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Biden — Old Problem — Old Solution
Old wine in old wineskins
Please note: the religious references here are to illustrate the issue, not promote religion. I submitted this for publication 4 days ago but its not been picked up so I’m publising it.
Jesus’ parable of the wineskins is instructive. John the Baptist was a town crier who warned the complacent Jews of something new. He represented the prophets they venerated but misrepresented. He spoke of someone who wasn’t merely going to challenge the status quo but turn it upside down and they weren’t prepared. The Pharisees reluctantly accepted John (they’d have had a riot on their hands otherwise). They were less inclined to tolerate Jesus.
John’s disciples asked Jesus why his disciples didn’t fast as they did. His answer came down to the difference between challenging the old and embracing the new which could be summed up as: you can’t dig yourself out of a hole or as Einstein put it (and I paraphrase), don’t whittle away at your square peg to fit the round hole. Jesus’ example was wineskins and in the case of the current presidential elections I think this an appropriate metaphor.
Basically, John’s disciples followed the religious customs with integrity while Jesus’ disciples challenged those customs at their root. So Jesus spoke of old and new wineskins, that the old…
