01.22. Something Old, Something New
Something Old, Something New
Many times the young are accused of wanting to throw all of the past away and disregard it’s teaching. Many time the old are accused of being unwilling to give one inch from the way they have always done things. This causes conflict when both draw lines in the sand.
Jesus gives us what some see as three parables in a series to address the changing from the Law to Grace. If these are not three parables they are at the least two parabolic illustrations and a parable. Parallels of this are also found in Matthew 9:14-17 and Mark 2:18-22 . While He was teaching the contrast between the old law and the new found grace there are many lessons for us today.
I- Conversion (Call) of Levi (Matthew) Luke 5:27-28 The setting of this parabolic teaching is the call of the tax collector Levi, who will be known as Matthew after this. Luke 5:27-28 "And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him."
Tax collectors were notorious crooked because the opportunity to do wrong was there because the tax rate was not always clear. The tax collectors many times collected extra for their pockets. Therefore the tax collectors were despised and disdained.
However, we have no evidence that Matthew was a crooked tax collector. We can discern this from the comparison of him and Zaccheaus. In Luke 19:2 it says, "…there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich." Then in Luke 19:8 it says, "… Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." The implication was that he had cheated them. We have no such admission of Matthew. However he was hated just the same because he worked for the Roman government in his profession.
I believe what we have is the conversion of Matthew. He had probably heard Jesus preach and teach in the days prior to this. The first thing Matthew does is he throws a party. A birthday party to celebrate his new birth if you will. Luke 5:29 "And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them." There were a great many of those who the religious people of the day treated as outcast at the party. Warren Wiersbe said, "When the Pharisees looked at the guest, they saw sinners and wanted nothing to do with them. It is interesting that the Pharisees always repelled sinners, while Jesus attracted them.
II- Parabolic Illustrations:
The parabolic teaching of Jesus as we have stated was two illustrations and a parable. The illustrations were in response to two questions posed to Him.
1- The Physician: The Question? Luke 5:30 "But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?" The Pharisees had no message of hope for the sick of sin. They had only condemnation for Jesus. They ask why He was doing what they would never be caught dead doing.
Sin is spoken of in various illustrative ways. It is illustrated as darkness, bondage disease and even death. Jesus says, "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." The problem was these men thought of themselves as "good" men. They failed to realize they were sinners as well. When dealing with an illness you must first recognize that you are sick and then be willing to accept the cure by the physician. As sinners we must first realize that we are sick then accept the physicians cure. Someone said this physician cures and then pays the bill.
False diagnosis by doctors lulls many into a false sense of wellness. Some sicknesses are easier to discover than others are. Many have had cancer or some other disease that was killing them but were told it was only back sprains or something not to worry about. The same is true with sin sickness. There are many today saying mankind is all right but this is a false diagnosis. But my friends there is a doctor in the house, the great physician.
2- The Bridegroom: The Question? Luke 5:33 "And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?"
The disciples of John ask the second question. No doubt the Pharisees probably put them up to this. The Pharisees were upset that they were rejoicing at the birthday party of Matthew.
Luke 5:34 "And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?" Jesus uses an illustration of the bridegroom. He illustrated Himself as the bridegroom and the joy of having the bridegroom called for celebration not gloom. No one is gloomy at a wedding. The Jewish wedding was a weeklong affair that was a time of great joy. The Christian life is acquainted to the joy of a wedding. Many live like it is a funeral. George Bush when he was running for president said that someone who had said something was like the puritans who are afraid to have a good time and stay awake and worry someone is going to have a good time as well.
Within this illustration is a prophecy of His impending death as well. In Luke 5:35 "But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." As a physician He came to bring healing and as a bridegroom He came to bring joy. This was a radical break from the religion of the day of joyless legalism.
III- The Parable of the Patch and the Wineskins
Jesus, after He answers their questions, addresses them with a parable. This parable is a two part parable. One concerning a patch on a garment and the second concerning putting wine in some skins. In both of these He is simply stating that it is time to move along from the former law to the new period of grace.
1- The Patch:
Luke 5:36 "And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old." In our day we have clothes that are preshrunk but in Jesus day it was not so. If a woman in the day of Jesus patches a hole in a garment with a cloth the next time it was washed the patch would shrink and tear the ripe bigger. The old cloth had already been shrunk.
Zephaniah 2:15 "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace."
Zephaniah 4:24 "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Colossians 3:10 "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
2- Wine skins:
In our days of plastic bottle and glass containers we have to imagine how it was then. In His parable He said, "And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved." Luke 5:37-38
The gospel message that Jesus preached was to great for the law to contain. He literally fulfilled the law with His death. The life that sprang from this seed planted in death burst the condemnation of the law. The gospel that ensured broke slavery and the wrongful discrimination against women as mere property.
IV- Tying Up the Teaching:
It might seem to some that we could make this teaching contradict itself. However, Jesus did not come to destroy the old but to fulfill it. The physician does not destroy the body when he heals but only makes the changes necessary for the body to be whole. The bridegroom does not destroy the home of the bride nor his family but makes it another whole family out of two. When He patches up our lives, He does not just cosmetically change it but gives us a new garment. Will you come to the physician and get you new garments that will give you the joy of a wedding.