<Luke 5:33-38>
33 They said to him: “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” 36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
* Jesus was questioned on fasting.
* Probably both groups – Disciples and John, together with the Pharisees and Scribes question Jesus.
* Religious people can be very adamant about certain religious practice if they are heavily involved in it.
* But is that of God?
** Fasting in the Old Testament **
* People of God only instructed to fast once a year, i.e. on the Day of Atonement.
* Additional Fasting are voluntary activity and practice.
* Usually done on two types of occasion:
(1) Seeking a deeper and sharper focus on the things of God.
(2) Expression of mourning (Death of loved ones, Defeat, Repentance, etc).
* Yet, the Pharisees made fasting a mandatory tradition – fast twice a week for at least a portion of the day.
* Legalists legislate demands where God leaves people free.
* John and his disciples fast frequently to focus their mind critically on the things of God.
The Lord’s reply
- Short analogy of a wedding banquet
* Now is not the TIME to fast – Bridegroom is present with his friends.
* The TIME to fast is when the Bridegroom is taken from them.
* People who follow human traditions often get the TIME wrong.
- A parable spoke in double – On Apparels and Wine
1) The Lord absolutely asserted: “No one”.
* People are logical in the things of physical, but can be illogical in things of spiritual.
* Only unbelief and stubbornness toward God resulted in spiritual foolishness.
- Can we hold the New Wine?
1) Newness of Christianity
* Its easy to assume that our life and ministry as that of the new wine.
* If what is new can become old as time passes, then its not the newness that Christ brought.
(1) Important connection between the Old and New Testament.
* <Mt 5:17>: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”.
(2) Not from human invention or evolvement, but from God.
(3) How about Church customs and traditions?
* Importance of Apostolic traditions.
* Good to take reference from sound and proper Church traditions.
* But do not disrespect the work of the Holy Spirit in other Christian groups/churches.
2) Power of Christianity
* <Ro 1:16>: … it (the gospel) is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
* <Ac 1:8>: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
3) The Ability to Smash in Christianity
* It smashes (even explode) the old wineskin!
* <Ac 2:37>: When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
* Consider Paul’s conversion.
* <Php 3:8>: What is more, I consider everything a loss (rubbish, manure)
* <Ro 7:24-25>
“What a wretched man I am! …
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
* We are all old wineskin.
* Yet, Christ has smashed us and create us anew!
