Biblical Food and Herbs Series Part 3: Grapes

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (38)But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.(39) - Luke 5:37-38

Grapes are definitely a superfruit superstar. Beyond the variety of taste, colors, and availability, grapes are great in body tissue cleansing and raising energy levels.

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They are well known for their properties as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and in anti-aging.  Yet, they are probably most touted for their abilities to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease as they contain the natural compound, Resveratrol.

Grapes have a long list of vitamins and minerals. A few of the key nutrients are potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin c, and zinc. The darker grapes (purple, red) also have a higher content of Ellagic acid, which promotes youthful, healthy looking skin and skin protection. 

There are over 450 biblical references to grapes, vineyards, wine and raisins. Leviticus 19:10 tells us that when grapes were harvested that the people of God were instructed not to take all of them but to leave some for “the poor and stranger.”  There also is a deep proverb about “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge” (Jer 31:29; Ezek 18:2). Yet, there are two references that stand out to me:

In the thirteenth chapter of Numbers, the Lord told Moses to “Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel” (2). They were to spy out the land to see the people who dwell there (18), types of cities (19), and the produce of the land (20).

“And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff…”(23)  

Wow. One cluster of grapes so huge that two men had to carry it...and this was just a sample for the people to see! (Illustration above). This shows a picture of the abundance of God’s provision that is laid up for the believer if we would press forward in His will with confidence and trust past seemingly great opposition and obstacles.

The second reference is from Luke chapter five, where Yahshua (Jesus) is addressing the Pharisees who were offended that He ate with “crooks and sinners” and they asked why He didn’t teach His disciples to keep strict fasts and prayers.  

He responded with, “No man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (38) But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.”

In other words, new wine (which is unfermented) had to be put into new wineskins to allow for the expansion within the skin as the result of the fermentation. Using the wineskin that had already been stretched would just burst them, and all the wine would run out. The spiritual relevance of this is that the Old Testament laws could never stretch enough to accommodate the New Testament truths of mercy and grace (Heb 10:1-10). Yahshua (Jesus) set us free from the judgment of the Old Testament laws and still provided the new wineskin of grace, not to excuse sin, but to empower a holy lifestyle (Titus 2:11-12).

Superfruits From Around the World, Energy Times 2007
Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times, Readers Digest
Prescription for Dietary Wellness, Phyllis A. Balch