Article July 11, 1936 Issue

The New Wine

RICHARD P. VERRALL

There is profound metaphysical significance in the Master's parable of the new wine and the old bottles, especially when the circumstances which brought it forth are taken into account. The Pharisees, who identified themselves with everything that was orthodox in religion, naturally resented a new teaching which claimed superiority over their own. The new dispensation of spiritual power which Christ Jesus introduced with such convincing signs of healing, was of course the new wine which is referred to in the parable, and which at the last supper he spoke of as "my blood of the new testament." This vital force could not be safely put into the "old bottles" of Judaic teaching, but must have a more receptive place in which to repose. The twelve disciples had been chosen expressly for this purpose, but of these one utterly failed to meet the required test.

The effect of the new wine of spiritual truth, as it animated the thoughts and took form in the acts of the apostles, was shown forth in a great demonstration of spiritual power on the day of Pentecost. So imbued were the disciples with the Holy Spirit that on that day thousands were converted to Christianity. Some of the bystanders, however, failing to understand the cause of the spiritual exaltation of the speakers, supposed them to be intoxicated.

In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy shows how closely the material counterfeit seems, at times, to resemble spiritual reality, until the nothingness of the former is exposed by the latter. Paraphrasing the Master's words, Mrs. Eddy writes on page 281 of the above-named textbook, "Divine Science does not put new wine into old bottles, Soul into matter, nor the infinite into the finite." Today, as aforetime, dogmatic theology is not receptive to the spiritual revelation which has come to mankind through the discovery of Christian Science, and an unprejudiced state of mind is required to understand and demonstrate it. The physical healing which results from the practice of Christian Science is gradually preparing the way for a wider reception of the divine Principle, a knowledge of which explains the true relationship between God and man. Turning to the Great Physician in times of need, instead of putting faith in inanimate drugs and material remedies, is a step toward the acceptance by humanity of the one God as the source of health. The true communion, according to Christian Science, is the conscious unity of man with his Maker. The elements used in the commemoration of the last supper are shown by Mrs. Eddy to be but symbols or reminders of this unity, or oneness, and they are necessarily superseded by the true substance as this is understood.

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