Matthew 9-10
October 24, 2014

Each of the Gospels shares a few details that aren't found in the others, so since we are reading chronologically, and you will likely read the same account from several different perspectives, you may also find slightly different details in each account.   That doesn't mean the accounts are incorrect, rather, it means that they are exactly what the claim to be.  Eyewitness accounts to the working of Jesus.   Each person records what they saw, and no two people see exactly the same thing.  If the accounts were identical in every single word, that would be more suspicious than if they differed a little.

I am mulling over the idea of new cloth on an old garment today.   I've heard it preached many times that new ideas and new concepts can't be impressed upon an older generation.  They are simply too old to adopt new ideas.   However, I can't confirm that in practical experience.   I see older people using ipods, ipads and virtual wallet.   Grandparents are skyping with their children, and surfing the internet, and clogging up facebook with their goofy posts....just like the teenagers do.    They seem to have embraced technology to some degree.

As I look back at the text, I see that Jesus was responding to a complaint from John's disciples.   Certainly these are not men who are antagonistic toward the Gospel...they are curious to know why Jesus isn't acting the way they expected.    So Jesus tells them  "each group of people behaves in a manner fitting their mission"   John's mission was repentance, and it called for grieving of sin.   Jesus' mission was redemption, and it called for celebration.    Instead of talking about fabric and wineskins, Jesus could just have easily said  "nobody fasts at a wedding, but rather they wait for an illness, or a death to fast and grieve"     The truth is, both groups of people are capable of both grief and celebration.   There isn't any new revelation that Jesus brings that cannot be assimilated by the older people.


PR