"No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." - Matthew 9:16-17
God is always doing a new thing in our lives. The thing is, we can't experience them fully and benefit from them the way we are intended to if we aren't ready for them. In fact, we will even suffer from these new things if we aren't ready for them.
The Lord Jesus said that old wineskins will burst when new wine is poured on them. This means that old mindsets, even if based on Godly principles, still won't be able to handle new and creative ideas fresh out of a revelation from God's word. This is what happened to the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were religious leaders during Jesus' time. They read Scripture, studied God's law, and taught it to people. However, they were the ones who found Jesus' teachings absurd, offensive, and even unbelievable.
The disciples, however, were able to receive His teachings. How were they able to? It's because they were new wineskins. The Pharisees had a set of rules so rigid that if anyone wouldn't align with their interpretation of Scripture, these people are wrong. The disciples, unlearned as they are, simply took Jesus at His word.
If we want to be able to receive Jesus' teachings, we've got to become new wineskins. If we want to be able to receive and embrace new revelation from God's word, we've got to become new wineskins. New wineskins equals a readiness for the new things of God.
Do you want to be a new wineskin? If you do, here's something that you should do:
Stop enjoying old wine.
That's it?
People remain old wineskins because they still enjoy old wine. They enjoy what's familiar to them. They can't leave their comfort zones. They aren't willing to trade what they find comfortable and trustworthy for something that can only be done through faith.
The Lord Jesus Himself said that old wineskins stay that way because they can't embrace the new wine:
"And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'" (Luke 5:39)
We've got to stop looking back and comparing the former with the new:
"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (see Luke 9:62)
How do we do that?
If we want to be a new wineskin, we've got to forget the former.
"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19)
We've got to let go of the boxes of familiarity and comfort we've stuffed ourselves in. We've got to throw away all the limited perceptions that we have about God and what He can do. We've got to trust and follow His word by faith.
