Parables and Proverbs

Every culture enjoys telling parables – short stories with a lesson. My mother always said, “Even a frog gets into trouble by crocking” (a Tamil proverb). Indian rice fields have frogs to eat flies. Snakes come to eat these frogs. Snakes can’t see as well as sense vibrations. If frogs remain quiet, snakes slither on by. But if they crock, snakes pick up the vibrations and kill them. The parable instructs us to keep quiet as much as possible.

Jesus was a master at parables. Scholars have recorded over forty-five parables in the Gospels. But if we take in all the clever sayings (proverbs), the number will be higher.

Theologians desire to find spiritual meanings behind all proverbs or parables. I am convinced some parables were just that – a story with a practical lesson, not necessarily theology.

One day, Jesus said three such parables.

“No one, tearing a piece from a new garment, stitches it with the old. If someone does, the new cloth is torn, and the piece from the new does not match the old.” (Luke 5:36)

Such an act would have been a double whammy – the new would be torn while trying to mend old clothing, and the new torn piece wouldn’t match the old, not solving the original problem of torn old clothing.

Similarly,

“No one puts new wine in old wineskins. If someone does, the new wine will tear old wineskins, the wine will spill out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. Instead, one must put new wine in new wineskins.” (Luke 5:37–38)

In ancient days, wineskins were made of the bladders of animals or leather. They shrink as they age. New wine, however, expands when they ferment – yeast in them grow, producing alcohol as a byproduct. Putting expanding new wine in shirking old wineskin would tear the wineskins, spilling the wine, and make a huge mess. Winemakers knew this and put new (unfermented) wine in new wineskins. Then, they both aged together and became tasty and fermented wine.

Jesus was a wine connoisseur, a sommelier. He knew what was good wine – fermented and aged. When he made wine at Cana of Galilee (John 2), the head chef was surprised at the quality of his wine and said to the bridegroom: ‘Everyone gives the best wine with high alcohol content first. After people are drunk, then they give cheap alcohol with less potency. But you kept the best wine until now.’

As a sommelier, Jesus gave one more parable.

“No one who drinks an old wine [fermented and aged] wants new wine [unfermented and unaged]. S/he will say: ‘The old is the best.’” (Luke 5:39).

Jesus knew old, fermented, and aged wine was much tastier than unfermented, unaged grape juice. And those who tasted both wouldn’t want grape juice over aged wine.

These parables weren’t meant to give spiritual lessons, meaning he wasn’t comparing his teachings with that of the Pharisees or scribes. He wasn’t saying theirs or his teachings were better than the others.

Instead, these parables taught practical lessons. The first two parables taught the lack of prudency in combining two different systems. They were meant to be left alone, separated, and valued, nevertheless. The third parable taught that “new” was not the best in every situation. Old can be best as well.

These principles hold true even now. Combining two different systems can often cause headaches. New is not always the best. If we remember these principles, they will keep us out of trouble in many situations.