Christian Art | New Wine In Old Bottles
Mark 2: 18-22 | Week 2 Ordinary Time, Monday & 8th Sunday Year B (Audio Bible KJV)
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
In today’s Gospel verses, as yesterday and tomorrow, Jesus finds himself in conflict with some of the Jewish religious leaders. Today, the issue is fasting. It seems Jesus and his disciples are not following received custom.
In reply, Jesus announces himself as the one who has come to fulfil, to renew and to reinterpret, to change, the Law and received custom. He speaks of himself as the bridegroom, his disciples as the guests at the wedding feast. This way of speaking is provocative indeed. Jesus is effectively saying that he is the Lord who has come to redeem Israel. Compare Isaiah 54: 5: ‘For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.’ Compare also Hosea 2: 18-22:
18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.
The Jewish fasts and religious observances, and then more recently the ministry of John the Baptist, have prepared the way for Jesus, the Messiah. Now Jesus is here and the Old Testament must give way to the new. This is the wedding feast. To be with Jesus is to be in the presence of an entirely new way of being. This is the new wine, which will burst the old bottles, our new and eternal way of being alive – which cannot fit within the constraining moulds of the Old Law. The new wine must be put in new bottles. We are challenged to renew ourselves, to ditch our baggage and be fresh, to receive Jesus.
THE heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. (from Psalm 19/18)
Concluding Prayer
Almighty Lord and God,
protect us by your power throughout the course of this day,
even as you have enabled us to begin it:
do not let us turn aside to any sin,
but let our every thoguht, word and deed
aim at doing what is pleasing in your sight.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
Audio Bible KJV | Endnotes
What is it to fast for Jesus?
What is it to fast for Jesus? Fasting has been a part of Christian tradition since the early days of the Church. In fact, Jesus Himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness before beginning His ministry (Matthew 4:2). Fasting has been seen as a way to draw closer to God and to purify oneself in preparation for spiritual experiences.
The Church has a long history of fasting. The Catechism Of The Catholic Church states that fasting is an ‘expression of the interior penance of the Christian’ and that it ‘enables one to acquire mastery over one’s instincts and freedom of heart’ (CCC 2043). The Church has traditionally required Catholics to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as on other days throughout the year.
Protestants also engage in fasting, although the practice is often less formalized than in the Church. Protestant theologians have written extensively on the topic of fasting, with some arguing that fasting should be a regular part of Christian life, while others view it as a more occasional practice.
Regardless of one’s denomination or tradition, the purpose of fasting is always the same: to draw closer to God. Fasting involves abstaining from food or other pleasures for a period of time, with the goal of redirecting one’s attention and energy towards prayer and spiritual contemplation. As the Catechism states, fasting ‘expresses mourning for sin and conversion of heart’ (CCC 1434).
Fasting can take many different forms. Some Christians choose to fast from all food for a period of time, while others may fast from certain types of food or from other pleasures such as television or social media. The duration of a fast can also vary, from just a few hours to several days or even weeks.
Throughout the Bible, fasting is portrayed as a powerful tool for spiritual growth and transformation. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah wrote that true fasting involves not just abstaining from food, but also ‘loosing the bonds of wickedness, undoing the straps of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free, and breaking every yoke’ (Isaiah 58:6). In other words, true fasting involves not just abstaining from physical pleasures, but also using that time and energy to do good and serve others.
In the New Testament, Jesus gave instructions on how to fast, saying: ‘When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:16-18)
The words of Jesus emphasize that fasting should not be done for show or to impress others. Rather, it should be a private and personal act of devotion to God. Fasting should be done with a spirit of humility and repentance, recognizing that we are all in need of God’s grace and mercy.
Early Church fathers also wrote extensively about fasting. Saint Augustine saw fasting as a way to strengthen the will and to overcome temptation. In his book City Of God, Saint Augustine wrote: ‘Let us fast and pray, let us make war against the flesh and subdue it, so that our soul may be free from its bondage and worthy to enjoy eternal life.’ (City Of God, Book X, Chapter 32)
Saint John Chrysostom also emphasized the importance of fasting in his homilies. Saint John Chrysostom saw fasting as a way to purify the soul and to draw closer to God. In one of his sermons, Saint John Chrysostom said: ‘Fasting is an ancient medicine, an appropriate remedy for every bodily disease… it extinguishes the passions, cleanses the soul, leads to contemplation, and draws us closer to God’ (Homily XXI on Matthew).
The Protestant Reformation also had a significant impact on the practice of fasting. Some Protestant theologians, such as John Calvin, saw fasting as a personal choice rather than a requirement of the Church. Calvin believed that fasting could be a helpful spiritual discipline, but that it should not be forced upon people by the Church.
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, believed that fasting could help Christians to overcome their worldly desires and to focus on God. John Wesley wrote: ‘Fasting, properly understood and applied, is a help to the spiritual life, and an essential part of Christian discipline.’ (Sermon 27, The Duty of Constant Communion)
This passage from Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue on Divine Providence is cast as a prayer, but it also unfolds as a theological reflection. Catherine speaks to God in direct, personal language, yet her words move from personal confession to intercession for the whole Church. She frames her petition in terms of the ‘mystical body’ — a phrase drawn from Paul’s letters, meaning the Church as a living organism bound together in Christ [ … ]
On Tuesday, His Grace turns to the theme of Jesus’ hidden years. His Grace asks the students to consider questions concerning what really happened: ‘Who, for instance, was Joseph? Was he indeed a carpenter, or has Joseph’s true role in the society in which he lived been misconstrued and forgotten to us? Though it be a beautiful, simplifying image to grasp, which offers to us much that is of value in Catholic faith… ‘A wise elder, which carpenter could mean, or a great engineer, an architekton, which in the Greek does not mean carpenter. But carpenter in the Hebrew could mean a wise man…’ His Grace turns the pages of his Bible back and forth, as if to itemize the paucity of information. Then he says: ‘What I think I can say to you with confidence is that it is of profound significance that we simply don’t know what Jesus was doing for most of his earthly life. There are some very different possibilities. One idea cherished by the Church is that Jesus worked with his father Joseph as a carpenter. Another possibility is that Jesus lived and prayed and studied closely with John the Baptist. They were cousins, and very close, almost the same, in age. Luke’s Gospel tells us clearly that Jesus and John knew each other from within the womb before they were born. So there may have been something quite important happening there. You see, we don’t know – it is an impossible mystery to us – just how much Jesus had to learn. This is because, if Jesus knew everything, humanly speaking, even as a tiny baby, then how can we say he is fully human? We simply can’t probe too far into this mystery, but we can draw extraordinary truth and healing from this thought, which becomes of immense relevance in our own lives. Jesus came to know and to understand himself not merely as a son of God, but as God the Son, and so as self-identical with his Father. It is not an adoptive relationship. Jesus is God. Now so much is hidden here. But this is a great gift. If you think about it, how do we come to know that we are loved by God, that we have our relationship with God? What are we born with in here’ – his chest – ‘and what do we have to learn? This is to say, what is gifted to us by other Christians at our baptism? ‘Jesus must have studied, and experienced profound revelation about who and what he truly was, and, so it seems to be, these studies cannot have been confined to the Semitic world. But this is the important point: there is a hiddenness about all of this. No matter which schools and which sects our Lord might have encountered all these years, this to us is as a desert space. What this means is that we can enter into the hidden life of Jesus, and there we can discover our own being with God, our own sonship. Our own particular being loved by God can come to us, if we can enter within this great unknown – into this desert space, where we are loved by Jesus. I firmly believe that there may be a great Lenten mystery in this period of our Lord’s life.’ A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 1 A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 2 A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 3 A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 4 | King James Audio Bible | KJV A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 5 A Bishop’s Lenten Homily | Holy Week | Extracted From The Gospel According To Tomàs | Faith And Hope And Love And Sexuality | Part 6
King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version King Herod There were several individuals named Herod who played significant roles in ancient history, particularly in the history of the Roman Empire and the region of Palestine. Here is a brief overview of the most notable Herods: Herod the Great: Also known as Herod I, he was a Roman client king of Judea, ruling from 37 BC to 4 BC. He is perhaps most famous for his role in the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Herod Antipas: Also known as Herod II, he was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him beheaded. Herod Agrippa I: Also known as Herod III, he was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned the apostle Paul. Herod Agrippa II: Also known as Herod IV, he was the great-grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over parts of Palestine and Syria from 50 to 100 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who heard Paul’s defence before the Roman governor Festus. These rulers, who were known as the Herodian dynasty, were not Jewish but rather descended from a Greek family that had converted to Judaism. Despite this, they were appointed as rulers by the Roman Empire and were generally unpopular among the Jewish population due to their collaboration with the Roman occupation and their often brutal methods of rule. Herod The Great Herod the Great, also known as Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was born in 73 BC in Idumea, a region in southern Palestine, and was the son of Antipater the Idumean, an Edomite who had been appointed as a governor of Judea by the Roman general Pompey. Herod rose to power after the Roman general Julius Caesar appointed him as king of Judea in 40 BC. He consolidated his power over the next few years by defeating his rivals and establishing himself as the undisputed ruler of the region. As king, Herod embarked on a massive building program that included the expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, the construction of the port city of Caesarea Maritima, and the fortification of several cities in Judea. He also commissioned the construction of a number of palaces and other buildings, including the famous Herodium, a palace-fortress located south of Jerusalem. Despite his many accomplishments, Herod was a controversial figure who was known for his harsh rule and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. He was married several times and had a large number of children, several of whom he had executed when they posed a threat to his rule. One of the most famous stories associated with Herod is the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was saved by his parents, who fled to Egypt, and later returned to Palestine after Herod’s death. Herod died in 4 BC at the age of 70, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant rulers in the history of ancient Palestine. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas, also known as Herod II, was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He was born in 20 BC and was named after his father’s patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. Like his father, Herod Antipas was known for his ambitious building projects, including the construction of the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and the expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was also known for his political cunning and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist, a prominent religious figure who criticized Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias. According to the New Testament, John was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias’ daughter, Salome, who danced for Herod and his guests at a banquet. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who oversaw the trial and execution of Jesus. Although he initially wanted to release Jesus, he ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod Antipas’ rule came to an end in 39 AD when the Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul, modern-day France. He died in exile a few years later. Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I, also known as Herod III, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was born in 10 BC and was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, two of Herod the Great’s children. Herod Agrippa I was well-educated and fluent in both Greek and Hebrew, and he was highly regarded by the Roman authorities for his loyalty and his ability to maintain order in Judea. He was appointed as king of Judea in 41 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius, who was impressed by his abilities and saw him as a reliable ally in the region. As king, Herod Agrippa I continued the building projects of his grandfather and expanded the Temple in Jerusalem. He also implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the lives of the […]
