Wineskins

  “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

  A quick visit to Wikipedia explained what happens to old wineskins. Made from an entire animal hide, usually from a goat, they were stretched thin by the volume of liquid inside. The leather would also become brittle as wine continued its fermentation process. Using them for new wine risked bursting the hide.

  Why is it so important to save an old wineskin? If not for wine, was it reused to carry water or oil? Olive oil would “heal” brittle leather. So would butter. Milk and cheese were other items wineskins were used to transport.

  Considering the amount of work that goes into tanning leather, it would make sense for the wineskins to be used for as long as possible.

  So how does this parable fit as a metaphor for following Jesus?

  Perhaps Jesus is foreshadowing the Last Supper, when He gave us the gift of wine to represent the blood He shed for us. Our old skin, our sinful nature, would not be able to bear such a gift. If we didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, why would we partake of the Last supper anyways? Unless…

  Lord, I admit only You know what is in our hearts but I feel led this morning to lift anyone up to You who may simply be going through the motions of Christian religious practices and ritual.

  Dear readers, I ask you to pray with me because together our prayers will span the globe! Where one or two gather in Jesus’ name, He will be there with us.

  Lord, we pray You will bless all of us who pilgrimage to church on Sunday with new wineskins for a renewed and richer faith in Jesus Christ. For those of us whose wineskins are empty, may we be filled to bursting with the love You have for each one of us. This we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.