"And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, the old is better." Luke 5:39
Jesus taught this parable concerning patches and wine. That you cannot fix old clothing with patches from new material. You won't fix it, you will make it worse. And then the parable continues with teaching about wine. New wine in old wineskins will destroy both the wine and the wineskin.
This parable is not about clothing and wine, it is about people. It is about us. It is about the life we live for Christ and dealing with problems that arise with the passing of time. Saints wear out just like clothing wears out. Nothing lasts forever. If you can patch it you will save some money and make it last longer. But in time the clothing will be worn out even if patched.
Wine is usually a symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The Holy Spirit uses people to do His will on Earth. And with time and use wineskins wear out and stiff and old. You cannot patch a wineskin. When it is no longer useful it must be replaced. Fresh wine must be put in fresh wineskins. The moving of the Holy Spirit must be with people who are fresh and new and not worn out.
So what happens to people who are old and worn out in the spirit? Do we cast them aside and forget about them? Do we ignore the old while we search for the newest and latest and freshest thing happening in the church world today?
The thing that interests me is the statement that those who have drunk the old wine think that the old wine is better and that new wine is too harsh and biting and unpalatable. The key word is immediately. This tells me that in time and with gentle care old wine drinkers may develop a taste for the new wine of revival today.
This parable follows a teaching on fasting. Fasting for old wine drinkers may kill them. Fasting is putting new cloth on a worn out garment. Fasting is putting new wine in worn out wineskins. Fasting can do more harm than good for those of us who have been doing this a long time.
One size does not fit all.
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