Luke 5:33-39 New Covenant of Joy Setup: Jesus is being challenged by religious people at every corner; On His ability to forgive sins, the people he surrounds himself with, and now about His disciples not fasting as Judaism required. In what ways do you think the disciples enjoyed following Jesus? Learn:! [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. " (Luke 5:33-39 ESV) In this passage, Jesus is presented with another question from the religious elite; Why do your disciples party, instead of fast? Fasting in Judaism was a major rite of piety. Fasting involved mourning and pleas for deliverance. The Pharisees are known to have fasted at least twice a week. This was viewed as a virtue, while not fasting would have been seen as disrespect for God. Jesus not only answers this questioning, but expounds on it. His answer is found in verses 34-35. The groom is here. It is not a time for mourning, but a time for celebration. God has visited His people. He has come to seek and to save the lost. Redemption is here. Jesus is ushering in a new covenant, the one promised in Jeremiah 31:31-33. This covenant is not one of mournful dread-filled religious duty, but of joyous heart changing and spirit-led abundant life. We find joy in the bridegroom, Christ, not burden in duties.
Jesus expounds His answer with three different pictures: 1. The covenant Jesus is ushering in is like a new piece of garment. One cannot mix what Jesus brings with the old ways without creating destruction. (v.36) 2. The covenant Jesus is ushering in is like new wineskins. This picture presents a what a waste feeling about trying to live the life of the new kingdom using the old ways. (v.37-38) 3. The covenant Jesus is ushering in will not be accepted by all.(v. 39) 1. What answer does Jesus give the Pharisees? 2. What is significant about Jesus analogy of the bridegroom? 3. How does this speak to the relationship between Jesus and His followers? 4. What three pictures does Jesus give us for why His disciples do not fast? What is He teaching?! [6] But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. " (Hebrews 8:6 ESV) " [13] In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13 ESV) 5. Considering these verses, what is Jesus trying to teach about the New Covenant? Is this something the Jews should be expecting? Why or why not? (Jeremiah 31:31-33) 6. How does living under the New Covenant shape our relationship with Jesus? 7. When are you most tempted to fall into duty based lifestyle versus heart transformed lifestyle? 8. Why is Jesus answer to the Pharisees good news for us? 9. Why is it good news for others? How would you use the truth of this passage to help encourage other believers or not-yet believers? 10. How can you begin to live a life full of the Spirit and Joy in the bridegroom, instead of a life of religious duty? How can we help each other in this? 11. If everything we learned today is true, how does it affect us? As a community? As a city?
Launch Truth In Action: 1. Get together with a few close friends this week to really open up and discuss the areas of your life where service for Christ feels more like dreadful duty than joyous life with the bridegroom. Commit to praying for one another in these areas. 2. For further study, spend time reading and meditating on 2 Corinthians 3:1-6. Intentional Prayer: In whatever way you choose as a leader, let 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 guide your time of prayer together. Maybe you want to just have someone read it over the group while praying together. Pray for the life giving power of the Spirit to invade hearts to live a life enjoying intimate relationship with Christ. Leader Actions: (just for you) 1.If you are feeling burnt-out as a leader, allow yourself to be vulnerable with someone you trust. Discuss the reasons why, and allow someone to cover you in prayer. 2. Try to connect with anyone in your group feeling burn out or maybe just lacking intimacy with Christ. Maybe go for coffee to talk about things.
Commentary Help: For Leaders Jesus response was that the new way (His way) and the old way (the way of John and the Pharisees) simply do not mix. He gave three examples. 1. A bridegroom s guests (cf. John 3:29) do not fast while he is with them because it is a joyous occasion. They fast later after he is gone. 2. A new unshrunk patch of cloth is not put on an old garment because it will shrink and the tear will be worse. 3. New wine is not put into old wineskins for as it ferments it will break the old skins, which have lost their elasticity, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. In each case two things do not mix: a time of feasting and a time of fasting (vv. 34-35), a new patch and an old garment (v. 36), and new wine and old wineskins (vv. 37-38). Jesus was noting that His way and the way of the Pharisees simply are unmixable. The Pharisees would refuse to try the new way for they assumed that their old way was better. Jesus teaching was considered by the Pharisees and religious leaders to be like new wine, and they wanted no part in it (v. 39). 1 The Bridegroom (vv. 33 35). The scribes and Pharisees were not only upset at the disciples friends, but also at their obvious joy as they fellowshipped with Jesus and the guests. We get the impression that the Pharisees experienced little if any joy in the practice of their religion (see Matt. 6:16; Luke 15:25 32). Jesus was a Man of Sorrows (Isa. 53:3), but He was also filled with joy (Luke 10:21; John 15:11; 17:13). 2 Jewish weddings lasted a week and were times of great joy and celebration. By using this image, Jesus was saying to His critics, I came to make life a wedding feast, not a funeral. If you know the Bridegroom, then you can share His joy. He said that one day He would be taken away, which suggested rejection and death; but meanwhile, there was good reason for joy, for sinners were coming to repentance. 3 5:34 35 the bridegroom There is so much OT imagery involved in the concept of bridegroom. In the OT YHWH is the bridegroom or husband of Israel. However, it is never a Messianic title. In this context Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride (cf. Eph. 5:23 32). In v. 35 the bridegroom is taken away refers to a time when a separation will occur. Now, as interpreters, we have two choices. First, we can see this as a cultural metaphor about a time of joy connected to a wedding. No one fasts during a wedding! Second, we 1 John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Lk 5:27 39. 2 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), Lk 5:27. 3 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), Lk 5:27.
can see it as parabolic of Jesus time on earth and His coming crucifixion. Mark (who recorded Peter s sermons in Rome and developed them into the first Gospel) would have known the full implication of these metaphorically-laden terms (in Judaism the bridegroom was a metaphor, not of the Messiah, but of the coming Kingdom of God). Is this a prediction of Jesus death? He has clearly revealed His Messiahship and deity through His words and deeds (i.e. exorcism, healings, forgiving of sins). His followers will fast in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time. 4 5:36 The Markan (2:21) and Matthean (9:16) parallels help us understand this parable by noting that the patch is from an unshrunk piece of cloth (it will shrink). The new patch will destroy the old clothing. There has been much discussion about how to apply this truth. It seems to emphasize the need to be flexible in one s faith. However, one must be careful as to the nature and extent of this flexibility. It is a condemnation of rabbinical Judaism s literalistic interpretation of the Oral Tradition. God help us! Sometimes we are more committed to our traditions and legalisms than we are to God (cf. Isa. 29:13). This parable is paralleled in Mark 2:19 20 and Matt. 9:16 17. 5 4 Robert James Utley, vol. Volume 3A, The Gospel According to Luke, Study Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 2004), Lk 5:34 35. 5 Robert James Utley, vol. Volume 3A, The Gospel According to Luke, Study Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 2004), Lk 5:36.