Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Luke 5:27-39
It shouldn’t be surprising that some people, represented here by the Pharisees, looked down on aspects of Jesus’ ministry. They were probably fine with Jesus calling people to repentance (5:32), but the social interaction with sinners was the problem. Imagine, in our day, how different the level and tone of discourse around contentious issues would be if, instead of picketing or name-calling, the first thing we (or any group) did was to get to know the ‘enemy,’ the ‘other.’
As the Church discerns its ministry in the world, especially sensitive to the needs of those beyond its walls, there will be movements and expressions that those already within the fold will find lacking or problematic in some way. The Jesus we have in today’s passage isn’t dismissing the old wine, but in radically welcoming everyone, I sense that his listeners are being called to sensitively co-exist with others, matching the wine to the proper wineskin.
Just as Jesus didn’t jettison fasting outright (5:35), those of us who like our music or liturgy a certain way can (I hope!) remain confident that there will be a place for us to worship in a way that we find spiritually nourishing. No matter what group or style with which we associate I hope that we can all live together in a productive and supportive relationship, rather than let our differences ruin our cloaks and wineskins.
- Matthew Kieswetter
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