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Ex. 2
The Bible is made up of parables. They teach us about salvation – our need for it and how it comes to us. Moses’ mother teaches us one such principle. She knew that in order to keep her son she had to lose him. Giving Moses to Pharaoh’s daughter saved his life. We later learn from Jesus that in order to keep what is most precious to us – our life – we also need to lose it. Giving our life to Jesus is what saves it.
Luke 5
I have mused about Jesus’ new versus old parables at the end of this chapter before. However, I haven’t ever really given consideration to His final statement. He said, “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough”. (Lk. 5:39). I suppose this was Jesus’ way of pointing out the unlikeliness that those ingrained in the ways of the Law would embrace His teachings with open arms. For one thing, we humans tend to resist change. For another, when we think we know something, we oppose anything that seeks to change our understanding. The Jewish leaders in particular thought they understood the law and knew what to expect with the promised Messiah. Jesus was a stumbling block for them indeed!
Though I get all of that, I still struggle to make the connection to Jesus’ old wine / new wine statement. I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole looking into that and found several interesting perspectives on this entire passage. If, though, the old wine is the surface obedience to the Law, which the Jewish leaders practiced, and the new wine is the deeper, spiritual application that leads to repentance, which Jesus both taught and enabled, I’d say that the preference for the old wine is related to the wide road / narrow road analogy. That is to say, the old wine is smoother and tastes better. People want to believe that they are good, can pay penance for their own sins, and can have their cake and eat it too. They want the easy road. Jesus is not that easy road.
Job 19
For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:2). I see that truth expressed in Job’s words to his friends. They persisted in slinging accusations at him, determined to fit his situation into their limited understanding of God. If Job was guilty for any of the reasons they so pointedly suggested, however, they, too, would fall under their own judgment. They added to that the guilt of persecuting an innocent man, because Job truly did not bring any of his extensive sufferings on himself by his own actions. Holding people accountable for obvious sin is one thing. But we would do well to let grace override our presumptions.