This morning’s reading from Luke 5:33–39 reminds us that following Jesus means being open to new things. When questioned about why His disciples aren’t fasting like others, Jesus responds with a parable about weddings, wine, and garments. His message is clear: something new is happening, and it can’t be squeezed into old patterns. Just like you can’t patch an old coat with new fabric or pour new wine into old skins, you can’t experience the fullness of Jesus while clinging to old ways. But here’s the challenge—most of us prefer what we know. We like the old wine. Yet Jesus invites us to be stretched, to embrace the new, and to make room for joy and transformation. Let’s not miss what God is doing because we’re too comfortable with what’s familiar.

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Good morning. It’s good to be with you today as we continue our time in Luke’s Gospel. Today, we’re finishing out chapter five—Luke 5:33–39. This is probably a passage you’ve heard before. It might sound familiar.

Let’s read it together and see what it has to say:

Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.”
Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise, the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old.
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.
But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’”

I love this exchange. The Pharisees are essentially saying, “Jesus, why don’t your disciples act like the rest of the religious folks? John’s disciples fast. The Pharisees’ disciples fast. But yours are just… eating and drinking.” And how does Jesus respond? With a parable about wine. I just find that humorous—and so very Jesus. They bring up fasting, and he tells a story about wine. Scripture is full of moments like that if you pay attention.

But what’s Jesus really saying here? He’s pointing out that something new is happening. He compares his presence to that of a bridegroom at a wedding. You don’t fast at a wedding—it’s a time of celebration. He tells them the time for fasting will come, and of course, we understand he’s referring to his death. But right now, he says, while he is with them, it’s a time for joy.

That matters. There must be joy in life. If there’s nothing in your life that gives you joy, that’s something to take seriously. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” We are meant to live joyfully. We need joy in our lives.

Then Jesus moves into two short parables—one about cloth and the other about wineskins. In both cases, he’s saying the same thing: you can’t mix the new with the old without something tearing or breaking. A new patch on an old garment doesn’t match, and it will shrink and ruin the garment. New wine in an old wineskin will cause the wineskin to burst. The point is clear—something new is happening, and the old ways can’t contain it.

Jesus is saying plainly, “Yes, my disciples look different. Yes, this movement looks different. Because I am doing something new.” His way doesn’t fit neatly into the old categories. It’s not just a fresh coat of paint on the same walls. It’s something altogether different.

But then we get to that last verse: “And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’” That hits home, doesn’t it? We like what we know. We like what’s comfortable. I don’t know about you, but I’m a creature of habit. I go to the same restaurants. I order the same food. If my phone plugs into the car, it knows where I’m headed—Cinco de Mayo, Primo’s. I don’t need the menu. I know what I like.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying comfort. The Bible even says there is great gain in godliness with contentment. But there’s a difference between contentment and complacency. Are we so comfortable that we stop being open to the new things God might be trying to do? Are we so set in our spiritual routines that we miss God’s voice? That we resist the stretch of growth? That we close ourselves off to fresh experiences of grace?

Jesus says, “I’m doing a new thing.” And it made people uncomfortable—especially the religious leaders. And they let Jesus know just how uncomfortable it made them. But their resistance didn’t stop him. The question for us is: are we willing to be stretched? Are we open to being made uncomfortable if it means following Jesus more faithfully?

Let’s not get so comfortable in our lives or in our faith that we stop expecting God to move in new ways. Let’s not miss out on what God wants to do just because it doesn’t look like what we’re used to. Instead, let’s be faithful. Let’s be open. Let’s be willing to follow—even if it means trying something new.

Thanks for being with us today. Tomorrow we’ll pick up with Luke chapter six. See you then.