Scripture Reading: Luke 5. 33-39 Today's inspiration:

Good Morning.

Do you get the sense that the Pharisees were always hanging around, looking to 'catch' Jesus or His followers doing something they shouldn't. . . or at least falling short of their Pharisaical laws? They were. Why would anyone care about their opinion of Jesus? Because in Jesus' day, they were the most respected and influential group in Judaism. It was their intent to follow in exact detail everything required in the Mosaic Law. Many times, Jesus did not contain His disdain for their hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, He paints a picture of their piety: You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. (Okay, so Jesus had a way with words, didn't He? He was a marvelous teacher, who painted detailed pictures in the minds of His listeners.)

The Pharisees in our passage questioned Jesus about why His disciples were eating and drinking, rather than fasting like them. . . (the Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays; and several other holy days of the year). Jesus leveled them with a puzzling response--likening Himself to the bridegroom who has not yet left the party for his honeymoon. (read about it in chapter 5, vs. 34 and 35) Jesus was saying that as long as the He was on earth, and with the people, it was not the right time for fasting. I wonder if they understood what He was talking about. . . . . because then He said 'the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.' I wonder if they understood that He was letting them and the listening disciples know that He would not be alive too much longer. . . And fasting? Well, fasting is a spiritual discipline that involves going without food for a certain time to spend that time in prayer. It has continued to be practiced for the same purpose within Christianity, though voluntarily, without the legalism of Judaism requiring it.

Jesus told them a parable--a parable is simply a short story that uses familiar scenes and everyday objects and relationships to explain spiritual truths. Jesus illustrated His point two ways--with an old patch on new clothing, and then wine and wineskins. Now, I do not pour my wine out of a wineskin, but I guess Jesus did. I have an ancient-type wineskin pictured for you--it would be tough to merchandise those at the grocery store! When new wine is poured into the leather goatskin, as it ferments, it expands--with age, the wineskin gets brittle. So, if you were to put new wine in it, it would burst. Bummer. The deeper meaning of this is valuable for us to understand--Jesus was not coming to attach Himself onto an in-place religious system--He was coming to revolutionize it! He was on earth to establish a new covenant--that of grace rather than living under the burden of the Law.

Is there an application for us in this wineskin parable? Yes, indeed. When we come to learn of Christ, we should not try to fit Him into our already-existent religious schema. Let me explain--sometimes, we have been raised with a particular religion or doctrine, and then we have our own encounter with Jesus Christ. . . Jesus does not fit into the old wineskin with our old way of looking at things, though most people try that. No, it is critical to study God's Word and learn about the person of Jesus Christ and Christianity FIRST HAND. Please, do not just attach Jesus on like a footnote--be ready for a whole new paradigm! Further, do not settle for being spoon-fed; learn to feed yourself, (learn to study God's Word) and then put it into practice--otherwise, I fear your wineskin might burst some day.

Now hopefully I just 'sold you' on why you should print out these daily studies, read the Scripture, three-hole punch these sheets and store them in a binder. And I know of some who are taking their research further, by doing some on-line study, googling different elements of our Morning Briefings, and consulting study Bibles and commentaries. There is so much to learn about our Lord, and man is it exciting!

So that you may know,

Christine