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 NEW WINESKINS

Luke 5:27-39

Key Verse: 5:38  “No, new wine must be poured into new wineskin.”

  From the outset of his earthly Messianic ministry, Jesus called his first disciples. In chapter 5, Jesus calls two disciples. They are Simon the fisherman (5:1-11), and Levi, a tax collector. From the human point of view, they were lower-classed than ordinary people. But, Jesus saw them with the hope of God and called them to be his disciples.  In today’s passage we learn how Jesus calls a man by the name of Levi, a tax collector. While studying this passage, God may give us the eyes of Jesus and the learning mind of his disciples. Amen.

First, a man named Levi (27a). Look at verse 27a. “After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.”  The words “After this” indicates after Jesus healed a paralyzed man who had been carried by his four friends.  When the friends of the paralytic could not find a way to bring his friend before Jesus because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles in the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. People thought that they were rude, violent and senseless. But Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (5:20) Then Jesus raised him up from the mat, saying, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately the man stood up in front of the people, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Through this event Jesus manifested that he has authority on earth to forgive sins. (24) 

  After this, Jesus went out leaving the crowd. On the way he saw a man sitting at a tax booth all by himself. He was a tax collector by the name of Levi. In order to understand what kind of person Levi was, we need to learn what tax collectors were. At Jesus’ time, tax collectors were regarded as quislings or public sinners. It was because tax collectors squeezed their own people to get more taxes. At that time, Israel was under the Roman Empire. The Roman government hired native people from her colonial countries in order to collect tax with ease. Tax collectors paid certain amount of taxes to the Roman government and took rest of them into their pockets. So the more they squeezed people, the more money tax collectors earned. In chapter 3, John the Baptist rebuked tax collectors to repent, saying, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” (3:12).

The Jews hated tax collectors not only because of their extortion, but also because of their treason. They thought that tax collectors sold their Jewish identity for the sake of money. So they said, “Wolves on mountain, tax collectors on street.” Most people passed the tax collector’s booth hurriedly, as if they were passing by a leper’s quarantine.  They probably had a premonition that they would have nightmares or encounter unfortunate events when they passed a tax collector on the road. Levi was one of the tax collectors. Like other tax collectors, Levi chose this job to survive in such tough world. He made lots of money as he wished, but he was not happy.  It was because he was always all by himself. No one wanted to hang around him. He was very lonely. But he could not buy friends with his money. He spent many sleepless nights because of the loneliness. The day Jesus passed by his tax booth, Levi was sitting all by himself. People avoided him, but Jesus approached him. Jesus who came to Levi is our good friend who knows us, comes to help us, and saves us. Amen.

Second, follow me (27b-32).  What did Jesus say to Levi? Look at verse 27b. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him.” Jesus called Levi by saying, “Follow me.” It is Jesus’ invitation for a new life. In the past, Levi followed social consensus that money is everything. He followed money. When he followed money, he got lost. He sold his identity of being God’s chosen people and cheated his conscience for the sake of money. When he followed money, he became miserable and lonely. Now, Jesus invited him for a new life by saying, “Follow me.” Jesus’ invitation is to bring Levi to his home. At that time, Jesus had no home on this earth. But Jesus had a home to bring his people to dwell: that is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus invited Levi to his home, the kingdom of God, where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. (Rev 21:4)

When Jesus called him, “Follow me,” Jesus put hope in Levi. People saw Levi as a wretched man who should be eliminated from this earth. They saw him a selfish penny pincher and heartless traitor. They did not put any hope in him. But Jesus did not see him that way. Jesus saw Levi as a lost sheep which needs a shepherd. Jesus saw Levi as a victim of ungodly society and of cruel reality. Jesus saw that Levi was an able man, but he was misled by Satan which made him only selfish by using his ability for making money. People saw Levi as a useless and wretched man. But Jesus saw the greatness of God in Levi. If Levi was changed, he would become a great and sacrificial servant of God. Thus, Jesus saw Levi with the hope of God. Jesus’ hope was right. Later, since Levi followed Jesus, he was changed. He became a great Saint Matthew, who wrote the Sermon on Mount.

When Jesus calls each of us, he sees us with the hope of God. Sometimes, we don’t put any hope in ourselves because of our weakness and sinfulness. However, Jesus still puts his hope on us, prays for us, and waits on us until we overcome ourselves and grow as great servants of God. As Jesus sees us with hope, so we must see others with the hope of God by finding the greatness of God in them. And let us pray that our hope may be fulfilled. Jesus who calls us is the God of hope. Amen.

When Jesus called him, “Follow me,” he decided to raise Levi as one of his disciples. “Follow me” means “Be my disciple.” A disciple is a student or a learner. Jesus called Levi to learn of him. In the past, Levi learned how to make money. He learned how to be selfish and heartless. But, now Jesus wants Levi to learn how to be sacrificial and compassionate to others. Jesus wants him to learn how to be humble and gentle to become a shepherd of God’s people. Jesus wants him to learn how to enter the kingdom of God and to bring sinners into the kingdom of God. Levi will not be lonely any more since he learns of Jesus. By learning of Jesus, Levi’s life is full of hope, vision and meaning.

When Levi heard Jesus’ calling, “follow me”, he felt that the heavenly sunlight shone around him. At the same time, Levi could see God in Jesus. So he immediately responded to Jesus’ calling. Look at verse 28. “and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Levi was a man of determination. He did not hesitate when he was called. Immediately he got up, left everything and followed Jesus. Determination followed by action is a quality of being Jesus’ disciple.

To Levi, learning of Jesus was as sweet as tasting honey. For the first time, he experienced unutterable joy when he spent his money to serve others. So he held a great banquet for Jesus at his house and invited many people around him. A large crowd of tax collectors and others, including ‘sinners,’ came to see Levi’s new life. Levi, filled with thanks and joy, provided all kinds of food and drink for his guests. Simon Peter, John, and James were there, eating with much gusto and huge appetites, as were Levi’s fellow tax collectors. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were unhappy. They complained to Jesus’ disciples saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” (30) They meant, “Jesus, if you are the Messiah, you must keep away from the ‘sinners.’  The Pharisees were religious leaders of the times. They knew something about ritualistic ceremonies. But they did not have the compassion of God. So the Pharisees condemned Jesus and his disciples as friends of tax collectors and sinners.

How did Jesus answer them? Look at verses 31,32. “Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Here we learn the purpose of Jesus’ coming to this world. He came to the world to heal the sick with the love of God. He came to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. Jesus came to this world to call sinners to repent and to bring them to the kingdom of God. Praise Jesus! 

Third, new wineskins (33-39). While the Pharisees became silent, others challenged Jesus. “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” (33)  Fasting is an intensive prayer by refraining from eating. The practice of fasting began with sincere longing for the holiness of God and the expression of true repentance. But, at Jesus’ time, fasting was hypocritical and became ritual. The Pharisees fasted twice a week. (Lk 18:12) But, Jesus’ disciples were not used to ritualism. They ate, drank and enjoyed freedom. They were just happy by hanging around Jesus. It made the teachers of the law very upset.

   How did Jesus defend his disciples? Look at verses 34,35. “Jesus answered, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” According to the Jewish custom, people did not fast during the joyous occasion like wedding feast. Here Jesus compared himself to a bridegroom and his disciples to the guests of the bridegroom.  As long as they were with Jesus, they did not have to be sorrowful or fast out of depression. But, when Jesus is arrested and taken away to be crucified on the cross for our sins, they have to fast out of unbearable sorrow. It is amazing that Jesus compared sinners’ dinner to the wedding feast.  Jesus is our eternal bridegroom who restores joy to this sinful world. Where there is Jesus, there is true joy and freedom.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very unhappy because Jesus’ disciples were very happy.

  Jesus told them this parable. Look at verses 36. “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.” In this parable Jesus compared the Pharisees’ fixed idea to the old garment and the newness of Jesus to the new patch. The Pharisees didn’t understand Jesus’ teaching with their fixed idea. Jesus told them another parable. Look at verses 37-39.  “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” In ancient times, goatskins were used to hold wine. As the fresh grape juice fermented, the wine would expand, and the new wineskin would stretch. But a used skin, already stretched, would break. For this reason, people pour new wine into new wineskins. Jesus compared the Pharisees to old wineskins, which cannot hold the newness of Jesus. When Jesus served sinners with God’s compassion, the Pharisees blew up. On the contrary, Jesus’ disciples were like new wineskins. As we know, they were unschooled low-class people. But, they were ambitious and adventurous like elastic and dynamic new wineskins, in making many successes as well as many mistakes. Above all, they were full of learning mind. Because of this learning mind they could grow unlimitedly until they became Saints and great teachers in human history.

  When we carefully study about Jesus’ disciples, they have a common point, which is a learning mind. For example, Simon was a veteran fisherman and Jesus was a junior carpenter. But, when Jesus asked Simon to put out into deep water and let down the net for a catch, Simon obeyed Jesus. Simon Peter had a great learning mind of Jesus. When Levi, a tax collector, was called, he left everything to follow Jesus. He followed Jesus to learn of him. Their learning mind made them great. When we lose our learning mind, we stop growing. On the contrary, when we learn from Jesus, we keep on growing until we become great servants of God like Jesus’ disciples and St. Paul. Missionary Sarah Barry speaks in Korean fluently. It is because she studied Korean diligently in order to teach the Bible to Korean students. Dr. Samuel Lee stayed late nights very often to study American English. He studied American history to win Americans with the gospel, read many Russian history books to understand Russians, and visited Africa to share sufferings with missionaries in Africa. Because of his great learning mind, God used him to expand God’s kingdom to 90 countries thus far, raising many disciples of Jesus. When we lose learning mind, we become useless old wineskins. We must be changed. We must be ready to accept all kinds of people who have many kinds of ideas. Above all, God wants us to have Jesus’ compassion and sincere repentance. These days I found that I have lost learning mind. May God help me to restore learning mind so that I may learn of Jesus’ compassion and his shepherd life. Amen.

  In today’s passage we learned that Jesus called Levi a tax collector with the hope of God. There is real hope in Jesus. There is new life in Jesus. There is real joy in Jesus. Now it is time for us to invite Jesus into our hearts. Let us pray, “Lord Jesus. I invite you in my life. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.  I repent of my selfishness and pride. Please forgive me and accept me as your disciple.” Amen.

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• NEW WINESKIN-message.doc

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