When Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding,John 2:1-11. surely he did more than just help out the hospitable host whose supply had run out on this festive occasion. Did he not also bring to that occasion an influx of spiritual inspiration, symbolized by the wine? Such inspiration could arouse those present to see that true satisfaction comes only through expressing the joy, gentleness, and love of divine Life, God.
The master Christian pointed repeatedly to the necessity of purifying human consciousness of material beliefs about the nature of man and the universe, before thought could accept the potent spiritual truth that he was teaching and demonstrating. He knew that when this truth is even faintly glimpsed, trying to solve humanity's ills on any other basis begins to be seen as a waste of time and effort.
Christ Jesus recognized that his teachings were not compatible with the common religious beliefs of the period. He made his point with the observation: "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Matt. 9:17.
