Be filled with New Wine

(Luke 5:39 KJV) No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

The old wine represents the established teachings of Moses, it was old and preferred by the Jews because they were accustomed to the "taste", those that eventually accepted the new wine (but not straight away) came to understand it the way Paul did.

Paul presented the new wine to the Jews among the Gentiles, The Jews in Jerusalem could not stomach the new wine.

(Acts 21:20 KJV) And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

(Acts 21:21 KJV) And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

These believers in Jesus who where zealous for the law are spoken of by Jesus.

(Mat 9:16 KJV) No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

The old garment represents those that held to the law and teachings of Moses, when the new piece of cloth is attached to the old garment the rent is made worse. The rent being the disposition of the person trying to mix the old laws with the new laws of Christ.

This old garment wearer with the new piece of cloth is even more zealous for the old garment because an attempt is being made to repair the old worn garment. The wearer of the old garment can't bear the thought of losing the old garment.

The old garment is comfortable like a pair of shoes that our feet have worn in.

Paul was trying to get them to throw away the old garment and being hounded for doing so:

And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

There is no mention in Acts of Paul denying the above. He was persuaded to take a vow to appease the old garment wearers with the new cloth attached, but that all backfired.

(Acts 21:24 KJV) Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

Paul was under tremendous pressure from these zealous old garments wearers, in an attempt to keep them happy he accepted their request to perform a vow.

This was part of Paul's accommodating nature:

(1 Cor 9:19 KJV) For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

(1 Cor 9:20 KJV) And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

He performed this vow not to deny his teaching the Jews dispersed among the Gentiles but to gain those Jews still under the law.

Paul was a man misunderstood by his contemporaries and is still misunderstood by those that want to follow the law, Jewish feasts and dietary laws.

We must not gloss over this part of scripture.

That thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

How many times is this read and not fully comprehended? Paul spoke of this in all his other letters:

He taught that in the new man there is neither Jew nor Greek, but a new creation.

(Col 3:11 KJV) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

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