Both titles should be preserved.
Contents
Matthew 9:14-17 Both must be preserved.
“New wine in new wineskins” is a phrase we are all too familiar with. When people change in all institutions, including politics, economy, and religion, they will definitely put up this slogan. And shouting for a new beginning, it announces a new beginning. what do you mean? "Now a new person starts work. The old system must be thrown away. The new person will throw away the old thing and start anew in a new way, with a new goal. Let's get rid of old habits and thoughts altogether." The word used in this sense is "new wine in new wineskins."
Of course, there is nothing wrong with using this term in this sense. We must not cling to the wrong old things. We must continue to develop ourselves into a better form. However, if this word is used incorrectly, the old one is unconditionally bad and the new one is unconditionally good. However, when Jesus used the phrase “new wine in new wineskins”, he did not mean that the new is unconditionally good and the old is unconditionally bad. In other words, "Let's throw away the old and start anew." This is not what you meant.
In order to know the correct meaning of these words, we must first look at the background of Jesus saying these words. Jesus was sitting and eating with sinners. At this time, the disciples of John the Baptist asked: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Then Jesus answered: “No one puts a piece of raw linen on an old garment, because the wrinkle pulls the garment and adds to its fraying, and they do not put new wine into old wineskins, for in doing so the skins burst and the wine spills out and the skins are thrown away. Wine must be put into new wineskins to preserve both” (Matthew 9:16-17).
Fasting was a sign of reverence and a way of reverence for the Old Testament people. So, at that time, religious people who followed godliness often fasted, so they tried to maintain their piety. But Jesus and his disciples did not fast as often as the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist at the time. In other words, the question that John the Baptist's disciples asked Jesus was, "We are reverent because we fast frequently, so why don't your disciples fast often ungodly?" This is what it means. It's a bit of a nerve-racking and off-putting question.
Jesus did not answer this question by saying that fasting was not necessary at all. At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days. If fasting was not necessary, Jesus would not have fasted and prayed for 40 days. In other words, fasting is necessary in both the Old and New Testaments. But there are times of fasting. If you fast while you are with the groom at the wedding feast, it is against etiquette. It may lead to a misunderstanding of hosting a feast and ignoring the person who prepared the food for the feast. In other words, at a party home, we should share joy and celebrate while eating together.
But we should not rejoice in eating, drinking, and chattering in the funeral home of a great sorrow. The bereaved are sad and weeping painful tears, saying, "I am glad that the Savior has come!" and sing joyful hymns. At that time, we should fast together and express our sorrow. Even when singing hymns, "I will meet you across the Jordan River in a few days, in a few days!" We should comfort the bereaved family by singing a funeral hymn like this. In other words, just as there is a time, a time, and a place for fasting, there is a time, a time and a place for singing joyful hymns. Furthermore, it means that you must match the time, place, and conditions well in any system or work.
In this sense, Jesus said, "New wine is in new wineskins", but he did not mean that the old is unconditionally bad and the new is always good. If you look at the Israeli culture of the time, you quickly see this. First of all, did the pieces of raw linen and the new wine mean something good at the time? no. In the original language, raw linen pieces mean <cloth that has not yet been combed>. That is, it is a piece that has not been processed yet. It's an inexperienced piece. Very chewy. It is not soft. When it rains or comes in contact with water, it becomes strangely warped and becomes unusable. It becomes hard.
Were people at that time impressed when Jesus said that he was a <piece of raw linen>? Would it make a bad impression? Needless to say, speaking of raw linen pieces, the listeners reminded them of bad fabrics. I felt uncomfortable. It meant a cloth that was useful only after a lot of work. <Sculpture of Saengbei> The moment they hear these words, the listeners will think like this. <Raw material that requires a lot of work> Raw fabric carving is not a new order or system that we usually think of. Rather, it is the opposite. Raw fabric pieces are bad pieces. And new wine is bad wine. The older the wine, the better the wine.
Also, did old clothes and old leather bags mean bad things at the time? Is it old and needs to be thrown in the trash? It's not like that. When Jesus said old clothes and old skins, he did not mean old things to be thrown away. Rather, old clothes are familiar clothes. There is a Jewish proverb that says, "Wine and friends, the older the better." There is also a saying, "Do not wear new shoes when you go on a long road trip." Shoes that are familiar to the feet you are already wearing are good shoes. And there is a saying, "When you go a long way, do not drive a new cart". Because it may break down unexpectedly. In other words, old clothes, old shoes, and old wagons are familiar objects that are not inconvenient to live. The same goes for old leather bags. Now, I want to make a general statement.
1. Jesus loves everyone.
A piece of raw linen and new wine do not mean a new order, a good thing. Rather, it refers to an order or system that is immature and not yet mature. It is a new system that still needs to be looked after and learned more. And old leather sacks or old clothes do not mean bad things or institutions that should be eliminated. On the contrary, it can also mean something familiar, something that is now mastered, a person or institution that has matured.
Jesus is afraid that old clothes and old skins will be damaged because of the new wine and pieces of raw linen. Old clothes should not be torn. Even an old leather bag should not explode. However, he did not ignore the new wine and pieces of raw linen. Jesus loves both and wants to protect both. It is not the will of Jesus to love only one side when there is a problem. Parents love all their children. That is why when two children fight, parents do not stand on the side of only one. Parents love both.
The same is true. Jesus loves everyone. The words you said in this sense are the words of today's text. It's a very strangely told secret. You can know that Jesus is truly wise and all-embracing. There are old believers who have been attending the church for a long time, and there are new believers who have just joined the church. Who will Jesus love more? That's right. “Jesus loves everyone.”
2. Jesus wants both to be preserved.
Jesus' intention in the text is to preserve the pieces of raw linen and old clothes together. New wine, old wine, new wineskins Old wineskins want to be preserved together. When Jesus selected his disciples, he did not only call people of the same homogeneity. Jesus' disciples were diverse. There was a hot-blooded Peter. When Jesus asked a question, he was always a disciple whose job title would not be resolved if he did not answer first. But John, on the other hand, was a calm disciple. He was a very careful disciple who thought a hundred times and acted once.
Matthew was a publican. He was a publican who collected taxes from his people and gave it to the Roman government. At that time, he was branded as a national traitor. But Dadaeus was a Zealot. A man fighting for independence from Rome. If a tax collector and a father-in-law met on the street, they would be the ones to fight for. But they have been preserved as one in diversity.
That is, we are retarded. Feet are not hands. Ears are different from eyes. Where is the man with only a nose? I can't even imagine a person with only hands. A person with only feet is not human. Hands, Feet, Eyes, Mouth, Nose, all become one and become one. Being different is a big blessing in a way. Likewise, you don't know how lucky I am that you and I are different. What would the world be like if everyone lived the same? It will probably end up being a dry and cold robot kingdom. Jesus said that we are all different, but we all need it.
If there were only pillars when building a house, how would it become a house? We cannot imagine a house with only tiles. How can a house be built with only glass? Just as all materials are needed to build a house, everyone in the church is necessary and important. Each of our five fingers is different in size and shape. Each finger is different, so it has been proven to be very convenient. A person made a person with a computer and made all five fingers of that person the same shape and the same size, and tried to make it work, but it didn't work.
If you think, "The church will revive only when that person disappears from our church," there is a possibility that he will become the second Hitler. Hitler then said: "The Aryans to which the German people belong are the best, the Latins in France, Spain and Italy are the garbage of the race, the yellow races of Asia are a low-quality race that cannot be called human, and the black people are low-level creatures that are shameful to even talk about. . But the worst thing on earth is to kill them all and dry their seeds for the sake of a bright future for mankind as Jews." This terrifying thought caused the tragedy that killed 6 million Jews.
Guys, we are each different. So it's not that it's bad looking, it's that it looks even better. It is more beautiful to have flowers blooming all year round than when there are only the same flowers in a flower garden. When Jesus sees us, he sees each and every one of us as needy. So you want to preserve them all. They want to create a beautiful garden of heaven together with each other.
The church in Antioch at the time of the early church grew into a very large church. In the church were the royal family Manaen and the servant Simon Niger. Paul the Jew and Manaen the Gentile were with them. Paul, who had a really knowledgeable Ph.D., and Niger Simeon, an ignorant person who didn't even go to elementary school, got along together. Jesus wants to preserve diversity and bring harmony. Jesus' conclusion in today's text is, "So both are preserved." I pray that you and I will be preserved in this foreign land, and that you and I will enjoy the happiness and blessings of heaven together as we all work together to build a beautiful church.