Unlike some evangelical Christians, I consider Jesus of Nazareth to have been an actual person. Far from being a “Savior” promising a free ticket to Heaven, in my opinion, Jesus was more a manifestation of a spiritually perfected soul. He lived in a state of consciousness anyone could achieve if they were willing to do the hard inner work.
He was definitely a man of his times. He only wore a beard, robe and sandals because two millennia ago, everyone in Judea sported such attire. Were he alive today in America, he would look no different than the Millennials you find at Starbucks. He would even have his own social media presence although, if he preached the gospel incognito, he would most likely receive fewer hits than the latest cat video. Such is the nature of our narcissistic, attention-deficit society.
But Jesus understood the media of his own day. He spoke often in public knowing word-of-mouth would spread his teachings throughout the region. He shrewdly used parables, simple stories holding dynamic truths in ways that the average person could understand.
The more recognized of these allegories were those shared at the Sermon on the Mount. There is, however, one of his lesser-known that holds resonance for the challenges we are facing today. It’s the parable of the new wineskins as paraphrased from the Gospels of St. Matthew, Mark and Luke.
“You cannot put new wine into old wineskins,” Jesus observed, “For when the wine purifies itself, it expands. The ancient skins cannot bear the strain and they burst. All the wine is lost.”
Obviously, Jesus was not advising the best way to store one’s Chardonnay.
I interpret this parable to mean one cannot place new ways of thinking into old paradigms. Higher levels of consciousness demand newer systems to manifest them. When one begins to think outside the box, the box itself becomes obsolete.
It is no surprise that the old economic, political and religious wineskins no longer serve us. The Great Recession of 2008 was a reminder that an economic system based on a small percentage of people benefiting from the ruin of others is untenable. Just as the 20th century demonstrated the failure of socialism, so will our present century demand an overhaul of a predatory capitalism promoting income inequality and injustice.
Politically, the ultimate old wineskin is now a presidential candidate. Donald Trump is nothing more than a demagogue infatuated by his own power. We have seen his ilk for centuries; the bully boy whose tactics are threats and intimidation. He offers only the same backwards policies that would harm our nation and our planet.
Like his soul mate, Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, Trump represents a return to an ugly, nativist form of neo-Fascism. Far from “Making America great again,” a cheap campaign slogan, he would erode American values and unleash a wave of racism and reaction.
To be honest, Hillary Clinton isn’t far removed from the old wineskin herself and even Bernie Sanders vied for leadership in the same system. Sanders is correct in that the current political-economic wineskin is indeed rigged but it is so entrenched that even if he or Jill Stein were elected, they would have little power to alter it.
Ironically, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are two sides of the same revolutionary coin. Citizens have become aware that the establishments of both the Democratic and Republican parties no longer serve their needs. They want a government that heeds the voices of the people and acts accordingly.
While I admire faith, it is obvious to me that conservative religious fundamentalism has become a negative detriment to our universal evolution. Though no fault of the majority of the faithful, the rigidity of this thinking has caused hatred, division and violence. Islam is far from being the only culprit; all established religions share the guilt. The new wine of spirituality, where everyone is equally connected to the same God-force, is already establishing itself as the direction humanity is fitfully heading toward.
The transformation from the old archetypes to the news wineskins is already underway. I’m sure many would agree we are living in a time of great change. Most people understand that something big is in the air, although it is unclear what form it will eventually take. No outside force, however, is going to swoop in and save us. Jesus and the Messiah aren’t coming back nor will benevolent aliens come to the rescue.
I believe every individual is being asked to choose either to live according to peace, love and cooperation; or fear, hate and violence. This choice affects us all, regardless of race, gender, nationality or religion. Although positive changes rarely make the headlines, they do exist.
If there is a battle to be peacefully fought and won, it will be between the adherents of those who want to implement the new wineskins versus those who desperately cling to the old.
Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County from 1970 to 2014 as a teacher, artist, writer and photographer before moving to Taos, New Mexico. He remains a contributor to The Recorder and welcomes feedback at dbrown1793@gmail.com.