Ponderings on Mark 2

(an excerpt from verses 19 through 24)

And Jesus said unto them,

“Can the children of the bridechamber 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 shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: or else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no man puts new wine into old bottles: or else the new wine would burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.”

And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him,

“Behold, why do they do on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?”

In verse 16 we see the catalyst for Jesus’ words:

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, “How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?”

Jesus hears this and replies:

“They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”

Which is when Jesus is questioned about fasting and we see the familiar use of spiritual metaphor in his response.

So what is being said?

No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: or else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old, and the tear is made worse

and

no man puts new wine into old bottles: or else the new wine would burst the bottles, and the wine would spill, and the bottles will be marred:

and

new wine must be put into new bottles

It’s like Jesus is saying that he is the bridegroom and the piece of new cloth and the new wine.

And his generation, his time, humanity then is the old garment and the old bottles;

And there needs to be a new garment to be able to contain the new cloth, new bottles to be able to contain the new wine.

And there is a tear between his generation or time and the next generation or time.

And his being there will make things worse for the old garment and the old bottles because what he has and is, is brand new.

And that tear is the law. The longer Jesus is there, the more he exposes the flaws between a doctrine of legalism and a doctrine of grace.

And the tear still exists. And there still needs to be a place to put the new wine because the alternative is to let it spill and go to waste.

So like wine ages, his teachings will age until a new time comes again:

And there are new bottles able to contain the new wine, and he can create the new out of the old garment:

And maybe, just maybe:

That’s also why the mixing of fabrics was so looked down on too.

Because if you choose the law you are effectively making the sacrifice of Jesus worthless.

And if you use grace as an excuse to sin- you are making a mockery of the one you claim to love.