Scripture to Read: Luke 5:36–39
Jesus continued to use parables as He taught the religious leaders. We read in Luke 5:36–39, “And He was also telling them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’” Jesus did not come to fix the religious system of His day, but instead, He came to form His church, which would include both Jews and Gentiles into one body. God had Paul explain this to the Gentile Christians in Ephesus in Ephesians 2. The “old cloth,” and the “old wine skins” represented the religious system that the Jews had become accustomed to, and their religious system left them dead in their sins. This is a great reminder that any religious system is not what brings us into a right relationship with God the Father. Religion is mankind trying to figure out how to fix ourselves, and this is in direct opposition to Christ’s work. The new wine and the new garment represent salvation by God the Father’s grace through a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We can only be made new through Christ.
Challenge & Application
What is the problem with any religious system on the face of the earth, both old systems and new systems?
How is anyone made right with God the Father and how do we get this message shared with everyone?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!