New Wine and Bottles Preserved - Luke 5:38

The beloved physician Luke shared how Jesus, “spake also a parable unto” the religious leaders known as the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, “No man puts a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new makes a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old. And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish”, and in chapter five and verse thirty-eight of his book Luke shares how Jesus tells a parable about putting “new wine into new bottles; and both are preserved” where we read:

But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

The verse reads, “But new wine must be put into new bottles;” Luke began with the words, “but new wine” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding, moreover and the freshly and recently made wine made from the fruit of the vine” “must be put into new bottles” which means “has to be poured into freshly and recently made leather bottles”. Luke shared how Jesus said the “new wine” must be poured into “new leather bottles”.

The verse goes on to say, “and both are preserved.” Luke added the words, “and both” which means “and the freshly and recently made wine and leather bottles” “are preserved” or “are kept from perishing or being lost and forgotten”. Luke shared how both the “fresh wine” and the “recently made” leather bottles are “kept from perishing” when “new wine” is poured into them.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how Jesus desired for the “fresh wine” and the “fresh leather bottles” to be “kept from perishing and being lost”. Jesus knew the way of the “scribes and Pharisees” was like unto “old, well-worn and ancient” “leather bottles”, and when His “new way” or “new wine” was poured into them, there was no way to preserve them. “Leather bottles” needed the “oil” of God's Holy Spirit to be applied to them before the “fresh wine” was poured in, and when they became as “new leather bottles”, they would retain the “new way” Jesus was presenting to them. It is interesting to note that Jesus desired for both the “wine” and the “bottles” to be “preserved”, and because sometimes there are great differences between the “new way” and the “old”, they become competitors or opponents rather than desiring to work with one another. Denominations have been birthed over such great divides, and although God is always doing a “new” thing, this does not invalidate the “old” but rather calls for both the “new” and the “old” to work together to “preserve” both.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says, “the old is better”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".