New wine must be put into new wineskins

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

- Mark 2:13-22

Yesterday, we read about the healing of the paralytic, whose friends lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven, and the scribes present wondered. This was blasphemy, who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus said, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." The man was healed, and all glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. My study bible suggests that, as a tax collector, Matthew (or Levi, as he is called here) is perhaps the most highly educated among the Twelve Apostles. He has a powerful position in the society. It is probably not the first time they have met, but the words "Follow Me" constitute a calling, a command - not merely a suggestion. We all have the choice whether to respond or not. But we can see the evolution in Mark's Gospel: yesterday, Jesus "broke through" an understanding of the scribes, that "the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." Today, He chooses a tax collector as one of His apostles -- whose own Gospel is the first in our New Testament. Tax collectors were considered sinners: they collected taxes for the foreign Roman state, with coin bearing the image of the rulers who were considered gods, and were easily in a position to take more for themselves.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. This image is an important turning point in Jesus' ministry: He eats and drinks with outcasts, sinners. This is another revelation of God: He wants to break down the barrier between Himself and all people, and claim them back for Himself if they are willing to answer that call. My study bible says that Jesus recognizes these people as a definable group. It says, "It is possible to follow Jesus and remain in one's social class; however, friends no longer come first." In other words, we are called out of a sinful state (see yesterday's reading and commentary about "spiritual paralysis") to "Follow Him."

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Repentance, we remember, is a "change of mind." So, spiritual ailments, even spiritual paralysis, requires that we do an about-face, we change our minds. We turn toward God and ask for direction, opening our hearts to God's way for us. And this is healing and mercy. "Mercy" in the Greek sounds the same as the word for "olive oil" and is related to anointing oil: it is an image of healing balm - the basis for all ointment at this time. We make the choice to follow the call: God's mercy does the healing as we turn toward God to "change our minds" and find new direction, new choices to substitute for the past. This is a lifelong process of growth and spiritual direction. My study bible puts it this way: "The teachers of the Law sought to expel evil; Christ comes to transform it. Jesus does not become unclean by contact with the unclean. Rather, His touch makes the unclean clean."

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." Here's a turnabout: not only does Jesus dine with sinners, but His disciples are also not observing the rules of fasting, as do the disciples of John and the Pharisees. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we have incidents in which it is love that motivates action, and love triumphs over everything. The love of God, of Christ personally, accompanies with it a feeling of great joy at this gift of companionship, and in the understanding of the love of God. My study bible points out the difference between "dead works" which are good in themselves but of legalistic nature, and righteousness that comes through faith and is accompanied by "wholesome works." It says, "Many Pharisees were masters of dead works; some tax collectors and many sinners would become masters of true righteousness." Jesus doesn't condemn fasting as a helpful and good practice; rather, He says they will fast after He is taken away from them.

"No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins." The newness of His teachings and ministry, "breaking through," if you will, into the world, is emphasized here. It all looks different, and it all is different - even if it is a fulfillment of the Scriptures. It is unexpected, and brings with it new notions about renewal itself within us. And it is, even more deeply, a call toward repentance or change of mind. To hold the new wine, we need our own change of mind or transformation, from a "legalistic" framework to one of the joy of being with Christ. It is expansive -- and will burst the old skins. It contains much joy and love, and more. It is beyond the framework, the box, of formulaic acts or works -- and in our own practice as Christians, we are called always to remember this for ourselves!

Let's think about what "bursts through" those wineskins. It's not enough to mouth the words, to go through our prescribed rituals, but these must be accompanied with something that makes them much larger than what we see on the surface. All pious works are designed to hold this "new wine" - to make room for the mysteries of joy and growth and love and mercy. This is what our sacraments are for. They contain far more than what a worldly perspective can understand or see, and make room for more. My study bible points out that many have read into this feast (in today's reading) a prefiguring of the Eucharist. This joy, then, is something we can see in our own traditions today: the Eucharist is an invitation to participate in all that He brings to us, all that He means, His life, His death and His Resurrection, His full companionship and the promise of what that means. It's an invitation to participate in a heavenly kingdom, where love is the currency. Let's remember the exuberant acts of love in the Gospels that may not look like "good works," and remember the need for new wineskins. The "old" simply cannot contain the energy and love and joy that the "new" promises. And the "new" is on offer to us every day if we but turn to Him wherever we are, so that we too in some way are "renewed."