1When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was at home. 2Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. 3Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. 4When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. 5Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’ 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11“I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.”
12He arose, and immediately took up the mat and went out in front of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
13He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them. 14As he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
15He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. 16The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
18John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
19Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made. 22No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”
23He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”
25He said to them, “Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? 26How he entered into God’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?”
27He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
New Wine in Old Wineskins
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Once I bought a queen sized mattress online for my camper. It came in the mail through Amazon and when it arrived it was just a couple of feet long and a couple of feet wide. I wasn’t even sure what it was until I opened the box. It was quite heavy. I carefully cut away the cardboard box and then the inner plastic package, and it expanded into a huge firm mattress. It all happened quickly and I’m just glad I was in a room big enough that nothing got knocked over by the expanding mattress. The challenge then came. How in the world could I compress this thing back down again to be small enough to get out of the house and into the camper door and put it up on the bunk where it was supposed to go. I tried to fold it. I tried to compress it with a belt. I soon realized that the mattress could never been compressed enough to fit in that old package. That’s sort of like putting a new patch on old clothes or putting new fermenting wine into an old wine skin. It just won’t fit.
When you came to Christ, you were made a new creature (2 Cor 5:17). You now have the Holy Spirit residing within you and no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to go comfortably back to your old life. You might flirt with going there and fitting in, but you can’t fit into that package again. You won’t no matter how much you try. The truth of the matter is that you are now in Jesus and He is within you. “13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” (1 John 4:13) You now belong in Him and He dwells within you. That’s a safe and secure place to be. It is so much better than what you came from, so relax and enjoy that new relationship. Thank the Lord today that He has made you a new creation, and today He dwells in you and you in Him. Ask Him to lead, guide, and direct you today in every way you should go. And ask yourself, “Why would I ever want to go back to where I came from?” That lifestyle is just an “old wineskin” or an “old garment”. You don’t belong there anymore.