Friday September 2nd: Out with the old…

“And nobody puts new wine in old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins”

Luke 5: 33 – 39

Today’s gospel passage is about fasting. Some scribes and Pharisees said that their disciples and those of John the Baptist fasted regularly but Jesus’ did not. They led a regimented and strict life. John the Baptist lived an austere life. Jesus, on the other hand, was accused of being a glutton keeping the wrong company.

In response Jesus said two things. Firstly, that the guests at a wedding banquet do not fast while the bridegroom was still present. No one goes to a wedding feast to fast. That is unthinkable. Here Jesus is the bridegroom whom his disciples were celebrating.

Secondly, Jesus said that the old and the new were incompatible. Jesus is the new. His way of reflecting God and religion was new. Only those who were prepared to see things in a new way could accept and receive him. Jesus is the new wine, the new feast, the new way. Those who were stuck in the old way believed it was good enough.

Renew our vision, Lord. Let us see life through the eyes of Christ. Amen.

Photo by Jilbert Ebrahimi on Unsplash