Luke 5:39
And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Reflection
Did Jesus really just say in this verse that the “old” is better? Fortunately, He did not say that. He is saying that people prefer the old “wine” (i.e., the old methods). Have you ever heard the phrase “we have always done it that way?” Jesus is challenging that thought. If you wonder if that last statement is true, just go back and read Luke 5, starting specifically at verse 27. (However, look at almost anything that Jesus said and did. When we examine all of Jesus’ life, I think we can safely say that he was inaugurating a new kingdom and a new way and not promoting that we continue to do what we have always done.)
Here is the challenging question for each of us as we finish our study this week: have we ever said, “…we have always done it that way?” And when we say that, is that line of thinking preventing us from moving from the good to the better – JESUS?
