SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:33-39

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. “Can you make the guests of bridegroom fast when he is with them?” – Jesus is making a very bold claim, He is identifying Himself as God. In the old testament God Himself was the bridegroom, and the people of Israel were the bride. Here He is confirming that He is the messiah, the one that everyone has been anticipating. Using the analogy of a Jewish wedding, where everything awaits the arrival of the bridegroom, now the feast can begin.
2. “In those days they will fast” – Jesus hints that His coming will not usher in the new kingdom, not yet. First there will be a time when the bridegroom will be gone and His followers will fast and wait in anticipation. This is a twist the Jews did not anticipate. We are living in this time between His first and second coming.
3. “They will fast” – Why fast? Because we have not yet arrived, and we are still in a serious situation where the flesh and tempation can shipwreck our faith. Fasting is one way to help us focus, to renew our commitment. The longer we wait, the harder it can be to hang on, and we will be tempted to reneg on our faith. Fasting (denying oneself a pleasure or need, like food) is one discipline that can help keep the fire burning, to remind us of what really matters.
4. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins” – The Jews were lamenting the fact that Jesus and His followers were not following their traditions. Jesus make its clear that He has come to bring something new, something deeper, and that His message does not fit into those old patterns. It is not inconsistent with the old traditions, but it is certainly bigger and deeper than them.
5. “The old is better” – This refrain is often heard by people who hate to give up their idols (traditions, patterns of behaviour, habits) to seek the new thing. It has been said that “tradition is the living faith of the dead, and traditionalism is the dead faith of the living”. There is nothing wrong with using established traditions or disciplines, but they are secondary to the substance (ie the wine), and may need to be let go for a time so that the wine can be preserved.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me to focus on You, and not just on religion. Help me to use traditions and disciplines to draw me closer to You, but not to cling to them instead of You. Amen.