Old & New Cloth – Old & New Wineskins
Parable Lesson #4
by Michael Bailey
Who does Jesus declare He is, and what is His mission?
Parables of Jesus – Lesson 4
Read for background knowledge and context: Daniel 7:13-14, Jeremiah 31:31-34,Hebrews 7:18-8:13, Luke 22:14-23.
Matthew 9:1-17
1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves,“This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe, and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
Ponder this: (v 2) Whose faith did Jesus see? What did Jesus do first for the paralyzed man? (v3) Why did the teachers of the law accuse Jesus of blasphemy? What is the answer to Jesus’s question in verse 5? Who does Jesus declare he is in verse 6? (Daniel 7:13-14.) What was the crowd’s reaction to the miracle?
Self-reflect: Who needs your faith-filled prayers? How could you give more praise to God for the work He does in your life and the lives of others?
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ *(Hosea 6:6) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
*Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Ponder this: Why do you think Matthew readily followed Jesus when He called him? Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners? Is Jesus a doctor? How? What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’? In verse 13, who are the righteous?
Self-reflect: When has God asked you to follow Him in your life? Did you know the destination? Who are the tax collectors and sinners you need to eat with? What are the dangers in doing this? Who needs your faith-filled prayers for healing from their sinful condition?
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out, and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Ponder this: What is fasting, and how should we do it? (Matthew: 6:16-18) How often did the law require fasting? (Leviticus 16:29-31) How frequently were John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasting? What is Jesus’ first answer to John’s disciples’ question? How does he describe himself, and what is going to happen to Him? (Isaiah 54:4-8), (Hosea 2:16-23)
What does Jesus reveal?
What do the two parables reveal? Did Jesus come to fix the rabbinical traditions?
Was the Law and the First Covenant faulty? Who was at fault? What did Jesus come to do? (Matthew 5:17-20)
Self-reflect: Why might you choose to fast today? What is the danger of mixing Jewish laws and rituals with grace and the New Covenant? Jesus challenges our way of thinking through his Word. Do you embrace the challenge, or do you push Jesus off?