Post by Lee on Mar 15, 2014 5:15:44 GMT
"His presence excluded the very idea of fasting. It would have been as much out of place in their circumstances as a new piece of cloth in a rotten garment, or new wine in decayed wine-skins. "
- Nazareth Revisited
"He even adopted the similitude of the “new wine,” saying concerning himself as the bridegroom, and concerning his doctrine as opposed to that of the Pharisees: “Men do not put new wine into old bottles (wine skins), else the bottles break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved” (Matt. 9:17). Hence he committed his “gospel of the kingdom” to new men, even to the apostles, his “elect,” and both were preserved. The Pharisees could not contain this doctrine, neither can the clergy to this day. The twentieth century situation with reference to Christ and the inheritance is far more closely analogous to that of the first century than at present appears. When Christ comes there will be a wonderful revelation."
- The Ministry of the Prophets: Isaiah (743–744)
"But there would be a time for mourning, for weeping, and for fasting, which was to be a time of preparation for the final coming of the Bridegroom to the Marriage Feast (of which Levi's rejoicing occasion was a type). That time of preparation has been from the ascent of Christ to his Father's right hand, continuing through the present, to the glorious day of his reappearing—
"Can the children of the bridechamber fast while the Bridegroom is
with them?
"But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from
them, and then shall they fast in those days" (vs. 34-5).
This is an important lesson for us. We are admonished by Paul not to partake of the world's rioting and drunkenness, but rather to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and to make no provision for the flesh. This, however, is not acceptable to the natural man. The world has sought out its own righteousness, its own means of fasting and external manners of showing its own ideas and concepts of righteousness, for its own glory. But in the true fasting for Christ's coming, we are instructed to follow the pattern of putting aside of the flesh, the crucifixion of the Old Man, and rising to newness of life. It becomes (if an acceptable fast) a complete dedication of our lives to serve God and not ourselves. There must be a complete change from the natural form of living; a building of our lives on that sure foundation which is Christ: that foundation of which Luke says— "Which is most surely believed among us."
Jesus enlarges the lesson by presenting it in another form. Men do not take a piece of new cloth and patch it into an old garment. There is no strength, no harmony, no fitness, no acceptable combination that will work in this fashion— "Otherwise the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was added agreeth not with the old" (v. 36).
There can be no harmony between the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit: the Old and the New. There must be a complete change of garment, a removal of the fig-leaf covering of the flesh to the coat-of-skin covering of Christ, which is typified in the memorials of the body and blood of Christ, as we break the loaf in remembrance together each week "until he come." Once more Luke links Jesus' remarks with the feast of Matthew. Men do not take new wine and put it into old bottles (old skin bottles which are dried and withered), for in the process of the strong working of the vigorous new wine, it will burst the old bottles, and both wine and bottles will be lost. Again, we must make provision for the wine of the Truth of God, entering into our hearts, a New Body—
"Buried with him by baptism into death, and risen like him into
newness of life . ."
—new skins, new coverings, provided by God. V. 38—
"New wine must be put into new bottles: and both are preserved."
—preserved unto life everlasting, if we take the proper container,
and if we take the Spirit-Word, the Gospel wine of the Word of God, and put it where it belongs—into a NEW HEART.
"No man also, having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new:
for he saith, The old is better" (v. 39).
Here is the tendency to hold on to that which is natural. Once more Luke takes us back in mind to Matthew's feast, and its many lessons. The old wine (the Mosaic Law), Israel wanted to retain, which they felt was better. But Christ—the new message, the new wine set before them, the
spirit and fulfilment of the Law—was much better. He was the substance, the Law only the shadow. Without him, the Law was nothing, accomplished nothing, perfected nothing. We must realize that the new wine, in its process of working, as all things do in God's economy, will develop into that which in the eyes of God is best.
The lessons, therefore, of Luke are to teach us the better way: the foundation of the "things which are most surely believed among us. And thereby we can attain unto life; not by the works of the flesh, which only tend to death, and have no real satisfaction even in this life, far less in that which is to come. Said Paul— "In my flesh dwelleth no good thing." That is the leprous condition of all flesh. We are unable, in this
state of being, to help ourselves. Spiritually we are by nature completely paralyzed—completely helpless. It is only by a humble recognition of our helplessness that it is possible for our paralyzed condition to be healed by what has been accomplished for us by God through Jesus Christ our Lord— "We can do all things through Christ who strengthened us!" —E.F.H.
1972 Berean 53
- Nazareth Revisited
"He even adopted the similitude of the “new wine,” saying concerning himself as the bridegroom, and concerning his doctrine as opposed to that of the Pharisees: “Men do not put new wine into old bottles (wine skins), else the bottles break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved” (Matt. 9:17). Hence he committed his “gospel of the kingdom” to new men, even to the apostles, his “elect,” and both were preserved. The Pharisees could not contain this doctrine, neither can the clergy to this day. The twentieth century situation with reference to Christ and the inheritance is far more closely analogous to that of the first century than at present appears. When Christ comes there will be a wonderful revelation."
- The Ministry of the Prophets: Isaiah (743–744)
"But there would be a time for mourning, for weeping, and for fasting, which was to be a time of preparation for the final coming of the Bridegroom to the Marriage Feast (of which Levi's rejoicing occasion was a type). That time of preparation has been from the ascent of Christ to his Father's right hand, continuing through the present, to the glorious day of his reappearing—
"Can the children of the bridechamber fast while the Bridegroom is
with them?
"But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from
them, and then shall they fast in those days" (vs. 34-5).
This is an important lesson for us. We are admonished by Paul not to partake of the world's rioting and drunkenness, but rather to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and to make no provision for the flesh. This, however, is not acceptable to the natural man. The world has sought out its own righteousness, its own means of fasting and external manners of showing its own ideas and concepts of righteousness, for its own glory. But in the true fasting for Christ's coming, we are instructed to follow the pattern of putting aside of the flesh, the crucifixion of the Old Man, and rising to newness of life. It becomes (if an acceptable fast) a complete dedication of our lives to serve God and not ourselves. There must be a complete change from the natural form of living; a building of our lives on that sure foundation which is Christ: that foundation of which Luke says— "Which is most surely believed among us."
Jesus enlarges the lesson by presenting it in another form. Men do not take a piece of new cloth and patch it into an old garment. There is no strength, no harmony, no fitness, no acceptable combination that will work in this fashion— "Otherwise the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was added agreeth not with the old" (v. 36).
There can be no harmony between the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit: the Old and the New. There must be a complete change of garment, a removal of the fig-leaf covering of the flesh to the coat-of-skin covering of Christ, which is typified in the memorials of the body and blood of Christ, as we break the loaf in remembrance together each week "until he come." Once more Luke links Jesus' remarks with the feast of Matthew. Men do not take new wine and put it into old bottles (old skin bottles which are dried and withered), for in the process of the strong working of the vigorous new wine, it will burst the old bottles, and both wine and bottles will be lost. Again, we must make provision for the wine of the Truth of God, entering into our hearts, a New Body—
"Buried with him by baptism into death, and risen like him into
newness of life . ."
—new skins, new coverings, provided by God. V. 38—
"New wine must be put into new bottles: and both are preserved."
—preserved unto life everlasting, if we take the proper container,
and if we take the Spirit-Word, the Gospel wine of the Word of God, and put it where it belongs—into a NEW HEART.
"No man also, having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new:
for he saith, The old is better" (v. 39).
Here is the tendency to hold on to that which is natural. Once more Luke takes us back in mind to Matthew's feast, and its many lessons. The old wine (the Mosaic Law), Israel wanted to retain, which they felt was better. But Christ—the new message, the new wine set before them, the
spirit and fulfilment of the Law—was much better. He was the substance, the Law only the shadow. Without him, the Law was nothing, accomplished nothing, perfected nothing. We must realize that the new wine, in its process of working, as all things do in God's economy, will develop into that which in the eyes of God is best.
The lessons, therefore, of Luke are to teach us the better way: the foundation of the "things which are most surely believed among us. And thereby we can attain unto life; not by the works of the flesh, which only tend to death, and have no real satisfaction even in this life, far less in that which is to come. Said Paul— "In my flesh dwelleth no good thing." That is the leprous condition of all flesh. We are unable, in this
state of being, to help ourselves. Spiritually we are by nature completely paralyzed—completely helpless. It is only by a humble recognition of our helplessness that it is possible for our paralyzed condition to be healed by what has been accomplished for us by God through Jesus Christ our Lord— "We can do all things through Christ who strengthened us!" —E.F.H.
1972 Berean 53