Luke Part 2 #5 - "Out with the Old, In with the New!" (Luke 5:33-39)

Devotional

Day 1: Wedding Guests Without Sackcloth

Jesus reclined at Levi’s feast while critics scowled. Pharisees counted empty plates, noting His disciples ate while others fasted. With wedding joy in His voice, Jesus declared, “Can wedding guests mourn while the Groom is here?” He reframed their ritual-driven world: His presence made feasting holy. The time for fasting would come, but not while Heaven’s Bridegroom walked among them. [37:52]

Jesus didn’t dismiss devotion—He redefined it. The Pharisees’ calendars and rules couldn’t contain the erupting joy of God’s kingdom. Fasting had its purpose, but clinging to rituals while rejecting the Groom revealed hearts preferring control over communion.

Where have you prioritized spiritual routines over relational joy with Christ? When your habits feel heavy, hear His invitation: “Taste and see.” What tradition have you defended more fiercely than your delight in Jesus’ nearness?

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’”
(Luke 5:34-35, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal where duty has dulled your joy in His presence.
Challenge: Sing one worship song aloud today, focusing on Christ’s nearness.

Day 2: New Wine, Brittle Skins

Jesus gripped a wineskin, His hands illustrating the cost of mixing covenants. New wine ferments, stretching fresh leather—but pour it into stiff, old skins, and both are ruined. The Pharisees’ religion couldn’t contain His kingdom. Their rules split at the seams under the pressure of grace. [41:47]

God’s kingdom explodes human containers. Like inflexible wineskins, tradition-bound hearts rupture when confronted with Christ’s disruptive mercy. The gospel isn’t a patch for old systems; it demands new structures shaped by His finished work.

You’ve felt the strain when God’s Spirit challenges comfortable routines. What rigid mindset might He be stretching today? Where are you resisting His new work because it doesn’t fit old categories?

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”
(Luke 5:37-38, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one tradition you’ve valued above Christ’s present authority.
Challenge: Write down three “we’ve always done it this way” statements in your life.

Day 3: The Bitter Aftertaste of Old Wine

Religious leaders sipped their sour vintage, scowling at Jesus’ new wine. “The old is better,” they muttered, clutching man-made traditions like cherished heirlooms. Jesus named their addiction: comfort in familiar rituals over costly discipleship. Their palates couldn’t savor His revolutionary grace. [47:21]

Spiritual complacency intoxicates. Like connoisseurs of stagnant religion, we risk preferring the predictability of rules over the risky joy of following Christ. The Pharisees’ critique exposed their thirst for control, not righteousness.

What “old wine” have you overvalued—a comfort zone, a judgmental attitude, a man-made standard? When did you last let Christ pour something new into your cup?

“And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
(Luke 5:39, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for one way His grace recently disrupted your expectations.
Challenge: Share a meal with someone outside your usual circle this week.

Day 4: Funeral Pyres and Living Feasts

William Carey confronted sati—the tradition burning widows alive. Jesus faced deadlier customs: rituals that suffocated souls while appearing holy. Both refused to whisper, “We’ve always done it this way.” They recognized traditions that masked death as devotion. [06:02]

Not all traditions are equal. Some preserve truth; others preserve power. Christ’s kingdom demands we hold even cherished practices to the light of Scripture. What the Pharisees called faithfulness, Jesus called funeral rites.

What harmless-seeming habit might actually hinder others from tasting Christ’s life? Where does your community need courage to dismantle destructive norms?

“Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”
(Mark 7:13, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to expose any tradition you’ve elevated above Scripture.
Challenge: Read Exodus 20:1-6, noting God’s warning against empty rituals.

Day 5: Sausages at Lent’s Table

Zwingli crunched his Lent-defying sausage, embodying gospel freedom. Like Jesus’ feast with tax collectors, this act declared: Christ’s finished work trumps human regulations. The Pharisees’ fasts pointed to lack; Jesus’ table proclaimed abundance. [52:34]

Grace terrifies rule-keepers. It turns funeral dirges into wedding dances and transforms duty into delight. When we cling to old wineskins, we miss the Spirit’s fermenting work—the explosive joy of sins forgiven and chains broken.

What man-made rule have you confused with gospel truth? How might celebrating Christ’s presence today loosen your grip on unnecessary burdens?

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
(Galatians 5:1, ESV)

Prayer: Celebrate one area where Christ’s grace has freed you from man-made rules.
Challenge: Do something joyful today that purely delights in God’s goodness.

Sermon Summary

Luke sets the scene with a hostile question that sounds small but cuts deep: “John’s disciples fast often and say prayers…and yours eat and drink.” The question isn’t only about skipping meals; the question exposes a whole system of religious practice that measures holiness by the yardstick of tradition. The text quietly reminds that God only inferred one national fast in the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement, while Israel’s worship largely ran on feasting in God’s presence. The weekly fasts that the Pharisees cherished came later, born of good intentions that hardened into rules. The Pharisees aren’t Bible people; they are Bible plus people. Their add-ons feel safe. They also crowd out grace.

Jesus answers with three moves that turn the table. First, the wedding image sets the time. “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them.” This moment is not a funeral. The Groom is here. With Jesus present, the kingdom’s promises are coming due, and celebration fits. Fasting will have its day when the Groom is taken away, but not now.

Second, the twin parables reset the rules. The new patch ruins the old coat; the new wine bursts the old skins. The gospel is not a patch for man made religion. Pair grace with tradition’s scaffolding and both collapse. The kingdom that comes in Christ cannot be stapled onto a spirituality built on human add-ons. Fresh work needs fresh forms.

Third, the old wine proverb names the heart. “No one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” That line is not praise for vintage faith; it is diagnosis of stubborn taste. Those attached to their system will prefer the familiar bottle, even if the better wine stands open on the table.

Luke presses the point. If Jesus’ arrival changes the time and the rules, the reader should be the one who changes. The call is not to become a contrarian for sport, but to embrace “the new and living way” God opens in the Son. The gospel liberates from man made religion, even the kind that feels pious and familiar. The Groom has come, and by his cross and resurrection the celebration does not have to end. The question is simple and searching: cling to the old, or receive the new?

Key Takeaways

1. Traditions can cloud Christ’s glory [06:33] Any practice that makes a person feel holy while dimming the sheer goodness of the gospel is a spiritual health hazard. The text unmasks a piety that confuses add-ons with obedience and measures godliness by taste, schedule, or tribe. Good intentions turn dangerous when they become untouchable. The test is simple: does this tradition make Christ clearer or smaller? [06:33]
2. The wedding sets the time [39:47] Jesus’ presence changes the tone from gloom to gladness. When the Groom is in the room, fasting is out of place; when he is taken, fasting will fit. Practices are not timeless badges of maturity; they are responses to the King’s nearness. Wisdom learns to read the room that Jesus defines. [39:47]
3. New wine needs fresh skins [41:47] Grace does not bolt onto a framework built on human rules without breaking both. Patchwork spirituality always leaks. The gospel supplies both content and container, truth and shape, life and form. Receiving Christ means letting his mercy set the methods, not forcing mercy through inherited molds. [41:47]
4. Old tastes can dull desire [45:23] Familiar religion can feel safer than living grace, and the palate can prefer “the old bottle” simply because it is known. That preference is not discernment; it is inertia. The proverb warns that love for what is comfortable can blind the soul to what is better. Name the old taste that keeps the new wine unopened. [45:23]
5. Embrace the new and living way [50:28] Luke calls the reader to change even if the Pharisees will not. The gospel frees from man made constructs and invites a life shaped by revelation, redemption, and regeneration. Christ’s work sets the table; faith takes the seat and eats with joy. Don’t patch—enter. [50:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:41] - Scripture: Luke 5:33-39
[03:27] - Tradition: good slave, bad master
[06:02] - Deadly traditions: Sati and beyond
[08:35] - Meeting the Perfect Man in Luke
[11:44] - Two features: question and answer
[12:38] - The revealing question about fasting
[15:21] - Only one fast commanded
[18:49] - Israel’s worship was feasting
[21:21] - How Pharisees built extra rules
[37:24] - Wedding time: the Groom is here
[41:14] - New cloth and new wineskins
[43:55] - Old wine and unwilling hearts
[50:28] - Embrace the new and living way

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 5:33-39 (ESV)
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

Observation Questions

What specific criticism did the Pharisees raise about Jesus’ disciples, and how did they contrast their practices with John’s disciples and their own? (Luke 5:33)
How does Jesus use the analogy of a wedding to explain why His disciples do not fast? (Luke 5:34-35)
What two parables does Jesus tell to illustrate the incompatibility of old religious systems with His new message? (Luke 5:36-38)
What does Jesus mean when He says, “No one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good’”? (Luke 5:39)

Interpretation Questions

Why might the Pharisees’ question about fasting reveal a deeper issue with their understanding of worship and tradition? (Refer to the sermon’s emphasis on “Bible plus” religion [29:20])
How does the “wedding” analogy challenge the assumption that spiritual practices (like fasting) are timeless or universally applicable? (Luke 5:34-35)
What does the tension between “new wine” and “old wineskins” teach about the relationship between grace and human-made religious rules? (Refer to the sermon’s warning about “patchwork spirituality” [42:20])
Why might someone prefer “old wine” (familiar traditions) over the “new wine” of the gospel, even if the new is better? (Refer to the sermon’s diagnosis of “spiritual inertia” [45:23])

Application Questions

What are some traditions or practices in your own life (or church) that might unintentionally make you feel “holy” while dimming the sheer goodness of the gospel? How could you test whether they make Christ “clearer or smaller”? (Key Takeaway 1 [06:33])
Are there areas where you’ve prioritized comfort or familiarity (“old wine”) over the fresh, transformative work God might be doing? What would it look like to “taste” the new wine of grace in those areas?
Jesus’ presence redefines the “time” for celebration or mourning. How can you adjust your spiritual habits (prayer, worship, service) to better reflect His nearness and work in your life? (Key Takeaway 2 [39:47])
The sermon warns against “inherited molds” for faith. What is one step you could take to let Christ’s mercy, rather than tradition, set the methods for how you love others or pursue holiness?
Have you ever resisted a new way God was leading because it felt unfamiliar or risky? What fears or attachments made it hard to trust Him, and how can you surrender those today? (Refer to the call to “embrace the new and living way” [50:28])

Sermon Clips

39s

“There is an appropriate time for fasting and self denial. No. In times of mourning and loss and grief. In fact, Jesus acknowledges there'll be a time for that. Look at verse 35. He said, but the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. Jesus, oh, no. The disciple my disciples will have their time for being sad. Fast forward to the end of the story. Jesus is going to die. That will be an appropriate time for mourning and contemplation and reflection. Jesus says, that's not the time now though. Right now, it's party time.”

42s

“Expectations, those are good expectations. But here's the question I wanna leave with you. What expectations do we have in the spiritual realm that God has not laid forth, that God has not said these are the way things are? They might just be come back to that question I've started with this morning. We've always done it this way. What are some of the we've always done it this way things that God in his word doesn't say we should do. I'm not telling you what things you shouldn't or shouldn't do in the in your own private life or with your I'm not saying any of that. I'm simply asking, have you elevated some things to a place that God himself has not elevated?”

42s

“The gospel liberates us from man made religion even the kinds we might even like. Even the kinds that, again, I'll start with I end where I started. We've always done it this way. Yeah. You've always done it this way, but is it the way you should do it? The new and living way that Jesus brings about isn't rooted in what makes us feel spiritual or what we've received or what we've heard. It's rooted in the revelation of the father as we hear his word in the redemption of the son who gave his life for us, in the regenerating power of the spirit. That is the new and living way that God opens up in the gospel. So here's my question to you this morning. Is that enough?”

49s

“Jesus essentially is saying in verse 39, you are so full of the old wine. Nothing I say is going to convince you to try something else. You are so satisfied with what you have that what I'm offering, you're not interested in anyway. The the the legalists, the the pharisee, he can't see past his spiritual nose where Jesus is concerned. So no matter what Jesus is, Jesus just kinda nips out of the box and says, listen. I'm telling you that this the times have changed, the rules have changed. You don't have to do all of the stuff you're doing. But guess what? You're gonna do what you want to do because that's what you want.”

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Redeemer Bible Fellowship, Central Point, OR This sermon · AI assistant

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