarchy.
Christianity is to please God. Only Christianity can bring me to the position where I am pleasing to God and where what I do pleases God.
Paul addresses this in Romans 12:2.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Here is the difference between religion and Christianity.
“Conformed to this world” is the power of religion. This is an outward pressure to become “like” everybody else. This is the power to bring us into line with everybody.
“Transformed…” This is the power of Christianity. An inward transformation has out word ramifications.
You can lock a criminal in prison and he cannot continue his criminal activity but you have not transformed him. He still is a criminal at heart. Christianity begins within the heart and brings it to the surface of a person’s life.
One of the important aspects of this transformation is in the area of separation. Look what Jesus says in verses 36 and 37.
When you try to combine the old and the new, it does not happen. The new always separates from the old. They are incompatible.
The Christian life is absolutely incompatible with religion. Remember, it was religion that put Jesus on the cross. They rejected him just as they will reject us if we are really followers of Jesus.
The true Christian is the one who is separated from the world, including the world of religion. If someone is comfortable in the world it means they are still of the “old” and are not part of the “new.” Nothing in the world exists that God can accept.
Remember, the “old” can do many nice and good things. Only in conformity to the world around them and to please the world around them.
The “new” only desires to please Jesus. That “new” thing could not be subjected to the forms of man after the flesh.
Religion always judges other people.
Christianity judges itself.
In Mark 14:19, Jesus is telling the disciples that one of them would betray Him.
Religion would say, “Is it him?”
Listen to what the disciples said.
“And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? And another said, Is it I?”
That is the difference between religion and Christianity. That is exactly why religion and Christianity are absolutely incompatible.
This parable comes to a very sad conclusion. In verse 39, Jesus says, “And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says The old is good.”
The church of Jesus Christ is a company of sinners who are repentant through the grace of Christ, who banquet with Him to the great offense of the proud and envious people of the world.
This should give you a hint as to why Christianity is the most persecuted group in the world.
If I can make one more comparison between religion and Christianity.
Religion controls the mind. What we think, how we think and so forth.
Christianity controls the heart. The focus of that heart when freed from the tyranny of religion is always on the God who created it and Christ to redeem it.
Have you yet broken free from the tyranny of religion?
Is your life a constant pleasure to God?
Himself
A. B. Simpson
Once it was the blessing,
Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling,
Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted,
Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing,
Now Himself alone.
The problem most people face is that they are not bad enough to need a radical change like this.
