“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.” [Luke 5: 37-38]
Have you ever wanted to start over?
I sure have, lots of times, and I’m betting that I’m not alone. I suspect that most of us, at one time or another, have wished we could just hit the RESET key.
That’s a great blessing of following Jesus. Through Him, God offers a new beginning. Each day, each hour, each moment is an opportunity to start over. I’m not a prisoner of my past, my genetics, or my circumstances. I can change. But there’s a funny little catch.
If you want to change, you have to change.
That may sound like the silliest statement you’ve ever heard, but think about it for a moment. How often have you encountered someone (maybe yourself?) who wants things to be different, but without really changing anything?
- Want to lose weight? Sure. Okay, but you have to eat differently. Yeah, but I really like ice cream and chocolate.
- Want to break that addiction? Absolutely. Well, you may need to change your surroundings, stop going certain places or hanging out with certain people. Yeah, but they’re my friends!
- Want others to respond differently to you? Yeah. Then let’s change some of the behaviors that turn people away. But I can’t do that—it’s just the way I am.
- Want to learn and grow? Certainly. Good—now let go of those ideas and prejudices that you’ve allowed to define you. Seriously—you mean I have to think differently, maybe even admit that I was wrong? (Hills Worth Fighting For)
- Want to follow Jesus? Of course. So, love your enemies. Yeah, but surely you don’t mean I have to love THOSE people, right?
I’d guess that most of us see ourselves somewhere in this kind of internal conversation. Why can’t THEY change? Why does it have to work this way? Why do I have to give up stuff I like?
Why can’t I change without changing?
Jesus knew about this desire for new outcomes from old habits.
He told them this parable: “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.” [Luke 5: 36]
Jesus brought a new covenant, a fresh start, and freedom from the oppressive rules and laws that often separate people from God. He offered new wine and fresh, clean clothing.
And can’t you just hear the response?
But why should I throw away the comfortable, familiar old jeans? I know they’re pretty worn, but can’t we use your new garment to sort of fill in the holes? You don’t really want us to just toss them out, do you?
Of course we want new results … but why do we have to change?
The more I learn of Jesus, the more I realize the truly radical nature of His message. He never intended to fix the broken pieces with a little super glue while leaving things mostly intact..
Jesus came to declare something entirely fresh and completely new. He didn’t intend to patch us, but to totally transform us. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, those who follow Jesus are “a new creation.”
This new creation, this fresh start, is yours and mine for the taking. No requirements, no preconditions, no qualifications. You claim it and it’s yours.
But you can’t keep the old stuff. The comfortable political convictions, the convenient divisiveness that lets you associate with the “right” people and avoid the “wrong” folks, the familiar traditions—they all have to go. You can’t change without changing.
Jesus isn’t a patch for us to justify retaining our preferences, comforts, and desires, the old ways to which we’d really like to cling if we could just mend the results a bit.
He’s an entirely new Way.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! [2 Corinthians 5:17]
What’s a place in your life in which you’ve tried to change without changing?
-
Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment or send me an email.
-
Please use the icons below to share this article.
- Want to receive free updates? You can follow by RSS, or email updates.
Related articles: