March 23, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

(Luke 5.38-39)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

This lesson from Jesus has many facets. One of them is not the rejection of the new wine. I probably should say it is not the rejection of the fruit of the grape not yet wine. As learned from the story, “The Wedding in Cana,” the bridegroom serves the very best wine that is finely aged at the start. Everyone is lucid and has no reason not to enjoy the old wine. It is drunk slowly, tasted fully, inhaled deeply and praised highly. The taste of the old wine is a reflection of the bridegroom himself and his intention to honor his wife, their families and all their friends. It is a covenant made with all who are in attendance of true intentions. The wine is an anointing inwardly to celebrate the truth outwardly of God’s great purpose in creating a man and a woman. The two are intended to be as one, blended together in faith with hope for the purpose of witnessing the power of love to everyone. Their union is an invitation to honor God with the fruit of the vine as the branches are grafted together into the vine from which they draw their lives. The wine is resonant and satisfying as is the purpose of the two lives becoming as one. That cup lifted to toast the grand occasion of matrimony for which the two have waited and longed allows everyone to participate and give thanks to God for such a blessing. Its taste lingers. It permeates the dining, the laughter, the dance and the wine which follows.

What follows is new wine. It is not grape juice. It has a body and a flavor as well of a young fermentation. It is not so nearly intoxicating except by the volume consumed. It is a party, after all. And the feeling of lightness and happiness is the climate created by the bridegroom for the sake of his guests. Their spirit of the hour, or hours actually, only adds to the joy of the moment. What is that moment? It is a moment when the waiting is over. When the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus’ disciples why He did not fast as they did, Jesus overheard their question. He heard everything. He responded that while the bridegroom was with them, it was no time for fasting. Fasting comes when the bridegroom goes away to prepare a place at his father’s house for he and his bride to live forever. When the father determined the time was right and the building constructed, then he sent the son to claim his bride and bring her home. It is obvious that Jesus was claiming to be the Kingdom Bridegroom and that the true Israel was His bride. For those who are listening, they would have heard that it was not yet the time of reconciliation. It was not the wedding season. Rather it was the time of preparation in anticipation for that future wedding day. What an alert! (And here we can learn from the Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins. The wise fasted and maintained the vigil waiting for the bridegroom to return. The foolish neither fasted nor truly waited. They were caught without resource upon the bridegroom’s return and missed out on the celebration altogether. Read beware: Both Jew and Christian must be ready for the day of the Lord or else they condemned themselves by their unrighteousness.)

What does this have to do with new and old wine? How does new wine become old wine? Does it not have to wait, rest and ferment? The lesson is offered to the Jew and Gentile. The Jew understands the value of “old wine” and prefers it. They know the difference between old and new. However, they also know that the wineskin itself cannot be reused, at least not for water. Thus, they must prepare themselves to be new wineskins so that the new covenant may mature within them. It does not replace the old covenant. Its legacy and flavor continues to permeate the whole of who they are. They wait in anticipation for the new to become as “old” because the “old” was good. What is that “old”? It is not what had become conventional practice and further from the original truth. It is not, as we are wont to say, a longing for the “good old days.” We must also be alert that the new teaching and new ways are out of alignment with the intention and purpose of the old, that “ancient of days.” They must blend in harmony so that the two can become one. Are we being told about the blending of the Temple and the Church as the people of God, the Bride of Christ who is going to return? How valuable then to grasp what is good as what God intended and long for that taste of “new wine” where all things are made new.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.