If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."
The 19th century naturalist and philosopher, Charles Darwin, supposed that life evolves on this planet, usually from simpler to more complex forms. A hundred and fifty years later, we know that it sometimes revolves; that is, it undergoes a revolution.
Today's story from the First Book of Samuel recalls such a moment in Israelite history. For over two hundred years the twelve Hebrew tribes, settled in the high country of Palestine, had maintained their tribal identities despite the pressure of Canaanite and Philistine enemies. Periodically, when the pressure was too much, their "judges" called them together to fight. But mostly they kept to themselves; their homes and gardens too poor for the lowland dwellers to bother them.
During Samuel's judgeship, however, the times were changing; the Philistines threatened to wipe out the hill people. The people wanted Samuel to name a king to bind them together, to conquer their enemies and to establish a stable kingdom, with defensible borders and a prosperous economy. This ideal kingdom was not going to evolve out of their present arrangement; it would require some significant, sudden changes. Blood would be shed; many would be disappointed; and the venture might succeed.
The evangelists and authors of the New Testament knew their faith in Jesus was something unprecedented. Other religions worshiped gods and some worshiped men, but none claimed their god was a man who lived among us, was crucified, buried and rose from the dead -- within living memory. Despite the efforts of their Jewish and pagan contemporaries, they knew this new religion could not fit into old religious beliefs. They would only burst the old religious rituals and doctrines and all would be lost.
Christians today have enormous confidence that our faith in Jesus will survive for many more generations within whatever new forms appear. Our doctrines about him -- that he is True God and True Man -- will also endure. In fact they will thrive as people discard the old ways that could not sustain them in an age of the Internet, nano-technology, micro-surgery and so forth. Christianity will flourish because it is founded upon a man who is neither a philosophy nor a fabricated myth.
As that man ate our food, drank our water and breathed our air, so will his Gospel thrive as long as human beings eat, drink and breathe.
The evangelists and authors of the New Testament knew their faith in Jesus was something unprecedented. Other religions worshiped gods and some worshiped men, but none claimed their god was a man who lived among us, was crucified, buried and rose from the dead -- within living memory. Despite the efforts of their Jewish and pagan contemporaries, they knew this new religion could not fit into old religious beliefs. They would only burst the old religious rituals and doctrines and all would be lost.
Christians today have enormous confidence that our faith in Jesus will survive for many more generations within whatever new forms appear. Our doctrines about him -- that he is True God and True Man -- will also endure. In fact they will thrive as people discard the old ways that could not sustain them in an age of the Internet, nano-technology, micro-surgery and so forth. Christianity will flourish because it is founded upon a man who is neither a philosophy nor a fabricated myth.
As that man ate our food, drank our water and breathed our air, so will his Gospel thrive as long as human beings eat, drink and breathe.
Jesus lived, lives and goes on living.
ReplyDeleteLiving is good.