Plot Twist: Patches and Wineskins

CLCC Church Podcast

Plot Twist – Didn’t See That Coming

Sermon: Patches and Wineskins

Luke 5:36-39

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that the Kingdom of God is surprisingly different and adaptable in order to accomplish the Lord’s purposes.

In this new series we are talking about how Jesus surprises us with his understanding of life. Last week his understanding of the fatherhood of God shocked everyone who listened to the parable of the lost son. This week he tells us what the Kingdom of God is like.

For 1st Century Jews, brought up in the traditions of their fathers, Jesus’ words were very radical. This new way of seeing the people of God was shocking. The raw material of the Kingdom came from the worst backgrounds, like Levi the tax collector, and they acted like the Kingdom of God was a party.

To summarize his points, Jesus uses a parable that teaches that Jesus is doing something so new and different that it is incompatible with the old way of being the people of God. He promises new wine, often used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit; to teach that the new ways of the Kingdom of God would be designed to meet whatever needs would be encountered in the ages to come.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Discuss the meaning of the Kingdom of God as those over whom the Lord reigns. Contrast it with the Kingdom of this World.

2. What is the purpose of the Kingdom of God (see Rev. 11:15). How will this be accomplished?

3. Discuss the new wine and new cloth imagery of the parable. Is this a warning that the new way of being the people of God is going to be radically different from the old ways?

4. In verse 39 explain the warning about people who love the old wine.

5. Why is it so important to remember that the Gospel adapts to meet the needs of new generations yet somehow remains essentially the same?

6. Before the new wine can be made, some grapes have to be squished. Reflect on how this has been true in your life in terms of how change is hard and often involves crushing pain before renewal can take effect.