Openness Is Newness

January 17, 2011

Mk. 2:18-22

Fasting was part of the spiritual life of the Jews. It was a form of sacrifice. It was an act of controlling one's desires and wants. In the religious context, it was a practice to atone for sins or presenting a sincere heart in prayer. In today's Gospel, Jesus was being questioned because His disciples were not fasting compared to John's who did. The answer of Jesus was a seizing of the opportunity to reveal who He really was and the "newness" He was bringing.

There are those who would easily welcome something new. There are those who would have second thoughts about it. There are those who would reject it outright. The newness Jesus brought was rejected by many especially those in authority. The simple, humble, and the common accepted it but not without some difficulty. The newness of jesus is not about something that had not been there before. Nor was it an improvement. It was a bringing back of what was there. That which was there was lost because of the succeeding laws and rules that those in authority had put. To be fair, the effort was to enhance and make effective the fulfillment of the law. Unfortunately, there was an emphasis in the external rather than in the internal. Accidents were given importance and front page treatment than essence. Thus, the coming of Jesus and His teachings were considered "new".

This was apparent in His two examples. New cloth will tear the old when sewn together. Old wineskin containers would burst when filled with new wine. The teachings of the Lord tore down the legalism and show off mentality of the Pharisees. Jesus' "newness" is actually a going back and bringing out of the true spirit of God's commandments and intentions. The Pharisees had gone used to their customs that they find it hard to accept any change or "new" ideas.

The best attitude is always to be open. Even if we are already comfortable with our present ones, the possibility of "new" ones may come up and we must be ready to incorporate them. Not without sincere discernment, of course. The biggest room is the room for improvement. There is always a space for advancement. In faith, it is more apparent because God continues to reveal Himself to us everyday. We can not say that we already know God fully. We can not say that we have loved Him totally. We can not say that we have served Him for with finality. God is much much greater than us. Newness will always come!