In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus speaks of  new wine/New Unshrunken Cloth, what is this. What is the new thing that Jesus spoke about. And why would it spoil, tear or the burst the old?

The New that Jesus presents is the Message of Love and Hope that Jesus brings gives the world, but not as the world sees it, but as God sees it. One of the terms of this newness is unconditional forgiveness. Another is free. Yet another is for all. The thing that he offers is wholeness, peace, tranquility, satisfaction, no war, rest, which one can receive in Him alone. But there is a catch, to receive all this, we cannot come with the way the world (old) understand things. You have to learn to trust him, through experience, and thus must follow Him in obedience… The way may be dangerous, undesirable, revolting (according to worldly view), yet the trust that we gain should lead us to confidently follow, because it leads to hope and wholeness.

We can understand this following by looking at Jesus. He desired to bring wholeness to the world by re-uniting it with the Father. So the Father lead Him down a path, which He also was not comfortable with; like all the ridicule, rejection and persecution He faces at the hand of His people. In Gethsemane we hear Him say, ‘Father, if possible, take this cup away, yet not my will but yours be done’. In the process He was nailed to the cross and died. Finally, He was Resurrected.

To be a follower, Jesus and attain the New Wine, we must learn to obey. We all falter and fail, but our sincerity, should understand that this is a process, only in the falling/failing, again and again, we will learn to be prudent, learn to be observant, and will learn to avoid and do better. The failing is a process, we need to be humble and accept it, ask pardon for it and in all sincerity, learn to be obedient to the call to follow, through paths and processes we may not like.

When God choose Saul as king over Israel, He knew Saul’s flaws. Yet He choose Him to learn and grow into a wise ruler, someone to be an example to all Israel, to imitate in worship and obedience of God. Thus bring prosperity, peace and security to all. A time came and He stopped wanting to learn from God (gave up on the difficult process), and wanted to please the people. Then is when God counted him as failure and not fit to rule Israel.

Mark Samuel’s words to Saul;

‘the Lord does not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    He delights more in you putting your trust in Him and obeying Him.
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen better than then the fat of rams, offered in sacrifice.
Not to obey is like rebellion against God, just like divination, is to consider oneself as god,
    and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.’