Monthly Archives: December 2025

LUKE’S GOSPEL…NEW WINE – 11a

Bible Study, ,

“He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 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 ‭5‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To whom was Jesus addressing His words?  The context does not tell us. 

“They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭33‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Does the “they” refer to the religious leaders to whom Jesus had been talking? Perhaps. Was this another criticism they levelled against Jesus? “His disciples must be an irreligious bunch of over- indulgers because they didn’t observe the rigours of their religion. Why didn’t they fast like John’s disciples did?”

Jesus’ response was not only for them but a timeless reminder that it is impossible to marry the two major covenants of Scripture without doing damage to both. 

The Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of profligate living when the law demanded adherence to strict rules of self-denial. The Pharisees lauded John’s disciples for fasting faithfully while Jesus’ disciples appeared to disregard such practices. 

Instead of agreeing with them and pulling His disciples in for self-indulgence, Jesus opened up the subject to a new perspective. What the Pharisees were criticising about the disciples was actually a window into a whole new life which Jesus was spearheading. 

Jesus used an everyday illustration to drive home His point. To restore a damaged garment, one does mend old worn out material with a patch of new cloth. They will pull apart with use and the result will be worse than the original tear. 

The same principle applies to the storage of wine. Old wineskins  become inflexible after time and the maturing of the wine. Fresh wine needs new wine skins which will expand as the wine matures. 

Google AI gives us a concise interpretation of Jesus’ illustration. 

“The phrase “new wine in old wineskins,” from Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5), means the new life, grace, and freedom of the Gospel (the “new wine”) require a transformed, pliable heart and mindset (the “new wineskin”) to contain it, as rigid, old ways (old wineskins) would burst under the pressure of God’s new work, leading to spiritual breakage and loss. It’s a call to spiritual renewal, moving from legalistic traditions to a Spirit-led life, embracing God’s transformative power rather than trying to fit His fresh work into outdated spiritual frameworks or self-made rules. 

Key Meanings:

  • New Wine: Represents the new covenant, salvation, the Holy Spirit, joy, and the life-transforming message of Jesus.
  • Old Wineskins: Symbolize rigid traditions, old habits, legalistic thinking, self-righteousness, or the Old Testament system of law that can’t contain the new wine of grace.
  • The Principle: Fermenting new wine expands and needs flexible, fresh skins. Using old, hardened skins causes them to burst, spilling the wine. Similarly, trying to hold onto old religious practices or mindsets while embracing Christ’s new life leads to spiritual failure and missed blessings. 

Practical Application:

  • Personal Transformation: Believers must become “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17) through repentance and faith, allowing the Holy Spirit to soften and renew their hearts to receive God’s fullness.
  • Spiritual Flexibility: Embrace new ways of living in Christ, letting go of man-made restrictions and religious burdens that hinder grace.
  • Contextualizing Faith: Recognize that God’s work often brings fresh moves and insights that require updated approaches, not just patching old systems.”

There is still a tendency today to try to blend the Old and New Covenants with trends and practices which eventually destroy the significance and purpose of both…

This can never be because the Old Covenant calls for righteousness through obedience while the New  Covenant provides the gift of righteousness through faith. 

To be continued… 

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WHY THEM? – 10

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“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬

Jesus’ deliberate choice of unsavoury characters to join His group of close followers seems to cut across the very nature of who He was. He was, in His earthly sojourn, the Son of God, adopting the role of subordinate to His Father in His humanity. He was sent by the Father to live in submission and obedience to His will, to reveal the true nature of the Father, to rescue mankind from the penalty and ravages of sin, and to restore the human race to God’s favour and intended plan for His human family. 

Psalm 2 is quite clear…

“I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ first choice of disciples was from a group of fishermen. Why not students of the rabbis who were eligible for discipleship? These should have been His most obvious choice. His call to the fishermen, after the miraculous haul of fish, “Follow me!” received an instantaneous response. Why was it that these young recruits dropped everything  and followed Jesus?

To be a personal disciple of a rabbi recognised to have authority was a privilege of the highest order. This honour was reserved for those who were prepared by following their elementary education with a dedicated study of the Tanach, the Hebrew Scriptures, under the guidance of an authorised rabbi. Instead, Jesus chose relatively uneducated men. Why? 

Part of Jesus’ role in Israel was to reveal to His people the true nature of the Father. Imagine trying to undo the rigid ideas of the rabbis, taught to their students, and represented by the religious leaders of His day. How much easier it would be to mold young minds by His teaching and example if their understanding was not already hardened into rigid patterns by years of indoctrination. 

Another purpose, in Jesus’ choice of disciples, might have been in keeping with His mission. He expressed His purpose clearly to those who criticised Him for hob-nobbing  with ”sinners”.  

“Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When Jesus was in the company of the religious boffins, He was constantly under attack. Nothing He said or did passed their scrutiny. He was too “nice” for their liking. They preferred the God they had invented who was a rigid stickler for the law with all the petty details added over time by the ancient rabbis. 

By contrast, Jesus was comfortable in the company of the people the religious ones dismissed as “outcasts and sinners”, the lawless riff-raff of society who offended their “holiness”. These were the ones who were comfortable with Jesus too, despite His holiness. He neither judged nor condemned them. Instead, He stood for mercy and grace and they responded gratefully with faith and hope. 

So, His band of followers grew, hand-picked under the careful leadership of the Father through the Holy Spirit. They began as a mixed bunch of guys who made a living by various means, some by doing day’s hard work, others by extortion or political connections, but nevertheless a disjointed and disconnected group. It was up to Jesus to shape them into loyal followers who understood His mission, adopted His yoke without question, and through love and loyalty, would be ready to pick up the baton and run with it after He had returned to the Father. 

Would Jesus ever succeed in this mammoth and seemingly impossible task? From His own lips, we have the answer. 

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

All of them?

“While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How did He do it? By the power of His word!

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…FOLLOW ME – 9

Bible Study, ,

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we read this account of Jesus’ call to the fishermen brothers to follow Him, it sounds quite ordinary on the surface. An itinerant preacher watches some guys fishing fruitlessly, pulling in their boat, dejected, because, after a night’s work, they came back empty handed. This meant another day without income, with families to feed, no bread on the table. 

However…then, the tale takes a twist.  A rabbi, of all people, who knew nothing about fishing, tells them to go back and try again! Why should they listen to Him? There was something about Him, something in His voice that commanded attention. So they turned tail and moved back into deep water. What was empty space a few minutes ago became a boiling sea of fish…such a huge catch that the nets began to tear. They yelled for help from others fishing in a boat nearby.  They were soon back on shore with their magnificent catch, both boats groaning under the load and dangerously close to sinking. 

Peter was deeply moved. Something much deeper than a record haul of fish had touched him. Never had anything so outrageously miraculous ever happened to him. He was a seasoned fisherman who knew the Galilean lake like the back of his hand. He had no idea that there were schools of fish that big and…to crown it all, it had happened when a rabbi had issued instructions. How did He know they were there? 

Grabbing his cloak, Peter tumbled out of the boat, scrambled to the shore, and fell down at Jesus’ feet. “Master,” he panted, “please move away from me. I am so tainted that I can’t even be near to you.”

Jesus looked into Peter’s face, His eyes engaging the expression of agony on the face of the man kneeling before Him. “Don’t be afraid, Peter,” He said. “Follow me and I’ll teach you how to fish for people!” 

Miraculous catch of fish or not, these young Jewish men instantly turned their backs on their boats, their fish, and their rugged life of fishing and, without a backward glance, they walked away from the lake in the company of Jesus. 

How did this happen, all in the space of a short time?

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…OPPOSITION GROWS – 8

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“Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬, ‭33‬-‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Amazing how a demon-possessed man could be comfortable in a synagogue…until Jesus showed up! Does this mean that there was no one in that particular company, not even among religious people, who made the demon in that man uncomfortable enough to reveal its presence by resisting the company?

The moment Jesus arrived, the demon protested. Its comfortable environment had been invaded by holiness that made it cry out in agony. What did it say? 

“Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 

Only something from the spiritual dimension could blurt out the truth. The demon knew the identity of the one who confronted it. It not only knew Him, it also feared Him because it knew its destiny. Here was one from hell face to face with the most powerful representative from heaven. This was about authority…which one would give way?

Satan masquerades as the one who has authority on earth. He deceived Adam and continues to deceive all in the human race who believe his lies. He claims the authority of lordship he does not have and creates all kinds of delusions to cover up his deception. 

This confrontation was also an exposure. Jesus refused to acknowledge the demon’s confession. Instead, He confirmed it by evicting the demon without an argument. 

How did He overcome the opposition of this agent of Satan? Exactly as He did in the wilderness in His confrontation with the devil in person. He spoke the word. 

“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!”

In a final act of defiance, the demon threw the man on the ground and left without another murmur!

How did the congregation in the synagogue react?

They recognised and acknowledged an authority they had never witnessed before. 

“All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”

To the people of that day, authority was everything. Their spiritual leaders claimed to have the authority to teach them God’s word and enforced their rule by hypocritical acts of “righteousness”, parading their “obedience” as publicly as possible as proof of their authority…. but Jesus…He did stuff that outshone all the others. 

So, Jesus’ opposition was lining up against Him, truth versus deception. His own townspeople, demons and, by and by, the religious leaders of His nation who were supposed to be the custodians of truth, all revealed their hatred of the one who embodied truth and had the authority to act on it. 

One group claimed to represent the truth but had no evidence to confirm their claim…Jesus proved by His actions, that the words He spoke were the truth. He came from heaven to represent the truth that His people had long since perverted to suite their own ends and that their leaders upheld and perverted even more for their own purposes, money! In the end as Jesus accurately diagnosed, Israel’s shepherds were nothing more than hirelings, mercenaries who were in it for the money. 

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ..All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full…The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬, ‭8‬, ‭10‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus gathered a huge following to begin with, first, because He had so much to give them and, second, because they still had to learn about the all-or-nothing cost of following Him. 

Jesus’ ministry was not about curing all the ills of His people. It was about showing them the nature of the kingdom of God He had come to usher in…a place of holiness and perfection where God rules in righteousness, justice, and peace, and where all evil will be banished forever. Those who participate in this kingdom have to be in keeping with its nature. 

The day would come when these same people would hang this same Jesus on a cross because the standard this kingdom demands was just too high for them. By their action, they were unwittingly opening the door to this kingdom for all who would accept the sacrifice made on their behalf. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…NAZARETH – 7b

Bible Study, ,

The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus because they thought they knew who He was. They judged His message without exploring the evidence of His claims.

Jesus made it clear to His own disciples, “You can trust me because of what I do””. 

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ entire ministry focused on the restoration of God’s kingdom, not only to His own people but also to the entire Gentile world as prophesied in Isaiah…

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. “…I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As much as the Jewish leaders hated Him for exposing their hypocrisy, and even accused Him of using demonic powers to cast out demons…His works were incontrovertible evidence of the real source and purpose of His ministry…

“If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why did Jesus do the miracles He did? Why did He heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons? Was He looking for popularity or trying to gain a following in competition with the religious leaders? 

Jesus had one goal in view…

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

His message was the good news of the kingdom, with all the ramifications of that message…including His own death and resurrection, and the miracles as evidence of God’s benevolent rule at work. Jesus came to herald and to bring about the return of the order, justice, righteousness, and peace of His rule, which would culminate in the restoration of everything, including creation, to His original plan, on His return at the end of time. 

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬

To the Jews, this message was both revolutionary and unpalatable because there was no place in their Messianic expectation for the Gentiles. Their very mention brought about responses of anger and contempt. 

So, they rejected their very own “homeboy”, despite His teachings and His work, because of their bitter prejudice, which even cancelled their own covenant relationship with God. From that moment on, He was unwelcome in Nazareth. Their unbelief shut Him out, limited His power in their town, and sealed their fate as it did for everyone who refused to believe in His name. 

This brings me to the part of my meditation that is relevant for us humans…the issue of skepticism and prejudice that is damaging to our attitude to truth.

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” – Mark 6:1-6

“After Jesus restored Jairus’ daughter to life with his healing touch, he and the disciples departed Capernaum and traveled 25 miles south to Nazareth. For Jesus, this was a homecoming, a chance to see his family and the friends with whom he was raised. We might expect the town to be excited about his visit and welcome Jesus as a local celebrity. After all, they would have heard all about how he taught with authority, healed diseases, drove out demons, and even calmed a storm. That’s a fairly impressive resume! 

“And yet, the people of Nazareth greeted Jesus with skepticism and outrage. Others might be empowered by God to perform such works, but this was Mary’s Son. He grew up down the street, and they knew he was just a carpenter. While today we value the opportunity to achieve, advance, and make a new way in the world, the people of Jesus’ day were defined by their families and their upbringing. Jesus did not come from a line of teachers and preachers; he was not a scribe or a priest. And so, the people took offense at what he was doing and who he claimed to be. They felt entitled to define Jesus according to their terms.

“How does your skepticism keep you from experiencing the full and awesome power of Jesus? Have you sought to understand and define him from your earthly perspective? Faith is about surrender and trust.”

(Source: biblestudymedia.com)

To be continued…