Jesus Makes All Things New Series

Jesus answered them this way: "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15

This answer reminded these men of what John himself had said about Jesus: The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:29-30 The answer reassured them that Jesus WAS the ONE John had prophecied about.

Jesus knew his answer would comfort these friends of John. But his reference to a Wedding also reinforces the theme that Jesus came to make all things new. A wedding represents a new relationship. And that’s what Jesus came to give us.

In a wedding, both the bridegroom and the bride CHOOSE each other. They make promises to each other, and they begin a new relationship that is entirely built on mutual love.

That’s the way it is in our NEW life with Jesus. He has already CHOSEN you. He has made His eternal Vows to you.

The only question left is, “Will you choose Him? Will you return His vows and accept this new relationship with God?” If you will say “yes” to Jesus, you’ll experience an entirely new relationship with God … a relationship that is based on LOVE, not LAW.

Next, Matthew shares two more teachings of Jesus. These sayings … that Matthew put together here in Matthew 9 … were most likely teachings that Matthew heard repeatedly. The illustrations of a wedding, new clothes, and new wineskins, are pericopes.

I used that word to Susan earlier this week when we were talking about this scripture … and she accused me of making the word up! But it IS a real word … I learned it way back in college. In this case, pericopes are brief teachings of Jesus that are grouped together … not necessarily because they happened in one sitting … but because they all illustrate a common theme.

2. New Clothing

In verse 16, Jesus says, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.” Matthew 9:16

Do any of you own clothing that has a patch sewn on it? People in past generations used to patch clothes. But not any more. If we get a rip, we just run out and buy something new. In fact, from what I can tell now-a-days, if your jeans get ripped they actually go up in value.

In Jesus’ time, just about everybody knew how to patch old clothes. Most of them had to find a way to make their clothes last for years. So if their cloak ripped or wore out, they would simply sew on a patch. They all knew you had to pre-shrink the new fabric. If new, un-shrunken cloth were patched to old garments, the patch would pull away and make the tear worse than it was in the first place!

Here’s the point: Jesus has no interest in “patching up” your sinful, worn-out, ripped up old life. Jesus is not into patchwork. He doesn’t want to “patch-up” your old life; He wants to give you a brand NEW life!