echoes of redemption

New wine is not put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed.

These are Jesus’ words in Matthew 9 – they are a beautiful metaphor that clearly illustrate how he views both himself and the world – and they beg the question, what are the wineskins he is talking about?

Jesus is talking to the pharisees – so is it the people themselves he’s talking about as being old wineskins? That certain people don’t have the capacity for the Kingdom and they are people destined for destruction?

This is pretty unlikely, as we see one of the central messages of Jesus’ life is welcoming the people who no one thinks can make it into the Kingdom.

So is Jesus talking about the Jewish religion or culture in general when he says the new wine will not go into old wineskins? That the day for Judaism had come and was now gone?

This is radically unlikely, as Jesus saw himself fulfilling every letter of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament). The Jews had been promised Messiah and now he was here – so this was exactly what was supposed to fit into their faith.

So it’s not the people and it’s not the faith. And now we have to ask, what’s left?

Jesus dropped this phrase in the middle of a conversation where he was being criticized for not leading his followers in fasting, and just after a critique he received about spending his time with the tax collectors and sinners – those the religious way had rejected.

Could it be that Jesus was referring to how the pharisees presupposed God works in the world?

That the things they viewed God as doing, and not doing – the ways they saw him blessing, and not blessing – that those ways of viewing the world were outdated? That the new wine of Jesus was too much for their view of how God works?

Which begs another question – am I presupposing God works in a certain way? Do I look for him to operate, and be absent, in areas where he does not operate and in places he truly is present? Do my views need to change?

Because Jesus is the new wine. And old wineskins aren’t enough to hold him.

New wine is put into fresh wineskins so both are preserved.

The Sermon on the Mount is a radically subversive manifesto of the ways of Jesus’ Kingdom.

And it starts with the key message: blessed are those who struggle.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
– Heaven belongs to those whose spirits are broken, empty or hurt.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
– Because the only way to experience God’s blessing of comfort is to meet him in mourning.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
– Those who cannot stand for themselves will be given the most in the Kingdom.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
– Hunger and thirst both imply a total lacking. Those who have the least will find the most.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
– No the great leaders, dazzling personalities or  super gifted. The ones who have nothing greater to give but mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
– Those who are simple, without adding superficial layers of desire to their lives, find God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
– Those who have given up the most (pride, money, status) in their life to pursue peace – because sacrifice is the way of the Kingdom.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
– Those who have lost the most for Jesus name have the most to gain in his Kindom.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
– The momentum of the Kingdom is found in brokenness, and when you join it, you find yourself in the position where only the richness of God can bless you.

So blessed are those who struggle. Blessed are the people who can’t seem to get it together. Blessed are the spiritual losers.

Because when we find ourselves here – broken, hurting and lost – when we find ourselves in a place where only God can rescue – that is when we experience him at his best. When our lives are drenched in the richness of his grace. When we really start getting blessed.

People in our culture grumble about rain.

Which is funny – because rain is one of the central signs of God’s blessing as you read through Scripture.

God will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. (Deuteronomy 11:14)

Central to the Israelite’s identity was the Promised Land – a division of land given to them by their God to establish their national identity and the stories of their families. In order to thrive on this land God promised to show them favor by sending rain. But not just normal rain – early rain. And late rain. Rain that extended beyond the normal season. An extra blessing.

Of course, rain is messy. It gets our stuff all wet. The streets get murky. It’s harder to navigate the city.

So we curse the rain.

Scripture says rain is a blessing and we find ourselves upset with the moment of the storm.

Which makes you wonder how many other blessings of God we curse because they are slightly inconvenient for us.

Could it be the prayers we’ve been praying are answered through the circumstances we find ourselves in? That the hard times, the rain storms of life, are really God’s blessing on us as he moves in our lives?

Could it be that instead of cursing the storms, we simply thank God?

The early rain and the late rain are hard storms to endure, but they are exactly what we need to grow – they are the signs of God’s blessing on our lives.