Editorial: Don’t pour new wine into old wineskins

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

3127 Edition

January 30~February 5, 2012

Editorial

Editorial: Don’t pour new wine into old wineskins

Translated by Lydia Ma

The Ma administration recently announced that outgoing Council for Economic 
Planning and Development (CEPD) Minister Christina Liu would become the new 
Finance Minister while Minister without Portfolio Yiin Chii-ming would become 
the new head of the CEPD. Liu made headlines in the final weeks of the 
presidential campaign for attacking DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen and 
accusing the latter of wrongdoing in what has become known as the 
Yuchang/TaiMed case. Yiin, for his part, came under public scrutiny at one 
point for violating administrative neutrality. 

Both Liu and Yiin’s appointments were criticized by some legislators who said 
these appointments were at best unoriginal and at worst political rewards from 
President Ma Ying-jeou for services rendered during the presidential campaign. 
As usual, there were also legislators who supported Ma’s picks and believed Liu 
and Yiin were prime candidates who should be given a chance to succeed in their 
new capacities.

It goes without saying that Ma, Liu and Yiin are very happy and satisfied with 
the way things have turned out and they must be savoring their victory still. 
The answer to the question of whether the Ma administration cares about the 
feelings of nearly half of the Taiwanese population who didn’t vote for the 
Ma-Wu ticket can be found in President Ma’s decision to stick with the status 
quo. Given another chance to make a fresh start, President Ma has chosen to 
pour new wine into old wineskins, which has inevitably resulted in further 
division and concern. 

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus used the parable of pouring 
new wine into old wineskins and using new garment to patch an old garment to 
allude that we are to get rid of old habits and old ways of thinking in order 
to understand and embrace God’s ways, which are always new. He went on to 
stress that using a new garment to patch an old garment will result in an 
odd-looking garment and pouring new wine into old wineskins will result in the 
bursting of these skins. In both scenarios, the combination of new and old 
inevitably results in a worse scenario.

How does this parable apply to Taiwan’s situation today? Despite much 
controversy surrounding the presidential campaign, the KMT narrowly defeated 
the DPP in this recent election and secured another 4-year term for the Ma 
administration. But just as the electorate was hoping for a humbled President 
Ma to lead the nation forward by allaying opposition, they were greeted with 
news of political appointments signaling the contrary. No wonder some people 
have characterized these appointments as “hardly refreshing” and mere 
“political rewards for services rendered.”

Perhaps a look at Luke 5:39 can give us some answers. After Jesus said that new 
wine ought to be poured into new wineskins, he said: “And no one after drinking 
old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” From these words we 
can conclude that, oftentimes, it's easier to revel in the sweetness of victory 
and the comfort of the status quo than to challenge oneself to start anew every 
day.

In times like these, it's our Christian responsibility to show Taiwanese 
society how a person can become a new creation by putting their faith in Jesus 
Christ. As new creations, we must  get rid of old, earthly ways and embrace 
new, godly ways and take an active role in creating God's kingdom on earth.

Taiwan needs people to cooperate with one another to get rid of discrimination 
against marginalized groups and achieve co-prosperity. Churches can take 
initiative by working together and supporting one another, as well as 
supporting social welfare organizations that are often overlooked and therefore 
lack adequate funding and resources. In doing so, we decrease the tension that 
exists between the rich and the poor. 

Taiwan needs a pollution-free and nuclear-free environment where land rights 
and are respected. Let us do our part by protecting Alangyi Trail, opposing 
petrochemical plants and nuclear plants, and participating in environmental 
protection movements. 

Taiwan needs justice and fairness, as well as leaders who value national 
sovereignty over economic growth. Let us engage in everyday theology and use 
God's words to discern right from wrong and good from evil. It is only by doing 
so that we can proclaim that God is living inside of us and allow God to get 
rid of our stone hearts so that we can truly become new creations.

 

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